New Compound Blocks Bitterness

ANAHEIMA new compound that blocks the taste buds ability to detect bitterness may help make certain foods and beverages more palatable, according to new research presented at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

A lot of people are very sensitive to bitter taste in medicines, calorie-free sweeteners and foods," said Ioana Ungureanu, a research scientist with Givaudan Flavors Corp., who presented the findings. Wed like to be able to make their diets more enjoyable by masking the off-putting flavors of bitterness. Blocking these flavors we call off-notes could help consumers eat healthier and more varied diets. It could encourage them to switch to non-calorie soft drinks and help children and seniors swallow bitter-tasting medications."

Givaudan scientists previously discovered GIV3727, which inhibited taste receptors involved in people's ability to detect the bitter aftertaste from artificial sweeteners. Building on their findings, they sought to develop blockers for other taste receptors, including substances that might make liquid medicines or bitter foods more palatable. The result was a potent new bitterness blocker called GIV3616 that works by blocking some of the 27 bitterness receptors and can dissolve more quickly in foods and beverages.

 It works at levels on the order of parts per million and blocks flavors using 10 times less material than what was needed previously," Ungureanu said. Recent studies have estimated that a large portion of the populationalmost 25 percentare known as supertasters who have heightened sensitivity to bitter foods. Our compound could one day make supertasters coffee more smooth or their veggies more appetizing."