Does chemical modification of tastants merely enhance their intrinsic taste qualities?

The hypothesis that chemical modification of a sweet compound to create a new, sweeter compound merely enhances the intrinsic taste properties of the original sweetener is discussed. The detailed sensory profiles of sucrose and 4, 1′,6′-trideoxy-4, 1′,6′-trichlorogalactosucrose (sucralose) are examined to assess the validity of this hypothesis. These all show a remarkable and consistent conformity, which suggests that the sensory properties of sucralose are a direct consequence of those of its parent sweetener, sucrose. Structure-activity relationships of derivatives of sucrose further support this hypothesis, because the structural features of sucrose that are believed to be responsible for its ability to elicit a sweet taste are identical to similar structural features of sucralose.