Multidimensional Scaling of the Taste of Amino Acids

In the first experiment, the distance matrix was constructed indirectly from the taste profiles of 17-18 amino acids, and this matrix was analyzed by the Torgerson's model of multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). The results showed a triangular pattern on a two-dimensional plane, the apices being sweet, sour, and bitter.In the second part, the distance matrix was constructed from the direct judgment of similarity, among pairs of amino acids and NaCl, at the concentration levels of ×4, ×12, and ×32 their thresholds. MDS yielded a quadrilateral pattern on a two-dimensional plane for ×4 concentration, while very thin taste tetrahedron were confirmed for ×12 and ×32 concentrations. The shortest edge for the latter two concentrations were those between sweet and bitter.