Taste

Researchers have discovered that a chemical in the brain makes alcohol taste bitter to women. It may explain the difference in drinking habits between the sexes and pave the way for novel treatments to help women curb excessive alcohol use.

Humans have bitter taste receptors not only in their mouths but in their lungs, too. Researchers have exploited these receptors’ innate ability to dilate the airways to create a potent new drug that may change how we treat diseases like asthma and COPD.

When it comes to different types of milk containers, you may think that the only reasons to choose one over the other would be factors like convenience. New research, however, suggests that container material type can actually affect milk's flavor.

Using an artificial tongue, researchers figured out just why chocolate feels so good in our mouths. They say it all comes down to when the fat is released, which could lead to a healthier chocolate bar that still delivers all the joy.

Some people feel that their food isn't quite tasty enough unless it had added salt, sugar or MSG. The SpoonTEK spoon offers a healthier alternative, as it reportedly boosts the perceived flavor of foods by harmlessly zapping its user's tastebuds.

Do people eating lots of sugar become desensitized to sweetness? Scientists have found evidence that this might be the case, with a new rat study finding that those on a high-sugar diet had up to a 50% reduction in responsiveness to sweet flavors.

An extraordinary study has recorded the first evidence of babies in the womb reacting to flavors of foods, showing fetuses crumpling up their faces in disgust after a mother consumes kale or smiling with glee in the presence of carrot flavors.

How many times have you been presented with food you dislike only to be told it’s an acquired taste and eventually you’ll come to enjoy it? A study has found genetics play a larger role than thought in determining the foods you do and don’t like.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have been tinkering away on a robotic chef and developed a machine with an ability to "taste test" food as it goes, making sure the balance of flavors is just the way it should be.

Scientists have discovered bitter taste receptors in the walls of blood vessels in the lungs. The unexpected find could be an important new drug target to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a dangerous complication of many diseases.

A food that's subtly sweet to one person may be very sweet to another, so how can food and beverage companies objectively determine just how sweet something actually is? Well, an experimental new "bioelectronic tongue" may one day do the job.

Australian researchers have found the bacteria in your mouth can react with certain compounds in Brassica vegetables to generate a sulfurous odor that may explain some people’s strong dislike of foods such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower.