Bitter value
The bitter value is a measure used in pharmacy to describe the extent of a bitter taste. The bitter value is the reciprocal of the dilution of a substance, a liquid or an extract that just tastes bitter.
A standardized procedure described in the European Pharmacopoeia is used to determine the bitter value . An aqueous solution of quinine hydrochloride with a bitter value of 200,000 serves as a comparison . This means that 1 gram of quinine hydrochloride makes 200,000 grams (depending on the temperature about 200 liters) of water bitter. The inter-individual taste differences in the organoleptic test of bitterness are compensated for by a correction factor in this procedure .
Bitter substances with associated bitter values
| Bitter substance | Bitter value | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Denatonium benzoate | > 100,000,000 | bitterest known substance |
| Columbin | 60,000,000 | Bitter from colombo root (Jateorhiza palmata) |
| Amarogentin | 58,000,000 | Bitter substance in various types of gentian |
| Quassin | 13,000,000 | Bitter substance in the bitterwood tree (Quassia amara) |
| Absinthine | 3,000,000 | Bitter in wormwood |
| Brucine | 3,000,000 | poisonous alkaloid from the Ignatius nugget . |
| Quinine hydrochloride | 200,000 | Alkaloid from cinchona bark |
Taste experience
The pleasure in eating and drinking can promote tolerable concentration bitters. The polyphenol molecule naringin makes grapefruits and pomelos bitter. The bitter substance lactucopicrin determines the taste of chicory , endive and radicchio . Common bitter lemonades contain quinine .
In contrast , food chemists and drug manufacturers use bitter blockers to mask bitter molecules from the sense of taste . One such substance is “Cavamax”, a water-soluble gamma-cyclodextrin in pharmaceutical quality. A so-called "resolver" has proven itself for sensory optimization and can be declared as a natural aroma. The same applies to the bitter blocker “Clear Taste” from the Swiss flavor manufacturer Givaudan .
Magnesium sulfate, commonly known as Epsom salt , acts as a laxative .
literature
- European Pharmacopoeia. Volume 1: General part of monograph groups , 5th edition, basic work. Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-7692-3638-6 , 2.8.15 Bitterwert, p. 278.
- Curt Hunnius [start], Hermann PT Ammon [Hrsg.]: Hunnius pharmaceutical dictionary. 9. Edit again and exp. Edition. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2004, ISBN 3-11-017475-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Burkhard Strassmann: Bitter is the new sweet. In: Die Zeit No. 9: February 21, 2019, p. 33.
- ↑ → Put "Cavamax" in the search field!
- ↑ Matthias Saß: Solution to taste problems. In: Process technology online December 5, 2001 PDF.