Sweetness and sweeteners - Synergy between tasting and sweet perception

7 important questions on Sweetness and sweeteners - Synergy between tasting and sweet perception

What happens in situations of synergy?

Combining sucrose with either NHDC or cyclamate, the response of the T1R2/T1R3 cells for sucrose and either NHDC or cyclamate is higher than the sum of that of each of the tastants individually.

Between which sweet molecules can synergy occur?

  • For 2 low molecular weight sweeteners
  • For a low and high molecular weight sweetener

Which compounds can boost the sweet perception of sucrose?

Cyclamate and NHDC
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Where are the 4 sweet taste binding sites located on the T1R2/T1R3 heterodimer?

  1. T1R2: one site in the VFTD --> small molecules such as sucrose and aspartame (site I)
  2. T1R3
    1. The pocket of VFTD --> sucrose and other low molecular weight sweeteners (site II)
    2. The transmembrane domain (site III) --> blockers and synergizing compounds like cyclamate and NHDC
    3. Outer parts of the lobes of the VFTD (site IV) --> sweet proteins

When do sweeteners only have an additive effect?

When the response of the T1R2/T1R3 cells for sucrose and the other sweetener equals the sum of that of each of the tastants individually.

Why is the binding site of synergistic sweeteners important?

  • Sweeteners with an additive effect bind to sites I and II
  • Binding to site I and II simultaneously --> closure of the receptor and influx of Ca2+
  • Binding to site I and III simultaneously --> induce conformational change, locking the receptor in the active state and induce stronger and lingering signals.

Why is the binding site of synergistic sweeteners important?

  • Sweeteners with an additive effect bind to sites I and II
  • Binding to site I and II simultaneously --> closure of the receptor and influx of Ca2+
  • Binding to site I and III simultaneously --> induce conformational change, locking the receptor in the active state and induce stronger and lingering signals.

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