It makes us addicted, makes our arteries weep and damages our memory:and yet, like Karadoc in Kaamelott, we love fat. It is not the American researchers at Purdue University in the United States who will say otherwise. According to their survey published in the journal Chemical Sensé, fat deserves its place as the 6th flavor, behind sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Her name ? Oleogustus.
Because the human palate, say the scientists, is able to identify fatty acids, because they are simply a component of taste. “If you remove the color, the smell, the flavor, you lose the taste. If there is no fat, there is no taste”, explains Herve This, physico-chemist at INRA.
“Most of the fats we consume are in the form of triglycerides, fatty acid molecules. These triglycerides give foods pleasing textures, especially creaminess, but are not really taste stimulants,” continues Richard Mattes, professor of nutritional science at Purdue University and lead author of this work.
But in excess, fat is neither good for the body nor for the taste buds:There is then a phenomenon of rejection by the person who consumes it as if the food were rancid”, concludes the researcher. A sign from our body that warns us, like "The Disgust" in Vice-Versa, surely.
