Scientists have discovered the sixth basic taste that the tongue senses

Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC Dornsife) believe they have identified a new basic taste, which can be felt with the tongue - ammonium chloride. It is present in both toxic substances and confectionery products. Study The journal Nature published this.

Nowadays it is customary to distinguish five tastes of food - salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami (“savory meaty”). The latter was discovered in 1908 by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda. It is present in soy sauce, seaweed, anchovies and many other protein foods.

As for ammonium chloride, a typical example of this flavor is salty licorice. It is a very popular confectionery additive in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and northern Germany. It makes sweet foods seem bitter, salty and sour at the same time.

Researchers have long known that language responds to it. But only now have they been able to accurately identify the receptors that accurately detect it. This is thanks to a protein called OTOP1, which also traps acidity found in lemon juice or vinegar, for example. This was revealed in laboratory experiments that showed that ammonium chloride activates the OTOP1 receptor as effectively as acid.

The researchers believe that the ability to detect the sixth taste was not basic and evolved over time to help organisms avoid harmful substances. After all, ammonium and the gas associated with it, ammonia, are toxic to people and animals.

However, achieving official status for the new flavor will not be easy. The same umami was recognized as the fifth only decades after its discovery.