DETERMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF AGE AND GENDER FOR ACTUAL AND RECOGNITION THRESHOLD LEVELS ON GUSTATION MODALITY

Abstract

Sensory thresholds are associated with the level of stimuli strength which reaches to be consciously sensed. This study assesses the impact of age and gender in the alteration of actual and recognition threshold levels for sugar and salt taste modalities. Study was conducted according ISO 8589:2007 guidelines, while using a series of standard solutions. Responses were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed by multinomial regression using SPSS Statistical Software (α =0.05). Results revealed that age is negatively correlated (P<0.05) with both thresholds while gender was insignificant (P>0.05) for both gustation, that corroborate the detection and recognition of a tastant decline with the aging process. Ageing causes high declining of actual threshold level for sugar taste compared to the salt taste because degree of stimulating power of salt is more vigor than that of sugar. However, chemical energy of both constituents was less affective on the recognition threshold level.