FT-IR Study of the Hydration of Caffeine, Sucrose, and Their Mixtures in Water

Introduction ........................................................................................................ 583

Materials and Methods ..................................................................................... 584

Results and Discussion ..................................................................................... 585

Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 590

References ........................................................................................................... 591

In taste studies, sucrose is usually taken as a reference standard in the

sensory evaluation of sweetness and caffeine is generally used as the

reference material for bitterness. However, sour and salty tastants modulate

taste-receptor function by direct effect on specific ion channels in the

membrane, while sweet and bitter tasting compounds seem to bind to

closely located receptors which are coupled to a guanidine-nucleotide

binding protein (G-protein). The perception of their tastes proceeds through

a transduction mechanism involving G-protein and a second messenger

system (Kinnamon, 1988).