Evidence that human oral glucose detection involves a sweet taste pathway and a glucose transporter pathway.

The taste stimulus glucose comprises approximately half of the commercial sugar sweeteners used today, whether in the form of the di-saccharide sucrose (glucose-fructose) or half of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Therefore, oral glucose has been presumed to contribute to the sweet taste of foods when combined with fructose. In light of recent rodent data on the role of oral metabolic glucose signaling, we examined psychopharmacologically whether oral glucose detection may also involve an additional pathway in humans to the traditional sweet taste transduction via the class 1 taste receptors T1R2/T1R3.

Perceptual variation in umami taste and polymorphisms in TAS1R taste receptor genes.

Background: The TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 G protein-coupled receptors are believed to function in combination as a heteromeric glutamate taste receptor in humans.

Objective: We hypothesized that variations in the umami perception of glutamate would correlate with variations in the sequence of these 2 genes, if they contribute directly to umami taste.

Design: In this study, we first characterized the general sensitivity to glutamate in a sample population of 242 subjects.