Our Technology

Flavors are substances that impart tastes or aromas in foods and beverages. Individuals experience the sensation of taste when flavors in food and beverage products interact with taste receptors in the mouth. A taste receptor functions either by physically binding to a flavor ingredient in a process analogous to the way a key fits into a lock or by acting as a channel to allow ions to flow directly into a taste cell. As a result of these interactions, signals are sent to the brain where a specific taste sensation is registered. There are currently five recognized primary senses of taste: umami, which is the savory taste of glutamate, sweet, salt, bitter and sour.

We have discovered or in-licensed many of the key receptors that mediate taste in humans. Having isolated human taste receptors, we have created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a test compound affects the receptor. To enable faster compound discovery, we integrated our proprietary taste receptor-based screening assays into a robot-controlled automated system that uses plates containing an array of individual fluid wells, each of which can screen a different compound. Our receptor-based discovery and development process has enabled us to improve our ability to find novel flavor enhancers and taste modulators over the traditional use of simple taste tests. As a result, we have synthesized and discovered hundreds of unique potential flavor enhancers and taste modulators.