Hitting a Sour Note Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sweet

Sweetness is usually produced by sugar or substances that imitate sugars and it is generally regarded as a pleasurable sensation.

Glucose is a simple sugar that is produced by plants during photosynthesis. For humans, and in fact all organisms, glucose is the main source of energy. In animals, it is stored as glycogen, and it works its way through their bodies as "blood sugar". You may wonder why it tastes sweet... it's because its molecules have a specific three dimensional shape that fits perfectly with the sweet taste receptors that sit on our taste buds.

Answer: Sweet

Maltose is a simple carbohydrate but, unlike glucose, which has a single sugar unit, maltose has two sugar units (molecules), that are joined together. It is mainly found in grains and is also present in honey. It is commonly used in making bread and brewing beer and can also be used as a sweetener.

Other carbohydrates with two sugar molecules are lactose and sucrose.

Answer: Sour

Sourness is a description used for foods that taste acidic. Common among these are fruits such as limes, lemons, oranges, tamarinds, and grapes.

Limes are small oval fruits that have green flesh and rind. Generally grown in tropical and sub-tropical environments and their sourness comes from their high citric acid content.

Answer: Sour

Fermented foods may also produce a sour taste and vinegar is a good example. The sourness comes from acetic acid which is produced using a double fermentation method. The first step is converting simple sugars to ethanol using yeast. The ethanol is then converted to acetic acid using an acetic acid bacteria.

Other fermented foods capable of producing a sour taste sensation are wine and yoghurt.

Answer: Salty

Sodium chloride has the common name of table salt and it would have been pretty pointless putting the ordinary name forward and asking you what taste it comes under.

Salty taste seems to have two components (a) low salt, which is likely to produce a sense of deliciousness and (b) high salt, which the body will feel is too salty... a disagreeable sensation.

Answer: Salty

Snack foods such as pretzels, along with potato chips/crisps, crackers, salted nuts and even popcorn will have salt added to them to enhance their flavour, hence their salty taste.

Meat that is put through a curing process, such as ham or bacon would also classify as salty. In addition, because of their added salt, you can add to this list certain cheeses, cottage cheese is a good example, and fermented foods such as olives and sauerkraut.

Answer: Bitter

Bitterness is the most sensitive of our taste receptors, reacting quickly to foods that have a sharp taste. Whilst these may be disagreeable to the palate, sometimes it is desirable to add these to our diet and dark chocolate is one of those. Its bitterness may be tempered by either being used in cooking or with the addition of milk.

The bitterness in dark chocolate, as compared to milk chocolate, is due to its high concentration of cocoa solids and the minimal use of milk and sugar. The cocoa solids contain natural compounds such as caffeine and theobromine. Both of these are bitter alkaloids.

Answer: Bitter

You may be wondering, if something that is bitter is a disagreeable taste sensation for many people, why does our body have a bitterness taste receptor? The simple answer is that it is a warning system that tells us that what we have placed in our mouths "may" be toxic and it provides us with an opportunity to spit it out before we ingest it. In short, it is a survival mechanism.

Coffee is bitter because it contains caffeine, and caffeine is an alkaloid that our bodies perceive to be a toxin. As a consequence, it reacts with a bitter sensation to provide us with that warning.

Answer: Umami

Umami is, essentially, a savory flavour. One of the main drivers toward this taste sensation or flavour is an amino acid called glutamate and mushrooms are loaded with it. Mushrooms possess a rich earthy flavour and they're sometimes described as brothy. Dried mushrooms will possess a stronger umami taste.

Umami was first studied by a Japanese chemistry professor named Kikunae Ikeda, who isolated the taste of dashi - a Japanese stock that forms the base of their miso soup - and, in the process, uncovered the chemical monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG.

Answer: Umami

Umami is a word borrowed from the Japanese that means good flavour. It is also an appetitive taste, which means it stimulates a natural desire to eat to ensure that we satisfy our body's needs. Meat is loaded with two of the main elements that drive the umami taste - glutamates and nucleotides. The latter are vital building blocks in organisms that join together to form the "instruction book" for our bodies, i.e. DNA.

Other products that fall under the banner of umami include soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, miso, and the Australian product made from brewer's yeast, Vegemite.