Key Food Furanones Furaneol and Sotolone Specifically Activate Distinct Odorant Receptors

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03314
• Publication Date: 2021-09-08T23:40:58Z
• Authors: Franziska Haag; Sandra Hoffmann; Dietmar Krautwurst
• Keywords: Smell; 0301 basic medicine; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; HEK293 Cells; Odorants; Humans; Furans; Receptors, Odorant; ddc:

Furanones formed during the Maillard reaction often are natural aroma-determining compounds found in numerous foods. Prominent economically relevant representatives structural homologues Furaneol and sotolone, which important flavoring because of their distinct caramel- seasoning-like odor qualities. These, however, cannot be predicted by odorants' molecular shape, rather receptors' activation parameters help to decipher encoding quality. Here, qualities sotolone suggested an at least two out our ca. 400 different odorant receptor types, biosensors chemical sense olfaction. While has been identified for a specific elusive. Using bidirectional screening approach employing 616 variants 187 key food odorants HEK-293 cell-based luminescence assay, we newly OR5M3 as specifically activated homofuraneol.