Artificial structures, chemical sensing

Taste and smell are well-known chemical senses however, the specific genes and proteins involved in some tastes have not yet been fully identified. SEE ALSO Artificial Sweeteners Molecular Structure Neurotransmitters. 

The shapes of food molecules are determined by their chemical structures. When a molecule enters a taste bud, it must have the correct shape for the nerve in each receptor cell to respond and send a message to the brain. The brain then interprets the message as a certain taste. When such molecules bind to sweet receptors, they are sensed as sweet. The greater the number of food molecules that fit a sweet receptor cell, the sweeter the food tastes. Sugars and artificial sweeteners are not the only sweet molecules. Some proteins found in fruits are also sweet molecules. Some common molecular shapes are illustrated in Table 8.5. 

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