Evaluation of of the Taste Features of Functional Food Components

Food function can be broadly categorized into nutrition, palatability, and bioregulation. There has been rising interest in functional foods that are beneficial to bioregulation because of the increased onset of lifestyle-related diseases. Various food materials contain functional food components, and knowledge of their physiological functions has been accumulating. The intake of functional food components is recommended for maintaining and improving human health. However, many functional food components possess unpleasant tastes such as bitterness and astringency. Therefore, there is a concern that the palatability of functional food products will decrease as the content of functional food components within them increases. There is currently a dearth of established knowledge about the taste features of functional food components. Clarification of the taste features of functional food components is important for their application. On the other hand, some studies have shown that taste signals may induce specific biological responses, suggesting that the taste of functional food components might exert physiological effects. This review describes our achievements related to the taste features of functional food components.