title: Non-acidic compounds induce the intense sweet taste of neoculin, a taste-modifying protein.
abstract: Neoculin, a sweet protein found in the fruit of Curculigo latifolia, has the ability to change sourness into sweetness. Neoculin turns drinking water sweet, indicating that non-acidic compounds may induce the sweetness. We report that ammonium chloride and certain amino acids elicit the intense sweetness of neoculin. Neoculin can thus sweeten amino acid-enriched foods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Kisho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Taichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Tomiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu-Ibuka
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misaka
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D031408:Curculigo / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005524:Food Technology; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D010940:Plant Proteins; D013549:Sweetening Agents; C511659:neoculin protein, Curculigo latifolia