Infographic: Can We Taste Fats?
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Although gustin and TAS2R38 contribute to the supertaster phenotype and may contribute to the perception of fat texture, researchers are still looking for a receptor directly triggered by fat. One promising candidate is the protein CD36, which binds long-chain fatty acids in mice, and is expressed on taste buds. The mechanism by which the CD36 carrier protein initiates a neural signal is poorly understood. CD36 may serve as a carrier protein that transfers the fatty acid to another receptor or it may activate an ion channel that alters the excitability of taste cells.
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