Amaropostia Styptic
It grows in decaying wood in tropical and subtropical forests. It is not toxic, but it is not edible either – much thanks to its highly bitter, penetrating flavor.
According to a team of German investigators, the Amaropostia Styptic It is the house of the most bitter natural compound known to date.
The so -called bitter mushroom was studied in depth by scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle (Saale), who isolated and analyzed their compounds.
A Team identified three previously unknown bitter molecules. Among them, a compound called oligoporina D It stood out for its unusual power, details the study in February in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In tests with human cell-based systems, it was found that oligoporin D activated the bitter tas2r46 receptor at an extremely low concentration of only 63 micrograms per liter-to get an idea of power, a grass of oligoporin D could be diluted in more than 100 water baths and still trigger a bitterness, according to.
Research also shows us how the human body detects and reacts to bitter substances. So far, most of the well -known bitter substances cataloged – a global database with over 2400 compounds – come from flower plants or synthetic origin. Very few starters are derived from fungi.
“Our results contribute to expanding our knowledge of molecular diversity and the mode of action of natural bitter compounds,” explained Maik Behrens, who directs an investigation group at the Leibniz Institute in Freing.
Bitterness is often considered as a sensory warning system that alerts humans and other animals for potentially toxic substances. But this sense may have more nuances. Not all bitter compounds are harmful – and not all harmful substances have a bitter taste. For example, the deadly mushroom, Amanita Phalloidscontains lethal toxins that have no bitter flavor.
To complicate, The recetors of the bitter taste are not limited to the language. They are also found throughout the human body-in the stomach, the intestines, in the lungs, the heart, and even in blood cells. They may play other roles in human physiology, possibly influencing digestion, immune responses and metabolic functions.
“The more well -founded data we have about the various bitter compound classes, types and variants of taste receptors, the better we can develop predictive models using system biology methods to identify new bitter compounds and predict the effects mediated by bitter taste receptors,” the author said.
