New Insights: Sweet Taste Mechanisms

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Why do people prefer the taste of sugars over sweeteners? There may be an answer.

The detection of sugars and noncaloric sweeteners begins in specialized taste bud cells in the tongue. During Flavorcon 2015, Robert Margolskee, director and president of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, will share recent studies that indicate that different receptor signaling pathways underlie the detection of sweeteners vs. sugars.

The T1R2/T1R3 sweet taste receptor detects and responds to all kinds of sweet substances, but in the absence of that receptor, there is a second pathway that responds only to sugars. New results indicate that this second pathway may be responsible for the unique, highly preferred taste of sugars over sweeteners.

Presented by Perfumer & Flavorist magazine, Flavorcon 2015 (www.flavorcon.com) includes a tabletop exhibition in addition to in-depth conference sessions from leading industry experts. The conference is uniquely tailored for professionals involved in the development of flavors and food & beverage products. Registration is now open.

  •     Dates: November 15–17, 2015
  •     Location: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey
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