Important tastants and new developments

Taste and odor are among the most important factors influencing the selection of food by humans. Tastants are perceived mainly in the oral cavity, especially on the tongue and the soft palate (Smith and Margolskee 2001). Here, a food is “analyzed” for the last time before being swallowed to avoid the intake of tainted food or toxic compounds. Five basic tastes are distinguished: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Salty taste is involved in regulating ion and water homeostasis in the body, whereas sweet and umami tastes are responsible for estimating the energy content of food (especially carbohydrates and amino acids). Both sour and bitter tastes may act as warning mechanisms to avoid the consumption of unripe fruits or the intake of toxins (Glendinning 1994; Lindemann 1996). In addition, sour taste is considered to be a protection against immoderate acid intake to avoid mismatches in acid/base balance in the body (Roper 2007).