Tastier Vegetables
If you think foods like coffee, broccoli and spinach taste too bitter to enjoy, researchers might have created just the thing for you.
Scientists at the Givaudan Flavors Corporation in Ohio have created a "bitterness blocker" called GIV3616. When it's added to food, the scientists say it targets taste buds and keeps them from recognizing the unpleasant bitter tastes.
A Spoonful Of Sugar
"A lot of people are very sensitive to bitter taste in medicines, calorie-free sweeteners, and foods," says researcher Ioana Ungureanu. "We'd like to be able to make their diets more enjoyable by masking the off-putting flavors of bitterness."
They hope that hiding "off-note" flavors will encourage consumers to eat healthier, more varied diets. GIV3616 could also make bitter-tasting medications easier to swallow and non-calorie sodas a more appealing substitute for other colas.
GIV3616's Predecessor
The new bitter blocker isn't the first development for bitter haters. GIV3727 was transformed into artificial sweeteners saccharin and sucralose. However Ungureanu says GIV3616 is supposed to be more potent than its predecessor and dissolves more quickly in food and beverages.
There is no news yet on when the general public will be able to get their hands on this Mary Poppins'esque product.
Read More:
- New Chemical "Bitter Blocker" Makes Food Taste Sweeter (Slashfood)
- New flavor blocker makes food seem sweeter (msnbc)
