sweetness
sensation / sensation-sweet
甘味
Sweetness from sugars and other substances does more than simply cover bitterness. The balance of sweet and bitter shifts with mixing concentration, the order in which substances reach the tongue, age, and genetic differences among people.
On this page (7 sections)
Reading the bitterness
Sweetness does not merely mask bitterness; their balance varies with concentration and conditions of perception. A human psychophysical study mixing brewed coffee with sucrose reported subadditivity in overall taste and flavor intensity even in coffee–sucrose mixtures, with suppression of roughly 30–40% and mutual suppression between the components. The original full text has not been obtained, so this account is limited to the abstract.
In a cocoa-flavored model system using the steviol glycoside rebaudioside A and sucrose, some of sucrose’s bitterness-suppression effect remained even when sweet perception was temporarily blocked with a Gymnema sylvestre extract, according to a study. The result was interpreted as suggesting a peripheral mechanism independent of perceived sweetness; it came from a model system, not actual chocolate food, and the original full text has not been obtained.
Another study reported that mixing acesulfame K or saccharin 1:1 with any of allulose, aspartame, erythritol, fructose, glucose, or sucrose enhanced sweetness by 60–100% and reduced bitterness from acesulfame K or saccharin by 35–63% relative to either alone. Cell-based assays of human bitter and sweet receptors for the same combinations were also reported to match the pattern of sweetness enhancement and bitterness reduction seen in sensory evaluation. The original full texts have not been obtained; this account is limited to abstracts.
A review states that sucrose effectively suppresses mild to moderate bitterness from molecules such as urea, caffeine, propylthiouracil, and quinine, but does not make strongly offensive bitterness acceptable. The same review says that when saccharin and cyclamate are combined, cyclamate blocks the bitter receptors stimulated by saccharin (TAS2R31 and TAS2R43), while saccharin inhibits those activated by cyclamate (TAS2R1 and TAS2R38), producing perceived sweetness with a less bitter aftertaste. These descriptions derive from earlier studies cited by the review.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: The report of 30–40% suppression in coffee–sucrose mixtures.
Sweetness-independent bitterness suppression of rebaudioside A by sucrose in a cocoa model
Checked for this overview: The suggestion of a peripheral mechanism because some bitterness suppression remained despite blocked sweet perception.
Checked for this overview: The figures for sweetness enhancement of 60–100% and bitterness reduction of 35–63% in binary sweetener mixtures. / The report that cell-based assay patterns corresponded to sensory-evaluation patterns.
Checked for this overview: The scope of bitter compounds for which sucrose is effective and its failure against strongly offensive tastes. / Reduced bitter aftertaste from mutual receptor blockade by saccharin and cyclamate.
Follow the connections
coffee brew →— perceived bitterness is s…→ sweetness
sweetness →can reduce the perceived bi…→ bitterness →can be measured separately …→ astringency
bitterness →is reduced by→ sweetness
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Sensory (4)
Scope: Layer: food. A human psychophysical test of mixtures of brewed coffee and sucrose (abstract only; concentration and number of participants not confirmed).
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ingredient-coffee-brew —has_perceived_bitterness_suppressed_by→ sensation-sweetScope: Layer: solution (cocoa-flavor model system). Split-tongue method, 65 participants (18-35 years old), 2 sessions -- a normal condition and a sweetness-blocked condition.
Note: A result from a model system, not from actual chocolate as a food.
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sensation-sweet —can_reduce_perceived_bitterness_of→ sensation-bitterScope: Layer: solution. Binary sweetener mixtures formulated to a target sucrose-equivalent sweetness, with human sensory evaluation.
Note: The bitterness at issue is that of acesulfame K and saccharin themselves, not other bitter components in food.
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sensation-sweet —can_reduce_perceived_bitterness_of→ sensation-bitterScope: Layer: literature (a description in a review).
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sensation-sweet —can_reduce_perceived_bitterness_of→ sensation-bitterMechanism and receptors (2)
Scope: Layer: cell. A cell-based assay using cells expressing human taste receptors.
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sensation-bitter —is_reduced_by→ sensation-sweetScope: Layer: cell (receptor-level explanation); literature (description in a review).
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sensation-sweet —can_reduce_perceived_bitterness_of→ sensation-bitter