CalciumThe Sixth Taste?

Scientists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center presented a report at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society on a recent “very unexpected” discovery that the tongues of mice have receptors that sense what the researchers are calling the taste of calcium. Although they have not yet determined if this trait is also present on the human tongue, mice and humans share many of the same genes.

“We don’t know if we have the same forms of genes as the mice have, but it seems pretty likely they have the same function,” said Michael G. Tordoff, Ph.D., a Monell researcher on this project.

If it turns out humans have the same capacity to taste calcium, it could lead to some valuable applications. “People don’t consume as much calcium as nutritionists would like, and one reason for this is that foods high in calcium don’t taste good to many people,” said Tordoff. “Tweaking its taste could encourage a calcium-deficient population to consume more of this key nutrient. By understanding how calcium is detected in the mouth, we can either make it easier to consume by reducing its bad taste or even make pharmacological agents that make it taste better.” He notes that in the United States, around 70% of men and 90% of women don’t consume the recommended levels of calcium (RDIs vary depending on gender and age).

Tordoff notes that “calcium tastes ‘calciumy.’ There isn’t a better word for it. It is bitter, perhaps even a little sour. But it’s much more, because there are actual receptors for calcium, not just bitter or sour compounds.” He says that the low level of calcium in tap water is pleasant enough. In dairy, he notes, the calcium binds to fat and protein, masking its flavor. Vegetables with high levels of calcium include collard greens, bok choy, kale and bitter melon.

Source: Science Daily
“That Tastes ... Sweet? Sour? No, It’s Definitely Calcium!”