Theory 72/Taste/Ratio lens
Mixtures Are Suppression
The claim
The taste of a mixture is set by the ratio of suppressing to suppressed components, so sweetness can be hidden by bitterness without either changing.
01Mechanism
Taste modalities inhibit each other centrally; the ratio determines which percept dominates.
02Prediction
Perceived intensity should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Perceived intensity tracking concentration would remove suppression.