Taste after-images: the science of “water-tastes”

Researchers hypothesized that saccharin was not sweet at high concentrations because it inhibits the sweetener receptor at these intensities, a form of auto-inhibition. They tested the idea that sweet water taste and sweetness inhibition were functionally connected. Several experiments confirmed tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 2007-08, Vol.64 (16), p.2049-2052
Main Authors: Galindo-Cuspinera, V, Breslin, P. A. S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Afterimage
allosterism
Artificial sweeteners
Bioassays
GPCR
Humans
inhibition
Molecular biology
rebound
Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - metabolism
Saccharin - metabolism
Sweetening Agents - metabolism
TAS1R
Taste
Visions & Reflections (Minireview)
Water
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Summary:Researchers hypothesized that saccharin was not sweet at high concentrations because it inhibits the sweetener receptor at these intensities, a form of auto-inhibition. They tested the idea that sweet water taste and sweetness inhibition were functionally connected. Several experiments confirmed that all the compounds they examined that elicited sweet water-tastes were also able to inhibit a wide variety of sweeteners. Although not all water-taste phenomena have been explained, our findings have opened new possibilities for means to approach complex taste sensations and have illustrated the potential of combining perceptual-psychophysical studies with functional molecular assays to unravel the mechanisms for taste modulation and perception, in this specific case, the science behind sweet water-taste .
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s00018-007-7088-9