Sweetness Inhibitors

Appears in
On Food and Cooking

By Harold McGee

Published 2004

  • About
Not only are there artificial sweeteners: there are also substances that block us from experiencing the sweetness of sugars. These taste inhibitors are useful for reducing the sweetness of a preparation whose texture depends on a high sugar concentration. Lactisole (tradename Cypha) is a phenolic compound found in small quantities in roasted coffee, patented as a flavor modifier in 1985, and used in confectionery and snacks. In very small amounts it reduces the apparent sweetness of sugar by two-thirds.