ARE THE TASTES OF POLYCOSE AND MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE UNIQUE

To study whether Polycose and monosodium L-glutamate (L-MSG) have uniq ue tastes differing from the traditional four basic tastes, chemosenso ry profiles were established for Polycose, L-MSG and a group of relate d compounds (sucrose, maltose, monosodium D-glutamate (D-MSG), sodium chloride, calcium chloride). Flavors were assessed using whole-mouth t ests in human subjects with nose open or clamped to reduce olfactory i nput. Polycose (a mixture of glucose-based oligosaccharides) had a fla vor consisting of an olfactory component and a maltose-like taste. L-M SG and D-MSG profiles differed from each other, and from NaCl and CaCl 2. L-MSG had a lower threshold and a higher frequency of 'other' taste s than the D form. The data do not support a 'polysaccharide' taste, b ut suggest a chiral receptor site for 'umami' taste.