Chemesthesis is a part of the flavor experience of foods. Chemesthetic perception is studied to understand its effect on food-related behavior and health. Thus, the objective of this research was to study individual differences in chemesthetic perception. Our study involved sensory tests of three chemesthetic modalities (astringency, pungency, and cooling). Participants (N = 196) evaluated the intensity of samples in different concentrations using a line scale under sensory laboratory conditions. Aluminum ammonium sulfate, capsaicin, and menthol were used as the prototypic chemesthetic compounds. The participants were divided into sensitivity groups in different chemesthetic modalities by hierarchical clustering based on their intensity ratings. In addition, an oral chemesthesis sensitivity score was determined to represent the generalized chemesthesis sensitivity. The results showed that people can perceive chemesthesis on different intensity levels. There were significantly positive correlations between (1) sensitivity scores for oral chemesthesis and taste as well as (2) each chemesthesis and taste modalities. Moreover, based on the multinomial logistic regression model, significant interactions between oral chemesthesis and taste sensitivity were discovered. Our findings showed that people can be classified into different oral chemesthesis sensitivity groups. The methods and results of this study can be utilized to investigate associations with food-related behavior and health.

This research focused on the oral perception of naturally occurring chemical food compounds that are used in the pharma and food industries due to their pharmacological properties. They stimulate chemically sensitive receptors of the somatosensory system and are also chemesthetic compounds. Capsaicin is a naturally occurring alkaloid activating pungency perception. l‐Menthol is a cyclic monoterpene working also as a medical cooling agent. Aluminum ammonium sulfate is used as a dehydrating agent and additive known to activate astringency in oral cavity. The objective of the study was to identify factors explaining individual differences in the perception of oral chemesthesis measured as sensitivity to chemesthetic compounds and their recognition. The subjects (N = 205) evaluated quality‐specific prototypic compounds at five different concentration levels. Differences between gender were discovered in capsaicin sensitivity with men being less sensitive than women. Age was associated with the perception of capsaicin, l‐menthol, aluminum ammonium sulfate, and the combined oral chemesthetic sensitivity. Quality‐specific recognition ratings were also contributing to the sensitivity to chemesthetic compounds. A combined oral chemesthetic recognition score was created based on quality‐specific recognition ratings. Increasing age generally indicated weaker recognition skills. Better recognizers had a higher combined oral chemesthetic sensitivity score than poorer recognizers. These results provide new information about chemesthesis. The results suggest that age and gender are important factors in explaining individual differences in sensitivity to capsaicin, l‐menthol, and aluminum ammonium sulfate. In addition, recognition skills are associated with the sensitivity based on the quality‐specific recognition scores.

With the rising global population and growing environmental concerns about food production systems, there is an urgent need for transformative change. Awareness of the environmental and health impacts of animal-based foods has increased demand for plant-based alternatives, particularly within the dairy sector. Cheese, a widely consumed dietary staple, poses notable environmental challenges, prompting research into non-dairy alternatives that can replicate its functional and nutritional properties. This study formulated protein- and fibre-rich vegan cheese alternatives using environmentally friendly fungal- and plant-based proteins. The recipe was optimised with gelling agents (agar-agar) and stabilisers (starch), at a ratio of 2.7 to achieve desirable texture, meltability, and cutting properties suitable for pre-cut and packaged applications. Incorporating protein- and fibre-rich ingredients enhanced nutritional value, increasing protein content by at least 40% compared with commercial vegan samples and enabling “source of protein” and “source of fibre” claims. Samples enriched with fungal proteins demonstrated enhanced umami flavour and improved mouthfeel, measured as graininess, compared with plant-based variants, consistent with microstructural analysis. Overall, these findings highlight promising results in terms of physicochemical, nutritional, textural, and sensory attributes, particularly the potential of protein-rich fungal and plant powders, notably those derived from mushrooms, as key ingredients for vegan cheese alternatives.