Effects of fat and sucrose in palate cleansers on discrimination of burning sensation of capsaicin samples

Repeated tasting of spicy foods could affect the accuracy of sensory evaluation because of the accumulating and lasting of burning sensation. Therefore, protocols are needed to overcome this problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 milk based palate cleansers varying in fat and sucrose level on discrimination of burning sensation of capsaicin samples prepared at different concentrations. The effects were observed at 3 different interval lengths (1, 3, and 5 min) using different subjects. Subjects rated the intensity of burning sensation of the samples using 15-point category scales and they completed 7 sessions including 1 warm up session, using a different palate cleanser in each session. At 3 min interval, fat seemed to be more effective than sucrose, and the effects of fat was still more increased with the addition of sucrose. However, consistent trends were not observed at 1 and 5 min intervals.