. This study determined the effects of low concentrations of five food hydrocolloids on the taste intensities of aqueous solutions of sucrose, citric acid, sodium chloride, saccharin, and caffeine. The effects of the taste compounds on both oral and Brookfield viscosities were also measured. In general, sourness of citric acid and bitterness of caffeine were suppressed, while sweetness of saccharin was enhanced. Among the basic tastes, sourness was affected the most and saltiness the least. Except for sucrose, modification of taste intensity was independent of viscosity, and appeared to be related to the physicochemical properties of the hydrocolloid and the taste compound. About 16 cps were needed to reduce significantly the sweetness of sucrose. The taste compounds altered oral and physical viscosities differentially depending on the specific gum/taste combination. Generally, viscosity was reduced by the addition of all taste compounds except sucrose which increased the physical viscosity.

Effect of hydrocolloids on oral viscosity and basic taste intensities

By paired comparison methods, concentrations of 0.75% and 0.86% calcium cyclamate and of 0.17% and 0.19% aspartame were equivalent in sweetness to 10% sucrose in distilled water at 3° and 22°C, respectively. Inherent bitterness of the compounds prevented precise assessment of relative sweetness for sodium saccharin in distilled water, and for the saccharin and cyclamate in flavored drinks. By application of linear regression to the paired comparison data, 0.07% aspartame was calculated as equal in sweetness to 10% sucrose in lemon, strawberry and orange drinks. Because the underlying bitterness of saccharin interfered with assessment of its sweetness, a time-intensity technique was applied. Using a chart recorder to monitor time, time-intensity (T-I) measurements were made of the intensity and the duration of sweetness, bitterness, sourness and flavor in distilled water, and the same characteristics, plus flavor in three flavored drinks, and two flavored gelatins, sweetened with sucrose, cyclamate, or saccharin. T-I curves for the sensory properties of aspartame closely resembled those for sucrose in all media. Cyclamate and saccharin imparted a marked, persistent bitterness to all carriers. In gelatin, samples containing 18% sucrose were firmer initially and took longer to manipulate to a liquid in the mouth than did gelatins containing 0.105% aspartame, 0.55% cyclamate, or 0.05% saccharin.

Paired comparison and time-intensity measurements of the sensory properties of beverages and gelatins containing sucrose or synthetic sweeteners

Throughout the world many people use artificial sweeteners (AS) for the purpose of reducing caloric intake. The most prominently used of these molecules include saccharin, aspartame (Nutrasweet), a...

https://www.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/ajpregu.00286.2007

Artificial sweeteners and salts producing a metallic taste sensation activate TRPV1 receptors

The relationships among suprathreshold taste responses to acesulfame-K, Na-saccharin and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) were examined in two studies. In the first study, the labeled magnitude scale was used with the high anchor labeled as 'strongest imaginable oral sensation' and in the second study, it was labeled as 'strongest imaginable sensation of any kind'. Results from the two procedures were similar. Individual differences among 65 subjects were seen in bitter responses to acesulfame-K and saccharin. Bitter responses to acesulfame-K ands accharin were positively correlated, but showed no significant relationship with responses to PROP bitterness or with PROP taster groups. Saccharin and acesulfame-K may share a common mechanism for bitter taste reception and transduction, one that varies across individuals and is different from mechanisms mediating bitter responses to PROP. Changing the instructions of the labeled magnitude scale induced a context effect. Ratings of sweetness referenced to the 'strongest imaginable sensationof any kind' were lower than ratings referenced to just oral sensations.

Bitter taste of saccharin and acesulfame-K.

Bitter taste perception is initiated by TAS2R receptors, which respond to agonists by triggering depolarization of taste bud cells. Mutations in TAS2Rs are known to affect taste phenotypes by altering receptor function. Evidence that TAS2Rs overlap in ligand specificity suggests that they may also contribute joint effects. To explore this aspect of gustation, we examined bitter perception of saccharin and acesulfame K, widely used artificial sweeteners with aversive aftertastes. Both substances are agonists of TAS2R31 and -43, which belong to a five-member subfamily (TAS2R30-46) responsive to a diverse constellation of compounds. We analyzed sequence variation and linkage structure in the ∼140 kb genomic region encoding TAS2R30-46, taste responses to the two sweeteners in subjects, and functional characteristics of receptor alleles. Whole-gene sequences from TAS2R30-46 in 60 Caucasian subjects revealed extensive diversity including 34 missense mutations, two nonsense mutations and high-frequency copy-number variants. Thirty markers, including non-synonymous variants in all five genes, were associated (P 0.95). Haplotype analyses revealed that most associations were spurious, arising from LD with variants in TAS2R31. In vitro assays confirmed the functional importance of four TAS2R31 mutations, which had independent effects on receptor response. The existence of high LD spanning functionally distinct TAS2R loci predicts that bitter taste responses to many compounds will be strongly correlated even when they are mediated by different genes. Integrative approaches combining phenotypic, genetic and functional analysis will be essential in dissecting these complex relationships.

Genomic, genetic and functional dissection of bitter taste responses to artificial sweeteners

Standard taste panel techniques have been used to study the incidence of the off‐taste of saccharin salt solutions, freshly prepared without heating. Evidence is presented to show that the off‐taste of saccharin is intrinsic in the saccharin molecule as tasted by individuals who are sensitive to it. Decomposition products or trace impurities are not essential to the off‐taste response. Approximately 25 per cent of the population can be expected to detect the off‐taste in saccharin concentrations up to 0.026 per cent, equivalent to about 10 per cent sucrose. It has been shown that the off‐taste response was substantially the same for saccharin sodium, saccharin calcium, and for saccharin sodium prepared by new synthetic methods intended to eliminate trace impurities.

F.J. Kirchmeyer

Papers

A taste panel study of the saccharin off-taste.