On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1511

specialsensedesignedspecificallytodetect
them.Sugarstastesweet,andsweetnessisa
nearlyuniversalsourceofpleasure.It’sthe
essenceofthedishesweserveattheendof
themeal,aswellasofcandiesand
confections.Sugarsandtheirpropertiesare
describedindetailinchapter12.
Oligosaccharides

Theoligosaccharides(“several-unitsugars”)
raffinose,stachyose,andverbascoseare3-,4-,
and5-ringsugars,respectively,alltoolargeto
triggeroursweetdetectors,sothey’re
tasteless.They’recommonlyfoundinthe
seedsandotherorgansofplants,wherethey
makeuppartoftheenergysupply.These
sugarsallaffectourdigestivesystem,thanks
tothefactthatwedon’thavedigestive
enzymescapableofbreakingthemdowninto
singlesugarsthatcanbeabsorbedbythe
intestine.Asaresult,theoligosaccharidesare


notdigestedandpassintactintothecolon,
wherevariousbacteriadodigestthem,
producinglargequantitiesofcarbondioxide
andothergasesintheprocess(p.486).

Phospholipid emulsifiers. Phospholipids are
diglycerides, and are excellent emulsifiers,
moleculesthatmakepossibleastablemixture

of oil and water. Unlike the triglycerides of
fat and oil, they have a polar, watercompatible head. Such emulsifiers bury their
fatty-acid tails in oil droplets, while their
water-compatible, electrically charged heads
project from the surface and block the
droplets from contacting each other and
coalescing.
Polysaccharides:Starch,Pectins,Gums