Calcium - new flavor for daily meals

The florists in Philadelphia recently announced the discovery that could expand people's appetite - formerly including sour, spicy, salty, bitter - to add a new flavor they gave the name to 'calcium'.

In a report published at the 236th National Conference of the American Chemical Society, scientist Michael G. Tordoff and colleagues at Monell Chemical Sensory Center in Philadelphia described in detail. The study they performed on the ability to perceive calcium taste exists in mice. Mice and humans have many identical genes. This finding suggests that people may have similar capabilities, thus opening up many different practical applications.

Tordoff said: 'People don't eat much calcium on the advice of nutritionists, one of the main reasons is that calcium-rich foods for many people are unattractive. Calcium taste changes can stimulate calcium deficient people to eat more than this very important nutrient. Understanding how our mouths detect calcium, we can make it easier to eat calcium by reducing its unpleasant taste, or even studying pharmacological substances to make the taste calcium becomes more pleasant.

Tordoff's team used genetic methods to find two bodies that perceive calcium taste. A receptor is a molecule located both on the surface and inside a cell that serves as a stop for a particular compound. When such compounds, such as calcium, for example, cling to receptors, a special reaction occurs, such as a reaction that releases signals that form a sense of taste.

Research indicates that calcium taste is perceived by two receptors on the tongue . One is a calcium receptor called CaSR that has been discovered by another researcher in the parathyroid, kidney, brain and gastrointestinal tract. Tordoff said: 'We didn't know it was on the tongue before . ' The other agency is called T1R3. This is a component of the sweet taste receptor - it is a finding that researchers consider 'unexpected'.

They investigated calcium preference in 40 different mouse lines.'Most of them do not like calcium, but we have found an unusual influx of mice that drink calcium crazily. Comparing the genes of this strain and other strains, we were able to find two calcium sensing genes.

One area of ​​the mouse tongue was stained with calcium-sensing receptors (CaSR), which were located in the middle of the onion-shaped taste buds with bright green.(Photo: Michael Tordoff)

'The other thing to find out is whether the two calcium sensing genes we detected in mice also exist in humans. We know that humans with the gene that senses sweetness are Tas1r3, and the calcium-related receptor gene is CaSR. We do not know whether humans have the same genome as mice, but they seem to have the same function. '

Calcium is a mineral that plays essential roles in building and maintaining strong bones. Without calcium, children will have weak bones. Adults with calcium deficiency are very susceptible to osteoporosis - the main cause of fractures in older people. Studies have also shown a link between low calcium intake and the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers.

The daily intake of calcium varies with the recommended age and gender of 1,200 milligrams for young people . But Tordoff points out that about 70% of men and 90% of women in the United States do not eat enough calcium.

What about calcium taste? 'Calcium is naturally calcium-flavored. There are no more suitable words. It's a little bitter, maybe a little sour. But even more so because there is actually a calcium receptor, not simply a combination of bitterness and sourness. '

Tordoff describes the delicate balance of human response to calcium in drinking water as follows: 'Calcium in tap water is quite pleasant. But if the calcium ratio is higher, its taste becomes really bad . ' Dairy products, such as milk, contain a lot of calcium. But Tordoff believes that calcium in milk is quite special because it often combines with fat and protein so we don't feel it.

High-calcium vegetables include cabbage, cabbage, kale and bitter melon. Tordoff emphasizes the close relationship between bitterness in certain vegetables and its calcium content. He believes that one reason we avoid eating bitter vegetables is because the bitterness of vegetables is related to high levels of calcium.

Taste transformation techniques thanks to genetic research can provide an irreplaceable common tool to increase nutrition. Tordoff said: 'I'm not saying we can't take pharmaceuticals to get enough calcium, but eating food is much more pleasant. If with salt, sweetness and fat, the main problem is to reduce the intake of these tastes without losing appetite. As for calcium, it is a problem that does not have the necessary taste. '