Researchers from Purdue University seem to have isolated the ‘sixth’ taste, which means about the taste of fat. It has long been said that fat has a very different taste, and now this sixth taste may soon be joining the already recognized ones.

An experiment was carried out in which volunteers were asked to taste different food samples that were having fatty acids along with chemicals of basic tastes. Considering the fact that smell can have an impact on the way people perceive the taste, participants were given nose clips.

After putting on nose clip, the participants were asked to taste the samples. The researchers said that more than 50% of the volunteers were able to distinguish an odd sample from any other category. This sample was quite high on a very concentrated amount of a fatty acid type and was not liked by the subjects when it came to its taste.

The researchers said this fat was different from the one found on a steak and was more similar to the ones present in rapeseed or corn-based cooking oils. But then also, the researchers have said that fat has a taste of its own and is somewhere between bitter and sour.

It is very important to know that how human body detects about fat. “Identifying the taste of fat has a range of important health implications. At high concentrations, the signal it generates would dissuade the eating of rancid foods”, said Professor Richard Mattes of the Ingestive Behavior Research Centre at Purdue University in Indiana.