Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!educ-isis!teexmmo
From: teexmmo@ioe.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Help with Handedness and Taste of Sugars
Message-ID: <1990Jul10.162638.18896@ioe.lon.ac.uk>
Date: 10 Jul 90 16:26:38 GMT
References: <655@ecrc.UUCP>
Reply-To: teexmmo@ioe.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore)
Organization: Institute of Education University of London
Lines: 26

In article <655@ecrc.UUCP> bolle@janus1.de (Andre' Bolle) writes:
>
>This is a very simple question. It requires a yes or answer. If I get
>no response I will assume that no-one yet knows.
>
>Can a D-sugar and an L-sugar (or any other edible L-/D- pair) taste the same?
>
>andre'


Can I ask a question instead? (well I will anyaway)

Is taste a function which uses chemical (and physical) properties, or
does it use the molecular shape?

My impression is that, unlike smell, taste probably uses chemical
properties, as it gives information on properties such as sweetness,
bitterness, sourness, and salinity.

Smell on the other hand, which gives much more detailed information,
probably uses molecular shape receptors.

So my answer to the question is that an L/D pair may taste the same,
but would smell different. (If you could smell them). 

Confused?