Untitled Document
Not a member yet? Register for full benefits!

Username
Password
 Artificial sweeteners, without the aftertaste: Scientists find bitter-blocking ingredient

This story is from the category Sensors
Printer Friendly Version
Email to a Friend (currently Down)

 

 

Date posted: 30/05/2010

Researchers have discovered a chemical that specifically blocks people's ability to detect the bitter aftertaste that comes with artificial sweeteners such as saccharin. The key is a molecule known only as GIV3727 that specifically targets and inhibits a handful of human bitter taste receptors, according to a report published online on May 27th in Current Biology.

The finding of what the researchers say is the first commercially relevant small-molecule bitter taste inhibitor also opens the door to further discovery of compounds for other taste-enhancement purposes, such as hiding the yucky taste of medicines or other commonly encountered bitter flavors.

"To our knowledge, this is the first published example of a bitter receptor inhibitor with taste activity in humans," said Jay Slack of Givaudan Flavors Corp. in Cincinnati. "We applied high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry approaches to develop specific inhibitors for human bitter taste receptors. While these methods are commonly used in the development of new drug candidates, ours is the first successful application of this technology for bitter taste modulation. This flavoring substance could be broadly used to improve the palatability of foods and beverages containing acesulfame K and saccharin."

Acesulfame K is a calorie-free sweetener sold as Sunett and Sweet One. Saccharin is often found in little pink packets at restaurants under the trade name Sweet'N Low.

See the full Story via external site: www.physorg.com



Most recent stories in this category (Sensors):

28/02/2017: DJI drones use plane avoidance tech

19/02/2017: Ford developing pothole alert system for drivers

08/02/2017: Pioneering chip extends sensors’ battery life

04/02/2017: Sensor Networks for Rangeland Animals

04/02/2017: Cardiff Uni bid to create osteoarthritis 'smart patch'

31/01/2017: Efficient time synchronization of sensor networks by means of time series analysis

12/01/2017: Uber to share data to help ease city congestion

23/12/2016: Electronic 'hairy skin' could give robots a more human sense of touch