Ribonucleotides differentially modulate oral glutamate detection thresholds.

The savory or umami taste of the amino acid glutamate is synergistically enhanced by the addition of the purines inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) and guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP) disodium salt. We hypothesized that the addition of purinergic ribonucleotides, along with the pyrimidine ribonucleotides, would decrease the absolute detection threshold of (increase sensitivity to) l-glutamic acid potassium salt (MPG). To test this, we measured both the absolute detection threshold of MPG alone and with a background level (3 mM) of 5 different 5'-ribonucleotides.

Oral Signals of Short and Long Chain Fatty Acids: Parallel Taste Pathways to Identify Microbes and Triglycerides.

Both short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) rely on free fatty acid receptors to signal their presence to the body, but their individual detection and putative reward systems are different. These separate, yet parallel, taste signaling pathways allow us to distinguish microbe-produced from triglyceride-based fatty acids. Free SCFAs indicate that the food has been fermented and may still contain living, probiotic microbes that can colonize the gut.