Key Food Furanones Furaneol and Sotolone Specifically Activate Distinct Odorant Receptors

Smell 0301 basic medicine 03 medical and health sciences HEK293 Cells Odorants Humans Furans Receptors, Odorant ddc:
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03314 Publication Date: 2021-09-08T23:40:58Z
ABSTRACT
Furanones formed during the Maillard reaction often are natural aroma-determining compounds found in numerous foods. Prominent economically relevant representatives are the structural homologues Furaneol and sotolone, which are important natural flavoring compounds because of their distinct caramel- and seasoning-like odor qualities. These, however, cannot be predicted by the odorants' molecular shape, rather their receptors' activation parameters help to decipher the encoding of odor quality. Here, the distinct odor qualities of Furaneol and sotolone suggested an activation of at least two out of our ca. 400 different odorant receptor types, which are the molecular biosensors of our chemical sense of olfaction. While an odorant receptor has been identified for sotolone, a receptor specific for Furaneol has been elusive. Using a bidirectional screening approach employing 616 receptor variants and 187 key food odorants in a HEK-293 cell-based luminescence assay, we newly identified OR5M3 as a receptor specifically activated by Furaneol and homofuraneol.
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