Magnifying Taste

Our brains are hardwired to love the taste of sweet, salty and savory foods that give us the energy and proteins we need to survive. But too much sugar or salt can lead to a host of health problems, from type 2 diabetes and obesity to heart disease.

Now researchers have come across a possible solution. They’ve developed new compounds that trick our tongues into sensing food as sweeter, or saltier, than it really is. A company at the forefront of this new technology, Senomyx, was founded by Dr. Charles Zuker, a biology professor at the University of San Diego. He was able to isolate the actual taste receptors on our tongues, and develop compounds that interact with those individual cells, affecting taste perception in specific ways.

Melinda Wenner is a science writer based in New York. She wrote about these new flavor modifiers for Scientific American.

(Photo by Michael (mx5tx))