Media releases

  • Beer a bitter pill to swallow for thermal tasters, says Brock research

    MEDIA RELEASE: 4 February 2019 – R00016

    Beer lovers widely agree that while the world’s most popular alcoholic drink can be slightly bitter or mildly sour, it’s pleasant overall. But for about 20 per cent of the population, beer is uncomfortably bitter and sour, a Brock University research team has found.

    ‘Thermal tasters’ are people who experience bitterness, sourness, astringency and other non-sweet flavours at a highly intense level. These tastes come out after the food or drink is swallowed, with the aftertaste lingering for up to two minutes.

    Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology Gary Pickering says thermal tasters don’t even need to swallow food or drink to taste bitterness or sourness.

    “When we put a small probe on the tongue of someone who is a thermal taster and change the temperature, they taste bitterness or sourness, in effect, a ‘phantom taste’ because the taste comes from a temperature change to the tongue rather than food or drink,” he says.

    In earlier research, Pickering explored the thermal taster phenomenon. He and his team wanted to take the earlier research one step further, asking whether thermal tasters experience beer in a different way.

    In this latest research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Quality and Preference, 117 participants were asked to identify what they were tasting as they drank cold and warm samples of Molson Exel. They could choose any number of seven descriptors: astringent, bitter, carbonation, fruity/hops, malty, sour and sweet.

    A non-alcoholic beer was chosen for the trials so participants could swallow the drink (important for experiencing the full range of taste sensations) without their ratings or judgment being affected by alcohol, Pickering says.

    As an added twist, the participants in one of the trials listened to an audio clip of a can of cold beer being opened to see if that sound would enhance the sensation of carbonation during the tasting process.

    Participants were also tested to identify who were thermal tasters among the group.

    The researchers found that participants identified as thermal tasters reported the beer tasted bitter and sour at a higher rate than regular tasters, and they detected astringency and carbonation in cold beer more than warm beer. The sound clip of effervescence slightly enhanced thermal tasters’ ability to experience carbonation.

    Pickering explains that the addition of the sound clip is part of a growing research area called cross-modal interactions, which examines how one sense (in this case, hearing) may interact with another (taste) to alter how consumer products are experienced. Another example would be colouring a product yellow if the manufacturer wanted it to taste more sour and citrus-like.

    Also, thermal tasters’ ability to perceive flavours just by changing the temperature of their tongue might be a result of “cross-wiring” of taste nerves and trigeminal nerves in the oral cavity, says Pickering.

    Taste nerves respond to sweetness, sourness, bitterness and other flavours, while trigeminal nerves are responsible for the sensations such as hot, cold and spiciness experienced when eating and drinking.

    “Thermal tasting may be a proxy for general taste sensitivity,” he says.

    Pickering says thermal tasters’ heightened sensitivity to bitterness and sourness “may be protective against alcohol misuse,” as thermal tasters would be less likely to start, or continue, drinking, since many alcoholic beverages would elicit these tastes at unpleasant levels.

    He says the research results might also have implications for breweries and marketing experts, and that further research might explore how beer could be optimized for individuals such as thermal tasters who have different taste sensitivities.

    “This research highlights that many factors influence flavour,” says PhD candidate Margaret Thibodeau, who is one of the study’s authors.

    “More research is required to better understand the perception of alcoholic beverages,” she says.

    To that end, Thibodeau is conducting another study that examines how thermal tasters perceive ethanol – the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages – compared to non-thermal tasters.

    She is looking for female volunteers ages 19 to 40 to participate in that study. For more information, email mt10xw@brocku.ca

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases

  • Milestone moment as Goodman School of Business officially opens its doors

    MEDIA RELEASE: 1 February 2019 – R00015

    With confetti raining down and a round of applause from faculty, staff and students, the ribbon was cut on the $24-million transformation of the Goodman School of Business at Brock University Friday, Feb. 1.

    The remarkable project brings the Goodman School to the forefront of a competitive Canadian business school market, offering its growing student body a modern, bright and high-tech learning environment.

    “Our new building gives the School not only a world-class teaching and research facility, but it also becomes a hub for Goodman’s interaction with the community around us,” said Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes.

    Community engagement plays a significant role in what the business school does, enabling students to get hands-on training through experiential learning opportunities, including co-op education. Through experiential education projects this year, thousands of Goodman students have worked on 158 community projects for local businesses and organizations. Additionally, Goodman’s professional development program has run 34 certificate programs for professionals in municipal leadership, non-profit management and local businesses since 2016.

    To that end, the new Goodman building includes five new interview rooms that can be used by employer partners coming onto campus to engage with Brock students. There’s also six new and nine refreshed classrooms, a new Bloomberg financial research lab, graduate student study space, faculty research space, new offices and a striking two-storey atrium. In all, there is 79,000 square feet of new and renovated space.

    “The outstanding Goodman School of Business facility marks a wonderful milestone in the University’s development and its role and capacity to deliver excellent academic, research and business programming for our students and regional economic growth,” said Brock President Gervan Fearon. “The generosity and vision of the Goodman family and our other partners gives students the advantage of learning in bright, modern surroundings that will enhance their education experience and prepare them for the future.”

    The project to transform and modernize the Goodman School was made possible by a major gift from the family of former Brock Chancellor Ned Goodman, along with a $10-million commitment from the Government of Ontario and the support of many generous donors.

    “Goodman is quickly gaining an impressive reputation among business schools in Canada,” said Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff. “These newly renovated and constructed spaces will enable Goodman students to enhance their learning experience by improving their engagement with faculty, one another, the business world and the community at large.”

    Speaking on behalf of the Goodman Family Foundation Friday, Dan Goodman called the opening “a moment of extreme pride,” for the family. “For us, this incredible new facility represents expanded potential for both the faculty and students, and we can’t wait to see the accomplishments that are yet to come.”

    The Honourable Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, said modern surroundings play a key role in helping students realize their full potential.

    “In order for our students to achieve their highest potential, they need access to modern tools and facilities to help them develop the skills needed for today’s and tomorrow’s job market,” she said. “It is incredible to see how Brock University continues to create new venues of opportunity for its students that will aid them in becoming future leaders in Ontario and beyond.”

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases