Urea supplementation is associated with holistic changes in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception through oral microbiome carbon metabolism
- 1Centre for Host Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London
- 2Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus
Abstract
Urea is a small inorganic compound, readily available in saliva, that can be metabolised by the oral microbiome. We hypothesised that dietary supplementation with urea would increase salivary levels, alter microbial metabolism and, potentially, modify suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception. A semi-trained panel of 20 participants completed taste evaluations using visual analogue scales for nine tastants, both before and during a 5-day urea supplementation regimen. System-level analysis revealed a significant shift in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception during supplementation (PERMANOVA, p = 0.008) even though none of the nine tastants showed significant changes (p > 0.05 or an absolute percentage change greater than 10%) during the intervention. Functional gene completeness analysis, together with 13C NMR, suggested that the oral microbiome primarily utilises carbon dioxide generated from urease-mediated urea metabolism. Overall, urea supplementation was associated with changes in microbiome carbon-related metabolic pathways and induce holistic level changes in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception.
Related
- Impact of Short-Term Fluoride Supplementation in Pregnancy on the Maternal Microbiome, Pregnancy, and Neonatal Outcomes: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
- Synbiotic HQP08 Supplementation for Hair Loss and Depressive Symptoms: An Open-Label Pilot Study of Clinical Outcomes and Gut Microbiome Changes
- Editorial: Roles of metabolism, immunity, and microbiome in the pathophysiology of the breast cancer microenvironment
- Re-Du-Ning Alleviates Airway-Intestinal Inflammation of COPD Rats by Regulating Glycerophospholipid Metabolism and Modulating Gut Microbiome
- Oral versus vaginal Lactobacillus supplementation for endometrial dysbiosis: A paired pre and post–endometrial microbiome study
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026urea,
title = {{Urea supplementation is associated with holistic changes in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception through oral microbiome carbon metabolism}},
author = {Shuyuan Zhang and Adrien Le Guennec and Saeed Shoaie and Guy H. Carpenter},
journal = {npj Science of Food},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s41538-026-00951-z},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00951-z},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Urea supplementation is associated with holistic changes in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception through oral microbiome carbon metabolism
AU - Shuyuan Zhang
AU - Adrien Le Guennec
AU - Saeed Shoaie
AU - Guy H. Carpenter
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/01
JO - npj Science of Food
DO - 10.1038/s41538-026-00951-z
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00951-z
AB - Urea is a small inorganic compound, readily available in saliva, that can be metabolised by the oral microbiome. We hypothesised that dietary supplementation with urea would increase salivary levels, alter microbial metabolism and, potentially, modify suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception. A semi-trained panel of 20 participants completed taste evaluations using visual analogue scales for nine tastants, both before and during a 5-day urea supplementation regimen. System-level analysis revealed a significant shift in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception during supplementation (PERMANOVA, p = 0.008) even though none of the nine tastants showed significant changes (p > 0.05 or an absolute percentage change greater than 10%) during the intervention. Functional gene completeness analysis, together with 13C NMR, suggested that the oral microbiome primarily utilises carbon dioxide generated from urease-mediated urea metabolism. Overall, urea supplementation was associated with changes in microbiome carbon-related metabolic pathways and induce holistic level changes in suprathreshold non-volatile flavour perception.
SN - 2396-8370
ER -