Comprehensive New Insights into Sweet Taste Transmission Mechanisms and Detection Methods

Sweet taste plays a pivotal role in human dietary behavior and metabolic regulation. With the increasing incidence of metabolic disorders linked to excessive sugar intake, the development and accurate evaluation of new sweeteners have become critical topics in food science and public health. However, the structural diversity of sweeteners and their complex interactions with sweet taste receptors present major challenges for standardized sweetness detection. This review offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of sweet taste transmission mechanisms and current detection methods. It outlines the classification and sensory characteristics of both conventional and emerging sweeteners, and explains the multi-level signaling pathway from receptor binding to neural encoding. Key detection techniques, including sensory evaluation, electronic tongues, and biosensors, are systematically compared in terms of their working principles, application scope, and limitations. Special emphasis is placed on advanced biosensing technologies utilizing receptor-ligand interactions and nanomaterials for highly sensitive and specific detection. Furthermore, an intelligent detection framework integrating molecular recognition, multi-source data fusion, and artificial intelligence is proposed. This interdisciplinary approach provides new insights and technical solutions to support precise sweetness evaluation and the future development of healthier food systems.