The effect of cooling on the perception of carbohydrate and intensive sweeteners

The effect of cooling on the perceived intensity of sweetness was measured for four different compounds: glucose, fructose, aspartame and saccharin. Perceived sweetness was rated in a sip and spit paradigm when the taste solution, the tongue, or both were either held at 36 degrees C or cooled to 20 degrees C. It was discovered that for glucose and fructose perceived sweetness was significantly reduced by cooling, and that cooling the tongue reduced sweetness more than did cooling the solution. The perceived sweetness of aspartame was also lessened by cooling, but in that case the temperature of the tongue and the temperature of the solution had similar effects on sweetness. In contrast to the other compounds, the sweetness of saccharin was not affected by temperature. These results (when combined with data previously reported for sucrose) raise the possibility that as a group, carbohydrate sweeteners are affected similarly by temperature, whereas thermal effects on intensive sweeteners may be less predictable. The data thereby provide indirect support for the hypothesis that the sweet taste is mediated by more than one type of gustatory receptor.