title: Are the tastes of polycose and monosodium glutamate unique?
abstract: To study whether Polycose and monosodium L-glutamate (L-MSG) have unique tastes differing from the traditional four basic tastes, chemosensory profiles were established for Polycose, L-MSG and a group of related compounds (sucrose, maltose, monosodium D-glutamate (D-MSG), sodium chloride, calcium chloride). Flavors were assessed using whole-mouth tests in human subjects with nose open or clamped to reduce olfactory input. Polycose (a mixture of glucose-based oligosaccharides) had a flavor consisting of an olfactory component and a maltose-like taste. L-MSG and D-MSG profiles differed from each other, and from NaCl and CaCl2. L-MSG had a lower threshold and a higher frequency of 'other' tastes than the D form. The data do not support a 'polysaccharide' taste, but suggest a chiral receptor site for 'umami' taste.
authors.affiliation: Department of BioStructure and Function, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030, USA.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hettinger
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005503:Food Additives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005936:Glucans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects; D012970:Sodium Glutamate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D005503:Food Additives; D005936:Glucans; D012970:Sodium Glutamate