Post-oral receptors and alimentary taste: implications for energy intake and appetite.

Abstract

Eating behaviour is shaped by genetic, psychological, and physiological factors, with nutrient sensing playing a central role in modulating intake. The tongue, as the primary gustatory organ, initiates this process by influencing hedonic preferences, food choices, and feeding behaviour. Recent sensory research has highlighted the potential role of an emerging class of taste modalities known as alimentary tastes. This concept refers to the gustatory detection of compounds that produce weak or subtle taste perceptions but elicit strong post-oral effects. While most studies have focused on umami and fat taste in that category, growing interest surrounds newly characterised modalities such as kokumi and complex carbohydrate-associated tastes. Basic and alimentary taste stimulus influence behaviour and physiological processes both pre and post ingestion. Their receptors, present in enteroendocrine cells, detect specific nutrients and regulate gut feedback mechanisms. Emerging research is investigating not only their involvement in metabolic disorders and conditions such as malnutrition, but also their potential as therapeutic targets for modulating appetite, nutrient absorption, and endocrine responses. This narrative review aims to identify and characterise the functions of these post-oral receptors along the gastrointestinal tract in the regulation of food intake and to evaluate their therapeutic potential in metabolic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.