The quantification and optimization of food sensory quality based on sensory interactions have become important research directions in the field of food perception. Among these, the study of multisensory flavor interactions is particularly extensive. Fundamental taste interactions, such as sour-sweet perception, and how they affect consumer perception and cognition, as well as the application of umami-salty interactions in the development of salt-reduced products, are current research hotspots. This report will delve into the interactions of basic tastes like sour-sweet and umami-salty, and their significance in guiding actual product development by combining quantitative methods from perceptual physiology and psychology.

Firstly, in the study of sour-sweet interactions, the weakening effect of sourness on sweetness perception is well-known. However, in real yogurt systems, we found that consumers' perception of sour-sweet balance or harmony is not solely determined by the intensity of sourness and sweetness. It is also influenced by the relative release speed and proportion of sourness and sweetness in the mouth. In the study of umami-salty interactions, we found that the enhancement of salty taste intensity by umami agents depends on whether the umami agent is from a single source or a combination. At the same sodium ion concentration, a combination of umami agents can enhance the salty taste. This result has been partially verified through organoid cell receptor experiments and event-related potential (ERP) experiments.