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The Taste of Caffeine
Rachel L Poole1, Michael G Tordoff1
1Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Journal of Caffeine Research
|June 30, 2017
Summary
Caffeine is a poor bitter taste stimulus because it bypasses typical bitter taste pathways. Caffeinated products may activate taste receptors in non-taste cells, explaining its widespread consumption despite the bitter flavor.
Area of Science:
- Taste receptor research
- Sensory science
- Food science
Background:
- Caffeine is widely consumed despite its bitter taste.
- Understanding caffeine's taste perception is crucial for food and beverage industries.
- Existing knowledge on caffeine's interaction with taste pathways is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms by which caffeine acts as a bitter taste stimulus.
- To explore caffeine's interaction with both canonical and noncanonical taste pathways.
- To investigate the role of nongustatory cells in caffeine's taste perception.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on caffeine and taste perception.
- Analysis of research on bitter taste receptor pathways.
- Examination of receptor-dependent and -independent pathways in taste cells.
Main Results:
- Caffeine is not a prototypical bitter taste stimulus.
- Caffeine utilizes bitter taste receptor-independent pathways.
- Caffeinated products likely stimulate "taste" receptors in nongustatory cells.
Conclusions:
- Caffeine's poor interaction with canonical bitter taste receptors explains its unique taste profile.
- The stimulation of "taste" receptors in nongustatory cells by caffeinated products warrants further investigation.
- This review provides insights for taste researchers and the food and beverage industry.
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