Scientists believe people have a sixth basic taste: Fat

Experts have long asserted that humans have the ability to detect six basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami – but now a team of researchers from Purdue University have apparently found that we also possess the ability to detect a sixth flavor – the taste of fat.

According to ABC News reports, the study authors recruited volunteers, gave them nose clips to prevent them from mistaking a food’s aroma for taste, and then had them try a series of different concentrated samples. The tastes were then labeled as one of the known flavors, or “blank.”

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the study participants were able to distinguish a sample rich in fatty acid content from other members of the group, telling the researchers that concentrations of shorter fatty acid chains were somewhat sour, and longer ones were uniquely pungent in taste.

The research indicates that people can detect a one-of-a-kind flavor in fat, which has been called “oleogustus” (a combination of the Latin terms for oil and taste) by the study authors, according to Forbes. As surprising as it is that fat has a distinctive taste, the website notes that it is equally surprising that the study participants described it as an unpleasant one.

Findings could provide new insight into the human senses

When combined with other tastes, smells and textures, fat is used to enrich food, making it more attractive to people. Fatty acids on their own, however, evoked the opposite reaction amongst the study participants. So why do we like fatty foods and dislike fatty acids on their own?

“We have a situation where one form of fat is adding to the appeal of food and may encourage intake. While with another, the taste signal is aversive, discouraging consumption,” lead author Richard Mattes explained to Forbes. One possible explanation is that fatty acids tend to build up as fats break down, giving the consumer the impression that the food is going bad.

Mattis told ABC News that additional research is needed, but that the findings could provide new insight into how humans react to different types of foods. By understanding how the body detects the flavor of fat, scientist may be able to determine if this taste has an impact on how some foods are metabolized, while also gaining new insight into how a person’s senses operate.

“Fat taste oral signaling, and the different signals caused by different alkyl chain lengths, may hold implications for food product development, clinical practice, and public health policy,” the study authors wrote earlier this month in the Oxford University journal Chemical Senses.