Vanillin Activates Human Bitter Taste Receptors TAS2R14, TAS2R20, and TAS2R39.

Gabriella Morini,Angela Bassoli,Marcel Winnig,Gigliola Borgonovo,Timo Vennegeerts

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.683627

Gabriella Morini, Angela Bassoli + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.683627

Copy DOI

Abstract

Vanilla is widely used in food preparation worldwide for its sensory properties, mainly related to its fragrance, being vanillin the major compound present in the processed vanilla. Vanillin is also known to elicit bitterness as a secondary sensory sensation, but the molecular mechanism of its bitterness has never been reported. Assay buffers of vanillin were tested in vitro on all known 25 human bitter taste receptors TAS2Rs. Three receptors, TAS2R14, TAS2R20, and TAS2R39, were activated, showing that these receptors are mediating the bitterness of vanillin. The result could be useful to improve the overall sensory profile of this broadly used food ingredient, but even more could represent the starting point for further studies to investigate the potential of vanillin in sensory nutrition and other pharmaceutical applications.

Highlights

Vanilla is probably the world’s most popular flavoring material, with extensive applications in food, beverages, cosmetics, perfumery, and pharmaceuticals
In our study we performed in vitro assays of vanillin on all 25 known human TAS2Rs bitter taste receptors, and we identified TAS2R14, TAS2R20, and TAS2R39 to be the receptors mediating the bitterness of vanillin
In order to identify the taste receptor(s) mediating the bitterness of vanillin, we transiently expressed all 25 known human TAS2Rs individually in HEK293 PEAKrapid cells, constitutively expressing the chimeric G protein Gα16i/o44 alpha subunit, which couples to the bitter receptors and triggers the intracellular calcium mobilization, measured as the readout in the assay (Supplementary Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Vanilla is probably the world’s most popular flavoring material, with extensive applications in food, beverages, cosmetics, perfumery, and pharmaceuticals. Vanilla beans have no vanilla flavor upon harvesting, and acquire it only after curing, during which vanillin β-D-glucoside and related β-Dglucosides come into contact with β-D-glucosidases, with the result that free vanillin (4-hydroxy-3methoxybenzaldehyde) and related substances are released [1]. Vanillin is the major compound present in the processed vanilla pods, usually ca. Vanillin is the main component of non-synthetic vanilla flavors obtained by biotechnological processes [2], products gaining importance in the food industry due to increasing consumer demand for non-synthetic food additives [3]. Vanillin has proven to have appetite-enhancing effect [10] and to improve the gut microbiota composition on mice [11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion