Search
Presentation Details
| Poster #348 Sweetness Perception and TAS1R2 Gene Expression: Insights from Sucrose, Acesulfame K, and Rebaudioside A. |
| Sasi Tansaraviput & Alissa A. Nolden Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States |
Sweetness perception impacts dietary choices and is influenced by various factors, including genetics. Differences in taste perception have also been shown to associate with the expression of taste receptor genes, which have not been explored for sweet taste. This study examines the relationship between the sweetness of sucrose (Suc), Acesulfame potassium (AceK), and Rebaudioside A (RebA) and the mRNA expression of TAS1R2, a gene in the sweet taste receptor complex. Initially, 121 participants rated the sweetness intensity of five concentrations of each sweetener. Fungiform papillae were collected, and the relative expression of TAS1R2 was determined using quantitative RT-PCR. After excluding the participants with low-quality data (misuse of the rating scale or amplification below threshold), 40 participants were categorized into 3 groups based on sweetness intensity for each sweetener (Suc, AceK, RebA, respectively): low (n=4; 6; 6), medium (n=18;18; 23), and high (n=18; 16; 11). Results show that mRNA expression of TAS1R2 in human fungiform papillae is significantly associated with the 3 intensity groups for Suc and AceK (p<0.05). The low group demonstrated substantially lower TAS1R2 than the medium and high groups. The medium group also showed lower expression levels than the high group, except for AceK. As for Reb A, no significant differences were observed (p=0.74). This study is the first to report on the relationship between the expression of TAS1R2 and the sweetness of both caloric and non-caloric sweeteners. Findings suggest there may be differing mechanisms regulating sweetness perception for RebA compared to Suc and AceK. Further research examining intake may provide new insights into the regulation of TAS1R2 and improve the understanding of the mechanisms regulating taste perception. |