Some people who use some artificial sweeteners such as saccharin experience a bitter aftertaste when they add it to their tea and coffee – but this may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists have learned a chemical that can block the bitter aftertaste of artificial sweeteners and other unpleasant compounds by blocking bitter taste receptors on the tongue. This discovery could go beyond blocking the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners; it could have other applications – such as making bitter tasting medicine less unappealing to children.
Blocking Bitter Taste Receptors?
In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers learned that a molecule known as GIV3727 specifically targets and binds to bitter taste receptors – blocking the effects of bitter compounds on the taste buds in the mouth. Not only does it work in a theoretical sense in the laboratory, when a group of subjects were given a choice of beverages some containing GIV3727 and some not, they identified the ones containing the GIV3727 as being less bitter in taste.
The Insight of Taste
The human mouth has thousands of different taste buds made up of taste cells – each designed to detect a specific “flavor”. The five tastes the mouth can pick up are sweet, sour, bitter, savory, sweet, and salty. When receptors on taste buds are stimulated, they send a message to the brain which causes that taste to be perceived.
Humans have evolved to find sour and bitter flavors to be unpleasant – whereas sweet, salty, and savory tastes are enjoyable to maximum. The dislike of bitter and sour tastes really has some worth. It helps to guard humans (and animals) from ingesting substances that are spoiled or toxic.
In this study, even when researchers added GIV3727 to beverages to block bitter taste receptors, some subjects still reported a indistinct bitter aftertaste, so there may be genetic variations that determine how much a bitter taste can be detected. Some people may be more sensitive to bitter tastes than others.
Blocking Bitter Taste Receptors – The Possibilities
This discovery could open up modern possibilities for blocking bitter tastes – particularly for children’s medicines. Maximum children aren’t enthusiastic approximately taking a spoonful of bitter medicine. Adding a small GIV3727 could block the bitter taste buds and make the medicine simpler to take. The GIV3727 receptor blocker doesn’t seem to reduce the taste of sweet which is vital whether it’s ever used to block the bitter aftertaste of artificial sweeteners.
Is adding GIV3727 to sweeteners and medicines secure? That’s an issue that still needs to be addressed – and is the maximum vital issue of all from a practical standpoint. Stay tuned for more news approximately bitter taste receptor blockers.
References:
Medical News Nowadays. “Scientists Find Bitter-Blocking Ingredient Offering Potential Of Artificial Sweeteners, Without The Aftertaste”
