Senomyx: it's not bitter ...

Senomyx has made "notable progress" in its work to block the bitter tastes associated with high- intensity sweeteners and other ingredients such as soy protein.

The US firm uses proprietary biological screening techniques to evaluate millions of molecules in order to identify which substances bind to which taste receptors. Recent taste tests demonstrated that its bitter blockers could "provide statistically significant reductions in the bitterness of a variety of product prototypes and food ingredients including tea, cocoa, menthol, Rebaudioside-A [a sweetener from stevia], and the widely used sweeteners Acesulfame potassium [Ace-K] and saccharine", said the firm.

Using tests based on SNMX-29 - a protein it believes is the primary receptor responsible for salt taste perception, Senomyx has also identified more than 160 enhancers of sodium chloride (table salt) and potassium chloride. These are now being optimised to increase their potency, with sensory testing on products to follow, it added.