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Sweeteners: state of knowledge review
1Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|January 1, 1993
Summary
This review explores sweet taste perception, covering chemical structures, receptor mechanisms, and factors influencing sweet preference. It synthesizes chemical, biochemical, and psychophysical data for food and pharmaceutical applications.
Area of Science:
- Sensory Science
- Food Chemistry
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Sweeteners are integral to food and pharmaceutical industries.
- Understanding sweet taste involves multiple scientific disciplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review current knowledge on sweet taste.
- To examine common sweeteners from various scientific perspectives.
Main Methods:
- Chemical structure analysis of diverse sweet compounds.
- Review of biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies on sweet taste receptors.
- Analysis of human psychophysical data.
Main Results:
- Detailed examination of sweeteners including saccharides, glycosides, polyols, amino acids, and non-sugars.
- Integration of biochemical and neurophysiological findings with human psychophysical data.
- Identification of key mechanisms in sweet taste perception, such as receptor sites, hydrogen bonding, and sodium transport.
Conclusions:
- Sweet taste perception is a complex phenomenon influenced by chemical structure and receptor interactions.
- Psychophysical studies corroborate neurophysiological and biochemical data on sweet taste.
- Both physiological and psychological factors modulate individual sweet preferences.