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Nutritional and Functional Foods and Their Components in Taste Biology and Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Proteins and Amino Acids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 301

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Oral Biology and Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2, Canada
Interests: taste disorders; taste receptors; chemosensory biology; host–microbe; oral biology; food chemistry; food choice; nutritional value; bioactive compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Proper nutrition is essential for the maintenance of a healthy state. This is achieved through the food choices that an individual makes and their nutritional and functional properties. Most foods are functional as they can provide various physiologically active components in addition to their nutritional value that are involved in repair and maintenance of cell function. Food derived proteins and bioactive peptides are a major component in carrying out these functions and they are also involved in fighting disease conditions such as, inflammation, cancer, hypertension, etc. Some functional foods that are beneficial for managing these conditions may not be palatable and thus recent research has focused on identifying bioactive molecules that can alter taste and make these foods a part of the diet. The ability to manipulate taste sensation and perception is an area of intense research and is of great interest to the food industry. Thus, the current Special Issue is designed to address role of functional foods and their components in fundamental taste biology, health and disease. Original research and review articles addressing and advancing these concepts are acceptable for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Rajinder Pal Bhullar
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • functional foods
  • bioactive proteins and peptides
  • taste sensation
  • taste desensitization
  • taste perception
  • taste modification
  • disease prevention/intervention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 2264 KB  
Article
Beef-Derived Peptides Mediated Desensitization of Bitter Taste Receptor T2R14 Through GPCR Kinase 2
by Nisha Singh, Julia Drube, Carsten Hoffmann, Rotimi Emmanuel Aluko and Prashen Chelikani
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 901; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18060901 - 12 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Humans have at least 26 bitter taste receptors (T2Rs), and among these, bitter taste receptor 14 (T2R14) is highly expressed in both oral and extraoral tissues. Over 100 bitter ligands can activate T2R14, including hormones, vitamins, plant compounds, and peptides. Previous studies [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Humans have at least 26 bitter taste receptors (T2Rs), and among these, bitter taste receptor 14 (T2R14) is highly expressed in both oral and extraoral tissues. Over 100 bitter ligands can activate T2R14, including hormones, vitamins, plant compounds, and peptides. Previous studies suggest that bitter tastants such as quinine and caffeine can inhibit G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) and delay T2R signal termination. Our earlier research showed that peptides from alcalase and chymotrypsin hydrolysates of beef proteins inhibited quinine-dependent calcium release through T2R4, with AGDDAPRAVF and ETSARHL showing the greatest effectiveness. However, the effect of these antagonistic peptides on other T2Rs, such as T2R14 signaling, remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of these beef protein-derived peptides to activate or inhibit T2R14 signaling and the involvement of GRK2 in signal termination. Methods and Results: Our results indicate that the above two antagonist peptides significantly inhibit T2R14 activity. Furthermore, GRK2 knockout in HEK cells stably expressing T2R14 decreases intracellular calcium release, as measured by the area under the curve (AUC), and also delays the fall time (indication of desensitization) of the calcium response when exposed to the T2R14 agonist diphenhydramine (DPH) or beef protein-derived agonist peptide TMTL. Next, we measured the effects of these ligands on cAMP accumulation, and our results suggest no significant change in cAMP levels upon treatment with beef protein-derived peptides. Conclusions: Thus, this study showed that beef protein-derived peptides can function as both T2R inhibitors and mediate T2R14 desensitization through GRK2 signaling. These antagonistic food protein-derived peptides inform strategies to enhance nutrition, such as promoting healthier food choices by reducing bitterness and thereby improving the palatability of health-promoting bitter foods, such as fruit and vegetable extracts, as well as bitter medications. Full article
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