The Bitter Taste of Alkaloids Should We Avoid, Mask, or Understand

The same conclusions were also recorded for vertebrate herbivores. For example rabbits (Cuniculus europaeus) and hares (Lepus europaeus) clearly prefer the sweet plants and leave the bitter plants almost untouched, at least as long as there is an alternative food source. In conclusion, although taste perception in mammals and insects differs in many aspects, there also some similarities both in anatomy and in the function of the bitter taste perception. A comparison of the effects of alkaloids, as well as of other bitter compounds, will be assisted by further advances in the knowledge of the structure of taste genes and receptors. 

The Bitter Taste of Alkaloids Should We Avoid, Mask, or Understand  

We thank Maria Teresa Cascella for suggesting the citations on bitter taste taken from Plato and Agatha Christie and for finding the original texts. 

14 Martin, J.H. (1989) Neuroanatomy, Prentice Hall International, London. 

15 Smith, D.V. and Frank, M.E. (1993) Mechanisms of Taste Transduction, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 295-338. 

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