Mechanisms and effects of “fat taste” in humans

Abstract

Evidence supporting a "taste" cue from fat in the oral cavity continues to accrue. The proposed stimuli for fat taste, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), are released from food through hydrolytic rancidity and lipase activity derived from foods or saliva. NEFA must then be released from the food matrix, negotiate the aqueous environment to reach taste cell surfaces, and interact with receptors such as CD36 and GPR120 or diffuse across cell membranes to initiate a taste signal. Knowledge of these processes in non-gustatory tissues should inform understanding of taste responses to NEFA. Additionally, downstream effects of oral triglyceride exposure have been observed in numerous studies. Data specific to effects of NEFA versus triglyceride are scarce, but modified sham feeding trials with triglyceride document cephalic phase responses including elevations in serum lipids and insulin as well as potential, but debated, effects on gut peptides, appetite, and thermogenesis. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms by which NEFA migrate to and interact with taste cells, and then we examine physiological responses to oral fat exposure.

The functions of human saliva: A review sponsored by the World Workshop on Oral Medicine VI

“…47 Many of these same receptors are also found in tissues around the body, where they may act as chemoreceptors. 48 The body may respond in various ways to ingestion of non-esterified fatty acids, 49 and oral taste receptors for these may now have been identified. 50 Nonesterified fatty acids may be present in foods or be formed by the action on triglycerides of lingual lipase, secreted by von Ebner's glands.…”

Effect of incremental amounts of camelina oil on milk fatty acid composition in lactating cows fed diets based on a mixture of grass and red clover silage and concentrates containing camelina expeller

“…Incremental CO supplementation compromised the sensory attributes of milk that may reflect the alterations in milk fat composition. There is increasing evidence that FA interact with human taste cells, playing important roles in gustation, olfaction, and somatosensation, factors that contribute to the overall flavor perception of foods (Tucker et al, 2014). Furthermore, NEFA receptors may react differently or have a different affinity for FA varying in chain length, degree of saturation, or both (Tucker et al, 2014).…”

“…There is increasing evidence that FA interact with human taste cells, playing important roles in gustation, olfaction, and somatosensation, factors that contribute to the overall flavor perception of foods (Tucker et al, 2014). Furthermore, NEFA receptors may react differently or have a different affinity for FA varying in chain length, degree of saturation, or both (Tucker et al, 2014). Relative to sunflower seed oil or rapeseed oil, dietary supplements of camelina expeller result in greater enrichment of PUFA and trans FA, lower milk fat SFA concentration, and a numerical decrease in taste panel score, changes that were not associated with changes in milk fat peroxides (Halmemies-Beauchet-Filleau et al, 2011) formed during the initial stages of lipid peroxidation (Halliwell and Chirico, 1993).…”

Lipides et comportement alimentaire chez les enfants

“…La perception des lipides est complexe puisqu'elle est associée à plusieurs composantes sensorielles : une composante texturale, une composante olfactive et peut-être une composante gustative, notamment en terme de détection des acides gras, dont le mécanisme complet est toujours à l'étude chez l'homme (Chevrot et al, 2014 ;Keast et Costanzo, 2015 ;Tucker et al, 2014). Les lipides ont un impact important sur la texture des aliments et contribuent à leur appréciation.…”