Bitter vs. Sour
Main DifferenceThe main difference between bitter and sour is that sharp and pungent taste substance is known as bitter and substance with acidic taste is known as sour.
Difference Between Bitter and Sour
Bitter vs. Sour
Bitter is a sharp and pungent taste, on the other hand, sour is an acidic taste.
Bitter vs. Sour
Bitter substances have basic pH on the other hand sour have acidic pH.
Bitter vs. Sour
Sour flavors are related to acid conversely bitter tastes are mostly concerned with alkaline substances in food.
Bitter vs. Sour
The bitter taste is controlled by the extent of alkaloid on the flip side sourness is rely on the number of hydrogen ions.
Bitter vs. Sour
Bitterness is usually said to be toxic while sourness is generally contempt as acidic taste.
Bitteradjective
Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).
The coffee tasted bitter.Souradjective
Having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste.
Lemons have a sour taste.Bitteradjective
Harsh, piercing or stinging.
Souradjective
Made rancid by fermentation, etc.
sour milkBitteradjective
Hateful or hostile.
They're bitter enemies.Souradjective
Tasting or smelling rancid.
sour stinkBitteradjective
Cynical and resentful.
I've been bitter ever since that defeat.Souradjective
Peevish or bad-tempered.
He gave me a sour look.Bitternoun
(usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.
Souradjective
Excessively acidic and thus infertile.
sour landa sour marshBitternoun
A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.
Souradjective
Containing excess sulfur.
Bitternoun
(nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts.
Souradjective
Unfortunate or unfavorable.
Bitternoun
A hardware system whose architecture is based around units of the specified number of bits (binary digits).
Souradjective
(music) Off-pitch, out of tune.
Bitterverb
To make bitter.
Sournoun
The sensation of a sour taste.
Bitternoun
English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)
Sournoun
A drink made with whiskey, lemon or lime juice and sugar.
Bitternoun
the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth
Sournoun
(by extension) Any cocktail containing lemon or lime juice.
Bitternoun
the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste
Sournoun
A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.
Bitterverb
make bitter
Sourverb
(transitive) To make sour.
Too much lemon juice will sour the recipe.Bitteradjective
marked by strong resentment or cynicism;
an acrimonious disputebitter about the divorceSourverb
(intransitive) To become sour.
Bitteradjective
very difficult to accept or bear;
the bitter trutha bitter sorrowSourverb
(transitive) To spoil or mar; to make disenchanted.
Bitteradjective
harsh or corrosive in tone;
an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prosea barrage of acid commentsher acrid remarks make her many enemiesbitter wordsblistering criticismcaustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethicsa sulfurous denunciationSourverb
(intransitive) To become disenchanted.
We broke up after our relationship soured.Bitteradjective
one of the four basic taste sensations; sharp and disagreeable; like the taste of quinine
Sourverb
(transitive) To make (soil) cold and unproductive.
Bitteradjective
expressive of severe grief or regret;
shed bitter tearsSourverb
To macerate (lime) and render it fit for plaster or mortar.
Bitteradjective
proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity;
a bitter strugglebitter enemiesSournoun
a cocktail made of a liquor (especially whiskey or gin) mixed with lemon or lime juice and sugar
Bitteradjective
causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold;
bitter colda biting windSournoun
the taste experience when vinegar or lemon juice is taken into the mouth
Bitteradverb
extremely and sharply;
it was bitterly coldbitter coldSournoun
the property of being acidic
Sourverb
go sour or spoil;
The milk has souredThe wine workedThe cream has turned--we have to throw it outSourverb
make sour or more sour
Souradjective
smelling of fermentation or staleness
Souradjective
having a sharp biting taste
Souradjective
one of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of vinegar or lemons
Souradjective
in an unpalatable state;
sour milkSouradjective
inaccurate in pitch;
a false (or sour) noteher singing was off keySouradjective
showing a brooding ill humor;
a dark scowlthe proverbially dour New England Puritana glum, hopeless shrughe sat in moody silencea morose and unsociable mannera saturnine, almost misanthropic young geniusa sour tempera sullen crowdComparison Chart
| Bitter | Sour |
| Basic substances | Acidic substances |
| pH | |
| Alkaline pH i.e. (7 to 14) | Acidic pH i.e. (0 to 7) |
| Taste | |
| Unpleasant and disagreeable | The sharp or tangy taste |
| Unpleasant | |
| Often an unpleasant taste | Not an unpleasant taste |
| Examples | |
| Coffee, bitter gourd, olives, citrus peel, etc. | Lime, lemons, oranges, grapes, etc |
Bitter vs. Sour
Sour taste arises from higher acidic foods. Bitter derived from those foods that are obtained from cultivated soil. Bitter food detoxifies the body, also help in weight reduction and provide antibiotics, antiseptics and anti-parasitic qualities. Sour food can increase the body’s ability to absorb minerals, cleanse tissues in the body, and help digestion and circulation. The bitterness of substances is compared with the bitter-taste threshold of quinine that has a value 1. Sourness threshold estimates with dilute hydrochloric acid, which also has value 1. Bitter is very sensitive among all tastes; a large number of toxic substances found in nature are bitter. Sour taste is indicative of acidity. The perception of bitterness is easier by the merging of taste receptors and a G protein (gustducin). While sour taste is indicated by the concentration of hydronium ions in the hydrogen ion channels. Bitter food has earthy flavors like green leaves, bitter gourd, etc. Food that is rich in acids particularly generate sour taste. Chemical compounds like quinine cause bitterness of taste. Sour taste is due to organic acids present in the sour foods. According to Democritus being a philosopher, he thought for a living that when you chew on your food, and it crumbles into little bits, those bits eventually break into basic shapes. Bitter is “spherical, smooth, scalene and small,” in shape while sour is “large in its atoms, but rough, angular and not spherical.”
What is Bitter?
The bitter taste is very sensitive among all tastes. Most natural toxic substances are also known to be bitter. This is feasibly one of the reasons why we always relate bitterness with unpleasantness. Although, occasionally bitterness is seen as helpful and this taste is intentionally added via bettering agents. Bitterness is concluded to be unpleasant, sharp, or disagreeable. The taste receptors for bitterness are monomeric or surface-bound that determines the various bitter ‘ligands.’ Bitter tasting food is mostly observed to be toxic and therefore, different processing techniques are used to detoxify these foods that make them more eatable. Bitter compounds and acids might be increased or decrease each other, depending on the concentrations, the food stimuli, and the experimental methods involved. Bitter is naturally an unpleasant taste. A wide variety of compounds with various chemical structures induce bitterness. Many bitter substances are toxic, and it is also believed that bitterness functions to alert against eating possible harmful foods. Bitter substances necessitate polar, i.e., electrophilic or nucleophilic and hydrophobic groups and compelled to moderately dissolve in water. The bitter taste is usually recognized at the back of the tongue, but few substances are also recognized on the tip of the tongue. The natural action of bitterness can elaborate on several processes that depend on the structure of compounds that gives a bitter taste.
Health Benefits
- Helps to cleanse and detoxify the liver
- Bitter food is richly in vitamins and minerals
- It helps to reduce food cravings which lead to weight loss
- It triggers taste buds that activate the enzyme production and improve bile flow which regulates the digestion properly
What is Sour?
Sour is a taste that is generally associated with acidity. The sour taste is usually associated with food that is rich in acids. Citrus fruits such as lemons, grapes, tamarind, oranges, etc. have a sour taste. Some products also give a sour taste when they are getting spoilt. e.g, wine produces a sour taste if it’s not stored correctly and milk produces a sour taste when it is spoilt. Hydrogen ions or atoms generates sourness in food. The increase in the number of ions in the food also increases its sourness. Some people do not like sourness although it has many health benefits. Sour food increases the body’s ability to soak up minerals and cleanses tissues in the body. Food that has sour taste also assists in digestion and circulation. Sourness is bearable when it is not severe but becomes miserable when strong. It supports us to avoid unripe fruits and damage our tissue with acids. In human beings acids causes salivation, which elevates the bicarbonate secretions, i.e., the main buffering agent in saliva.
Health Benefits
- The sourness activates the salivary glands, which energizing the appetite.
- An organic acid found in sour foods triggers the nutrient absorption in the body, e.g., citric acid improves iron absorption; lactic acid helps maximize calcium intake and more.
- Sour cherries and apples help to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
- It is good for digestion and improves the immune system.
- Also helps to maintain lower sugar levels.
- Sour food is also used to keep electrolytic balance in humans.
ConclusionIt is concluded that bitterness is a distasteful and disgusting or nasty foul taste and sourness is a symptom of acidity.
