24 August 2008
Sweet, Sour....Calcium(y)!!
Taste is an important aspect to any food item. Unless the food tastes good, whatever be the nutrient in it, it is not being liked. Its common of us to have tasted sweet, sour, hot and spicy dishes. How about tasting a Calcuim(y) dish. Yes!! the food tastes Calcuimy!!!
Thats exactly what the chemists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia have done research that suggests mice may have a specific taste for calcium. Because mice and humans share many of the same genes, the finding suggests that humans may have the ability to taste the elemental nutrient as well.
As it turns out, two receptors on the tongue detect the taste of calcium. The first receptor, called CaSR, has been found by other researchers in the parathyroid glands, kidneys, brain and gastrointestinal tract. But the second, T1R3, was unexpected, because it was found as a component of the tongue's sweet-taste receptor, which could open the door for the possibility of improving how calcium tastes to us.
Although the chemists haven't yet verified that humans have exactly the same receptors as mice for tasting calcium, it seems likely that we do. If so, the taste can be enhanced to encourage the consumption of calcium-rich foods in populations deficient in the nutrient.
If this is proved successful, calcuim may not have to be supplimented as tablets. It can as well be added to the menu of favorite dishes.