image: Laptop Touch-sensitive Display (TSD) as it appears during a training or test session. Response field appears on the left side of the display; the actual abscissa and ordinate of an underlying Cartesian plane is projected. The hatch marks on the abscissa and ordinate are for visual guidance only and do not correspond to numeric values. An 8 x 12 matrix, which tracks trial-by-trial progress through the game-like session, appears to the right of the response field. The consequence (indicated by a red "X" if negative, and a small poker chip if positive) on each trial appears in the next open cell immediately after the trial's end. In this example, the subject has correctly associated the taste stimulus with its designated target by touching a location in the center of the response field (coordinates of 0.5, 0.5), resulting in the immediate appearance of a large poker chip just below the 8 x 12 matrix. Counters appear below the left and right corners of the 8 x 12 matrix; left counter tracks remaining trials in the progression and right counter displays cumulative points earned (each point worth $0.01). The bar above the 8 x 12 matrix displays messages to prompt the subject to take a particular action needed in the sequence of events for a trial.
Credit: Mitch Shuring
PHILADELPHIA, PA – November 18, 2024 – Opertech Bio, Inc., a leading innovator in taste assessment, today announced the publication of a research article in which the TāStation® rapid throughput taste evaluation system was used to resolve a central question about sweet taste perception.
It has been well established that sweeteners impart their taste by activating the TAS1R2/TAS1R3 “sweet taste receptor” in the tongue. A second signaling pathway involving the activity of glucose transporters, operating independently of the receptor, recently has been proposed for metabolizable caloric sweeteners. In a powerful demonstration of the analytical capacity of the TāStation® in combination with a pharmacological experimental approach, all sweet taste signaling was shown to occur exclusively through the receptor with no contribution by a glucose transporter mechanism.
The paper, entitled “Sodium-dependent glucose co-transport proteins (SGLTs) are not involved in human glucose taste detection,” appears in the November 18, 2024 issue of the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. The complete article is available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313128
“This Opertech-led research showcases TāStation®'s ability to tackle complex scientific problems with real-world commercial relevance.” said R. Kyle Palmer, Opertech’s Chief Science Officer and lead author on the paper.
TāStation®: Gamifying Taste Testing
TāStation® measures a subject’s sense of taste through an interactive computer game. Featuring a portable workstation with an automated delivery system, TāStation® delivers small taste samples to participants in quick succession. The system can determine the taste characteristics of a hundred samples in under an hour. Participants interact with the system through a game-like interface, responding to taste stimuli on a touch screen. Responses are rewarded with an incremental point system that incentivizes sensory acuity, keeping them engaged and focused.
About PLOS ONE
PLOS ONE is the world’s first multidisciplinary Open Access journal, providing a platform to publish original research and research methods, including interdisciplinary and replication studies as well as negative results. Criteria for publication in PLOS ONE are based on high ethical standards and the rigor of the methodology and conclusions reported.
About Opertech Bio, Inc.
Opertech Bio is at the forefront of taste measurement technology serving the food and beverage, flavor ingredient, and pharmaceutical industries. TāStation® technology is used to discover new flavor ingredients, measure palatability, and optimize flavor formulations. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.opertechbio.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Journal
PLOS ONE
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Sodium-dependent glucose co-transport proteins (SGLTs) are not involved in human glucose taste detection
Article Publication Date
18-Nov-2024
COI Statement
The rapid throughput taste discrimination technology used in the human taste studies also is used for commercial purposes by Opertech Bio (TāStation®). Kyle Palmer is a cofounder and stockholder of Opertech Bio, which independently funded the human taste studies. Dr. Palmer is named as inventor on patents for the rapid throughput taste discrimination technology.