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A bitter taste has always been considered a warning signal, devoted to protecting us from ingesting potentially harmful substances. But bitter taste receptors can apparently do much more than just evaluate the taste of food. A recent study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich now shows that certain human bitter taste receptors also respond to steroid hormones. They could therefore play a previously underestimated role in physiological processes.
The study focused on the approximately 25 different types of human bitter taste receptors. While these receptors are mainly known for perceiving bitter food constituents in the oral cavity, they are also found on blood cells, sperm cells, and cells of internal organs. These include, for example, the brain, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. Since some of these organs have no direct contact with the outside world, the question has long been asked as to which substances activate these receptors there.
Steroid hormones as powerful activators
Using a cellular test system and computer-assisted simulations (docking experiments), the study now provides new evidence that steroid hormones such as progesterone, testosterone, and hydrocortisone could act as endogenous activators of human bitter taste receptors. In extensive functional tests, the researchers examined a total of 19 steroid hormones, cholesterol, and two hormonally active plant compounds. These include genistein, which can be found in relatively high concentrations (up to 18.7 mg/100 g) in soy products such as tempeh.
“Our analyses show that the bitter taste receptor types TAS2R14 and TAS2R46 respond to steroid hormones, with the latter receptor type being particularly sensitive,” reports Tatjana Lang, first author of the study, adding: "Several hormones activate this receptor even at concentrations that can be reached in the blood during pregnancy or under stress, for example.“
What does this mean for humans?
”The results of our food systems biology research suggest that bitter taste receptors not only serve as sensors for potentially harmful food components, but could also act as signal transmitters for hormonal states in the body," says principal investigator Maik Behrens.
This is particularly interesting in connection with known phenomena such as altered taste perception during pregnancy or extreme stress situations, as well as possible effects on blood pressure, heart function, or gastrointestinal activity, the scientist continues.
Genetic differences also play a role
In addition, not all humans have functionally identical bitter taste receptors. About eight percent of the population carries a genetic variant of the receptor type TAS2R46 that is non-functional. "Our study suggests that such genetic differences could lead to measurable differences in taste perception and physiological responses to food constituents and hormones. This is an exciting starting point for future personalized research, which we intend to pursue further," adds Maik Behrens.
The research team agrees: the recent discovery that steroid hormones are also activators of human bitter taste receptors significantly expands our current understanding of these receptors.
Publication: Lang, T., Ferri, F., Ziegler, F., Di Pizio, A., Behrens, M. (2026). Steroid Hormones Are Potent and Putatively Endogenous Activators of Human Bitter Taste Receptors. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 10.1111/nyas.70172.< https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70172>;
More Information:
Cholesterol is the essential starting substance for the biosynthesis of all steroid hormones. These include the sex hormones testosterone and progesterone, as well as the three main forms of estrogen: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. They also include the adrenal cortex hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
Are steroid hormones real flavorings?
Whether steroid hormones are real flavorings, endogenous agonists, or both remains to be seen. It is known that hydrocortisone actually tastes bitter. Hydrocortisone is synthetically produced cortisol, which has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and immunosuppressive effects. In addition, a study has shown that cortisol can reach concentrations of 8.69 micromolar [µM] in saliva under stressful conditions (https://hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB0000063). This concentration is already close to the half-maximal activation concentration for the bitter taste receptor TAS2R46 and should cause a bitter perception. In fact, previous studies have shown that people rated the bitter aftertaste of a saccharin solution as more bitter under stressful conditions, while the perception of the sweetness of the sweetener solution remained unchanged. According to the current study, this taste phenomenon could be explained by the stress-related increase in cortisol levels in saliva.
Contacts:
Expert Contacts:
PD Dr. Maik Behrens
Head of the Taste & Odor Systems Reception research group
Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology
at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM)
Lise-Meitner-Str. 34
85354 Freising
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2987
Email: m.behrens.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
Tatjana Lang
Taste & Odor Systems Reception research group
at Leibniz-LSB@TUM
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2725
Email: t.lang.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
Press Contact at Leibniz-LSB@TUM:
Dr. Gisela Olias
Knowledge Transfer, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2980
Email: g.olias.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
https://www.leibniz-lsb.de
Information About the Institute:
The Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) comprises a unique research profile at the interface of Food Chemistry & Biology, Chemosensors & Technology, and Bioinformatics & Machine Learning. As this profile has grown far beyond the previous core discipline of classical food chemistry, the Institute spearheads the development of a food systems biology. Its aim is to develop new approaches for the sustainable production of sufficient quantities of food whose biologically active effector molecule profiles are geared to health and nutritional needs, but also to the sensory preferences of consumers. To do so, the Institute explores the complex networks of sensorically relevant effector molecules along the entire food production chain with a focus on making their effects systemically understandable and predictable in the long term.
A Member of the Leibniz Associatation
The Leibniz-LSB@TUM is a member of the Leibniz Association, which connects 96 independent research institutions. Their orientation ranges from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences through economics, spatial and social sciences to the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance.They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public.
Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,300 people, including 12,200 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2,2 billion euros.
Note on the use of AI
The press release was translated from German into American English using DeepL Pro. The researchers involved then checked the text again for factual and linguistic accuracy and corrected it where necessary.
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PD Dr. Maik Behrens
Head of the Taste & Odor Systems Reception research group
Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology
at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM)
Lise-Meitner-Str. 34
85354 Freising
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2987
Email: m.behrens.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
Tatjana Lang
Taste & Odor Systems Reception research group
at Leibniz-LSB@TUM
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2725
Email: t.lang.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
Lang, T., Ferri, F., Ziegler, F., Di Pizio, A., Behrens, M. (2026). Steroid Hormones Are Potent and Putatively Endogenous Activators of Human Bitter Taste Receptors. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 10.1111/nyas.70172. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70172
Tatjana Lang (left) and PD Dr. Maik Behrens during a work meeting in the office
Source: Dr. Gisela Olias
Copyright: Leibniz-LSB@TUM / Dr. Gisela Olias
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