A low-calorie sweetener that tastes like sugar and could help control diseases like diabetes and obesity may be closer to reality thanks to new research.
Scientists at The University of Manchester and The University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have made a major advance in understanding what makes a substance taste sweet.
The discovery could help pave the way for the development of low-calorie sweeteners that mimic natural sugar and leave no bitter aftertaste.
"Our study has for the first time measured how sugar and some synthetic sweeteners interact with two types of taste receptors on the tongue," said Dr Graeme Conn in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences.
"Some synthetic sweeteners only interact with one receptor. We found that sugar interacts with both. Similarly, sucralose, the sweetener used in Splenda, also interacted with both receptors but with a greater intensity to sugar.
"Knowing what molecular mechanisms are at play has given us a greater understanding of what makes sugar taste sweet and will no doubt help us design better sweeteners."
The research findings, published in the November 8 issue of the scientific journal Current Biology, have implications for diabetic patients, who need to regulate their sugar intake, as well as for tackling the growing problem of obesity.
A recent study by food firm GoLower showed that the average adult in Britain consumed 33 teaspoons of sugar a day, more than three times the recommended amount.