Sweet taste receptors are transmembrane protein network specialized in the transmission of information from special "sweet" molecules into the intracellular domain. These receptors can sense the taste of a range of molecules and transmit the information downstream to several acceptors, modulate cell specific functions and metabolism, and mediate cell-to-cell coupling through paracrine mechanism...

There is a strong and optimistic commitment by all staff to the school improvement strategy and a clear belief that further improvement is possible. Teachers take responsibility for the changes in their practice required to achieve school targets and are using data on a regular basis to monitor the effectiveness of their own efforts to meet those targets. The school has developed an agenda for ...

Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a multipurpose crop (food, feed, fodder and fuel) that has the potential as an alternative biofuel feedstock without impacting food and fodder security. This chapter entitled ‘‘Sweet sorghum: From theory to practice’’ discusses on the historical developments in sweet sorghum and immense range of genetic variability that was available in major sorgh...

Lygus rugulipennis Poppius and Liocoris tripustulatus Fabricius (Heteroptera: Miridae) are pests of glasshouse cucumber and sweet pepper crops respectively. L. rugulipennis has a wide range of foodplants, but L. tripustulatus is specialised with very few food plants. We report behavioural assessments to investigate whether either species exhibits a preference for salad over wild hosts, and whet...

The bitter and sweet forms of a plant species differing with alkaloid contents may provide a model system for investigation of alkaloid biosynthesis at a molecular level. The pattern and concentration of quinolizidine alkaloids were determined by capillary GC-MS in bitter and sweet plants of Lupinus angustifolius. Bitter plant contained lupanine, 13alpha-hydroxylupanine, angustifoline, alpha-is...

Variation in ability to detect, recognize, and perceive sweetness may influence food consumption, and eventually chronic nutrition-related conditions such as overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between sweet taste function, anthropometry, and dietary intake in adults. Participants' (n = 60; mean age in years = 26, SD = ±7.8) sweet taste function for...

Refrigerated sweet potato puree is a convenient form of sweet potato that can be used as an ingredient in formulated foods. The microbiology of refrigerated sweet potato puree during storage for up to 5 weeks was evaluated. Because the puree was made by comminuting steam-cooked sweet potatoes before refrigeration, no naturally occurring vegetative bacterial cells were detected during a 4-week p...

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves provide a dietary source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids. Bioactive compounds contained in this vegetable play a role in health promotion by improving immune function, reducing oxidative stress and free radical damage, reducing cardiovascular disease risk, and suppressing cancer cell growth. Currently, sweet pot...

Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) contain various phenolic compounds which contribute to total antioxidant activity. Total polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids and anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity in a fruits of a number of selected sweet cherry genotypes were investigated. Total polyphenols content ranged from 4.12 to 8.34 mg gallic acid equivantents/g dry fruit weight and total tannins conte...

Animals utilize hundreds of distinct G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-type chemosensory receptors to detect a diverse array of chemical signals in their environment, including odors, pheromones, and tastants. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors selectively interact with their cognate ligands remain poorly understood. There is growing evidence that many chemosensory recep...