New biomarker proposed for coffee consumption studies

05-Mar-2024 - In order to record coffee consumption in nutrition and health studies, researchers usually rely on self-reporting by participants. However, this is not always reliable. It would therefore be desirable to conduct additional studies to objectively verify individual consumption using biomarkers. A ...

Human Immune Cells React to Non-Nutritive Sweeteners

Sweeteners influence the transcription of various genes

19-May-2023 - Diet drinks often contain a mix of non-nutritive sweeteners that also enter the bloodstream after consumption. As a new pilot study shows, even dietary intake levels of saccharin, acesulfame-K and cyclamate are enough to modulate the copy rate of various genes in white blood cells. "Our data ...

Pungent Ginger Compound Puts Immune Cells on Heightened Alert

Ginger compound enters the blood

15-Feb-2023 - Ginger has a reputation for stimulating the immune system. New results from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) now support this thesis. In laboratory tests, small amounts of a pungent ginger constituent put white blood cells on ...

New biomarkers for coffee consumption

09-Dec-2022 - In search of new biomarkers for nutrition and health studies, a research team from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) has identified and structurally characterized three metabolites that could be considered as specific markers for individual ...

Tracking down satiety mechanisms in the stomach

Bitter protein fragments stimulate gastric acid secretion

13-Oct-2022 - Casein makes up the majority of the proteins in cheese and quark. Although casein itself does not taste bitter, its digestion in the stomach also produces bitter-tasting protein fragments (peptides). This has been proven for the first time in a study led by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems ...

The role of bitter receptors in cancer

Bitter receptors are also found on cancer cells

09-Dec-2021 - Bitter taste receptors do not only support humans in tasting. They are also found on cancer cells. A team led by Veronika Somoza from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna and the German Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has ...

"Caramel receptor" identified

New insights from the world of chemical senses

14-Oct-2021 - Who doesn't like the smell of caramel? However, the olfactory receptor that contributes decisively to this sensory impression was unknown until now. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) have now solved the mystery of its ...

"Zip codes" for odor sensors identified

What brings olfactory receptors to the cell surface

22-Mar-2021 - A team of scientists led by Dietmar Krautwurst from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now identified address codes in odorant receptor proteins for the first time. Similar to zip codes, the codes ensure that the sensor proteins are targeted ...

Benzene in cherry flavor - where it comes from and how to avoid it?

Flavorings containing benzaldehyde can develop benzene under the influence of light

30-Mar-2020 - In 2013, the Stiftung Warentest found harmful benzene in drinks with cherry flavor. But how did the substance get into the drinks? Was the source benzaldehyde, an essential component of the cherry flavoring? And if so, how could the problem be solved? A new study by the Leibniz-Institute for Food ...

New findings on the effect of Epsom salt

Epsom salt receptor identified

09-Apr-2019 - A team of scientists headed by Maik Behrens from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has identified the receptor responsible for the bitter taste of various salts. These include medically used Epsom salt. The discovery helps to elucidate the ...