The objective of this study was to evaluate taste and flavor perception of linoleic acid (LA) in two different media: oil and water. Twelve panelists were recruited from the local community and their perception of LA was measured using threshold tests. LA perception was measured in soybean oil (SBO) and in water by forming an oil-in-water emulsion. The tests were performed under red light to minimize visual cues. During the tests, panelists used nose clips to minimize flavor cues and record only taste gustatory responses. The tests were repeated without the use of nose clips to collect information about flavor perception. Results show that taste threshold values of LA were significantly higher (p<0.05) when tested in oil (1.51 ± 0.22%) compared to water (0.082 ± 0.008%) but flavor threshold values between oil and water were not significantly different (0.31 ± 0.03% and 0.017 ± 0.009% for oil and emulsion, respectively, p > 0.05). Oil threshold values obtained with nose clips (1.51 ± 0.22%) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the ones obtained without nose clips (0.31 ± 0.03%). A similar trend was observed for emulsions where threshold values were 0.082 ± 0.01% when tested with nose clips and 0.017 ± 0.009% when tested without nose clips (p<0.05). These results suggest that flavor cues, such as the presence of volatile compounds might play a role in the perception of LA and that other components present in the oil, such as free fatty acids, might interfere with the perception of LA.
