Unravel the intriguing world of taste receptors, where sweet and bitter flavors wage a constant battle. Discover the science behind these sensory gatekeepers, and explore the bittersweet truth that shapes our culinary experiences and dietary choices.
Flavor per se is the combined sensory impression of food, and it is determined by the five basic qualities of taste:
Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami
- Perception of these qualities entails the interaction of a substance from our food, or tastant, with specific taste receptor proteins residing in the taste buds of the tongue.
The Future of Taste Receptors in Medicine
Sweet and bitter taste receptors in the gut and pancreas play an important role in the regulation of metabolic processes, including nutrient sensing, the release of appetite-regulating hormones, and glucose absorption.
- They have emerged as attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of obesity and type II diabetes, opening new avenues in the field of drug design.
References
Taste bud – the pancreas also has taste buds
- Your gut has taste receptors
- Science Daily (August 21, 2007)
- Taste and smell
- Tasty buds – the smell of food coming from your taste bud
- Wikipedia
- Small intestine can sense and react to bitter toxins in food
Mechanisms of Sweet and Bitter Taste Perception
When it comes to consuming food, it all starts in the tongue
- The tongue acts as a “gatekeeper” by helping us distinguish between good and noxious substances and consequently guiding our food choices
- Each taste bud harbors a set of 50 to 100 specialized cells known as taste receptor cells responsible for either sensing different tastes or mediating biological processes following taste detection
- Scientists have classified these cells into four subsets (called types I to IV): type I, type II, type III, type IV and type IV cells
- Taste receptor cells distinguish between sweet and bitter taste sensations
Technical references
Fernstrom, J.D., Munger, S.M., Horowitz, M., Rayner, C.K., Blackshaw, L.F. and Margolskee, R.A.
- Mechanisms for sweetness, The Journal of Nutrition, 2012, 142,1134S-1141S
- Taste signaling elements expressed in gut enteroendocrine cells regulate nutrient-responsive secretion of gut hormones, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009, 90, 822S-825S.
Bitter and sweet taste receptors as potential therapeutic targets for disease
Taste receptor cells in non-taste organs?
- The gut and pancreas are inundated with taste receptor cells.
- Sensing nutrients and maintaining the balance of hormones essential in metabolic processes, these cells contain sweet and bitter taste receptors (along with other taste receptor cell “protein expression markers”).
- Activation of these receptors by their respective sweet or bitter substances triggers the release of hormones that regulate appetite and satiety and help maintain appropriate glucose levels in the bloodstream.
- Disruptions in any of these physiological processes can result in the development of type II diabetes.
