Taste of Sulfur-Containing Compounds

Abstract

The phenomenon of taste is best explained by selective adsorption of taste stimuli onto a taste receptor. The sulfur-containing compounds taste sweet, sour, salty, or flavorous, depending on their chmical structures. The structure-taste relationships of sulfur-containing compounds, such as sugars, amino acids, peptides, sulfamic acids, saccharin derivatives, oxathiazinone dioxides, thioureas, and 5′-nucleotides, are discussed. The recent concept of the taste receptor sites is also described. © 1977, The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan. All rights reserved.