Episode 01: Sweet sensation –
using biology to redesign sweet taste

Eating ice cream from a carton cup
  • Welcome by Jay Slack
  • Watch the video
  • Taste receptors and sensations
  • Genetics and taste variability
  • Taste modulation
  • Sweetener synergies
  • Discover more
Welcome by Jay Slack
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Jay Slack, Research Fellow

Welcome to this first lesson of Sweet Smart. I’m your host, Jay Slack and I have been studying sweet taste for over 25 years. You can learn more about me here.

I hope you’re ready to uncover the secrets of sweetness perception!

Jay Slack, Research Fellow

What we’ll cover in this lesson

In this lesson we’ll uncover the secrets of sweet perception. We’ll explore a wide range of topics including taste receptor biology, genetic variability, and taste modulation. And we’ll see how all of these themes can be combined for successful sugar reduction and replacement strategies.

Taste receptors 
and sensations

Taste receptors and sensations

Genetics and 
taste variability

Genetics and taste variability

Taste
modulation

Taste modulation

Sweetener
synergies

Sweetener synergies

Strategies for
sugar replacement

Strategies for sugar replacement
Watch the video
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Watch the video

Get ready to delve into the details of sweet taste perception in this full length episode.

 
Don’t have time to watch the full video now?

Brush up on some key facts by checking out the engaging content below.

Taste receptors and sensations
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Taste receptors and sensation

We have multiple sensory systems

Taste

Taste

The primary taste circuit tells us how something tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter or umami.

Smell

Smell

Aroma molecules in foods go to the oral cavity and travel all the way to the nose, and help us tell how something tastes.

Somatosensation

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system helps us tell whether food is hot or cold, if it is hard or soft, mushy or crunchy.

Genetics and taste variability
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Genetics and taste variability

Genetic variations within the taste systems can contribute to unique individual taste experiences
  

 
99%
of human
 DNA
 is identical
 
30%
of the population can be insensitive to a specific 
 bitter compound
 
OR26A
is an odour receptor influencing our olfactory
 system

 

Taste modulation
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Taste modalities

There are five basic taste modalities:
Each serves a specific biological function, like regulating water intake or detecting dangerous toxins

Salt
Ensures adequate salt intake for water regulation.
Sour
Avoidance of spoiled food, detection of ripeness.
Bitter
Avoidance of toxins and dangerous substances.
Sweet
Intake of carbohydrates for energy production.
Umami
Intake of proteins for growth and maintenance.
Sweetener synergies
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Sweet taste

Sweet taste is primarily associated with carbohydrates, as they provide energy. But it can also be associated with artificial sweeteners, plant-based sweeteners including some proteins.

Carbohydrates

Artificial sweeteners

Plant-based sweeteners

Sucrose

Aspartame

Stevioside

Fructose

Sucralose

Rebaudioside

Glucose

Saccharin

Thaumatin/Brazzein (proteins)

  

Sweet receptor complex

Sweet taste is detected by a receptor complex consisting of TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 proteins on taste cells, which can detect carbohydrates, plant compounds, or artificial sweeteners.

Sweet taste receptor

Source: Ben Abu, N., Mason, P.E., Klein, H. et al. Sweet taste of heavy water. Commun Biol 4, 440 (2021).

  

Flavour modifiers

Flavour modifiers are substances that enhance the sweet receptor’s sensitivity to carbohydrates, allowing for the use of less sugar in products while maintaining taste intensity.

1 + 0 = 5 : Effects of GIV-SE on sucrose

Effects of GIV-SE on sucrose

   

Bitter masking

Bitter receptors can be activated by some artificial sweeteners, leading to bitterness. Researchers have discovered compounds that can block this bitterness without affecting sweetness.

Inhibitor vs agonists, do you know which is which?

Inhibitor

GIV3727

Inhibitor GIV3723

Agonists

Acesulfame-K
and sodium saccharin

Agonists Acesulfame-K and sodium saccharin
 
Discover more
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