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Updated: Jul 29, 2026
08:46
Isolation and Culture of Human Fungiform Taste Papillae Cells
Published on: May 17, 2012
Human cell-based taste perception - a bittersweet job for industry.
K Riedel1, D Sombroek, B Fiedler
1BRAIN AG, Darmstädter Str. 34-36, 64673 Zwingenberg, Germany. mk@brain-biotech.de.
Natural Product Reports
|April 11, 2017
Summary
Humans perceive food through taste receptors (TASRs), which are crucial for identifying flavors like sweet, bitter, and umami. Cell-based screening using TASRs aids in discovering food taste modulators.
Area of Science:
- Food science and sensory perception
- Molecular biology and receptor function
Background:
- Humans utilize a complex interplay of gustatory, olfactory, trigeminal, and haptic sensations to perceive food.
- A limited number of sensory receptors are responsible for a wide range of taste perceptions, including sweet, bitter, salty, sour, umami, astringent, cool, hot, and fatty.
- Mammalian taste receptors (TASRs) have been studied for nearly 30 years, advancing industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the impacts and limitations of cell-based screening for identifying taste modulators.
- To focus on applications related to sweet, bitter, and savory tastes in food.
- To explore implications of natural products in taste modulation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing cell-based screening campaigns with taste receptors (TASRs).
- Employing industrial approaches for taste modulator identification.
- Analyzing natural products for their role in taste perception.
Main Results:
- Cell-based screening advances industrial approaches for taste modulator discovery.
- Identified impacts and limitations of using TASRs in screening.
- Explored the role of natural products in modulating taste perceptions.
Conclusions:
- Cell-based screening guided by TASRs is a valuable tool for identifying taste modulators in food applications.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the complex mechanisms of taste perception.
- Natural products show potential implications in modifying taste experiences.
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