Ann-Marie Torregrossa

Ann-Marie Torregrossa is an expert on the science of taste, and how taste influences mammals’ decisions about what foods to consume.

Torregrossa’s research explores how biological processes that take place in the mouth and the gut contribute to dietary choice, especially with regard to bitter foods. A large number of nutritionally significant food sources contain bitter phytochemicals, so understanding the science behind bitter taste perception can lead to strategies for shaping food selection, including during childhood.

Torregrossa’s team is interested in how salivary proteins may influence diet and help animals decide which foods are safe to eat. Her lab has shown that changes in diet can alter the constellation of proteins found in saliva, and that this can modulate how a food tastes. This work suggests that repeated exposure to bitter foods may change how those foods taste.

Ann-Marie Torregrossa, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology, University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Director, Center for Ingestive Behavior Research at the University at Buffalo

• 716-645-0354
• amtorreg@buffalo.edu
• Ann-Marie Torregrossa’s website