title: Quality specific differences in human taste detection thresholds as a function of stimulus volume.
abstract: Taste detection thresholds for sodium chloride, sucrose, citric acid and quinine sulfate were determined with the Henkin three drop forced-choice method at stimulus volumes 0.05 ml, 0.50 ml, and 0.90 ml, with and without water rinses. Taste thresholds were inversely related to stimulus volume (median rs = -.68 and, within each volume, thresholds did not differ as function of water rinsing. The detection thresholds for sodium chloride (range: 15.06 mM to 6.7 mM), sucrose (range: 24.22 mM to 14.13 mM), citric acid (range: 1.47 mM to 0.5 mM) and quinine sulfate (range: 0.35 mM to 0.12 mM) were similar to those of other investigators using considerably larger stimulus volumes and different psychophysical procedures. The present results demonstrate that the Henkin three drop method provides a more optimal measure of changes in taste sensitivity when stimulus volumes of approximately 1 ml are used in place of the standard 0.05 ml stimulus volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Glassboro State College, NJ 08028-1763.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Brosvic
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002951:Citrates; D019343:Citric Acid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011803:Quinine; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D013649:Taste; D013652:Taste Threshold
chemical_list: D002951:Citrates; D019343:Citric Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D011803:Quinine