Why does sweetness reduce sourness?
I hope I'm not using the wrong word here, since I know the "acidic" quality to a food does not change by adding sugar (same amount of free hydrogen ions).
But it's known that adding sweetness reduces sourness (the perception of acidity). For example a lemon and Coke both have a pH of around 2.5, but the Coke tastes far less sour because of the added sweetness.
My question is... why is this the case? Why does adding sugar reduce this perception? In all these websites it explains how this-paired-with-that creates such and such effect, and while I am sure it suffices to just "memorize that," I want to understand it better.
Is it known what's going on, on a molecular level, or a physical level, as to why introducing sweetness reduces the perception of acidity specifically?
Best Answer
Technically, sweetness doesn't reduce perception of acidity specifically - it reduces perception of everything else. And the estimated intensity of taste depends on the sum of intensities in the mixture - that's why we add a bit of salt to sweet baked goods.
The exact mechanism and how to predict the end results are currently largely unknown, although there are links drawn towards neural inhibition and adaptation (i.e. "acquired taste")
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Why does sugar make things less sour?
Sugar does not cause sour food to be any less acidic. The difference is purely one of perception; we are wired by evolution to prefer sweet tastes and tend to perceive less of other tastes when a high sugar concentration is present. Sugar does not ionize - it is not basic or acidic.Does sugar reduce sourness?
In general, equal sugar molarities and weights did not effect equivalent suppression. Instead, the perceived intensity of the sugars appeared to suppress sourness more systematically, implying that dominantly central neural mechanisms underlie suppression.Does sweet neutralize sour?
Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal.Does sugar lower the acidity of vinegar?
It is not changed by the amount of sugar (except for very strong acids like sulfuric acid, which would react with the sugar and bind some protons in the reaction).Neutralize taste | Balance excess taste in food | Salty, sweet, bitter, sour, bland, Spicy
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