Sweetness

Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugar. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable, except when in excess. In addition to sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, and sugar alcohols. Some are sweet at very low concentrations, allowing their use as non-caloric sugar substitutes. Such non-sugar sweeteners include saccharin and aspartame. Other compounds, such as miraculin, may alter perception of sweetness itself.

The chemical compounds used in materials science to produce sweet sensations are vast in number and range from simple monosaccharides to complex polysaccharides. Some sweeteners are produced naturally in the foods we eat, while others are synthesized industrially.

The perception of sweetness, influenced by the number of taste buds on the tongue, varies among different species. For example, even amongst the primates, New World monkeys perceive aspartame to be sweet, while Old World monkeys and humans can't perceive this taste.

Sweetness perception

The perception of sweetness is affected by a number of factors. One of these is the concentration of the substance in question. Substances are generally tasted in a solution, and the more concentrated this solution is, the sweeter it will taste. The size and shape of the molecule also influences its sweetness. For example, smaller molecules tend to be sweeter than larger ones.

Health effects

Excessive consumption of sweet substances can lead to health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization recommends that adults and children reduce their intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake. A further reduction to below 5% has additional health benefits.

See also

• Sugar substitute
• Taste
• Taste bud
• Sugar

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