Sweetness Lab

In this lab we answered the question, how does the structure of a carbohydrate affect its taste (sweetness)?
We found that monosaccharides are the sweetest, disaccharides are the next sweetest, while polysaccharides are most bitter and have little to no sweetness. Our data shows that the more rings a carbohydrate has, the more bitter it becomes.

These data support our claim because Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Maltose, and Lactose were sweet. These are all monosaccharides or disaccharides. Starch and Cellulose, the only two polysaccharides, had zero sweetness. 

The more rings in the carbohydrate, the more dense it is. Our body does not have to go through as many steps to use a polysaccharide as a monosaccharide. Monosaccharides have less rings so they are more easily utilized in the body. This may affect how they are used by cells and organisms because if they need something quick to survive, a monosaccharide would be the answer.

The rating of the same samples could be different for different tasters because all people taste differently. Some people may think something tastes good, while other people may hate the same exact thing. People may also taste differently because of the difference of our taste buds ability to detect different molecules. The more taste buds means a more sensitive tongue. Someone may have eaten something spicy or chewed gum before class which would have offset the results. All people are different and will therefore always taste something slightly different than someone else would. 

All people have a different number of little bumps, or papillae, on their tongue which causes them to taste differently. Those who have a lot of papillae on their tongues often find flavors to be overwhelming. People with little papillae density prefer spicier foods. Our brains can recognize the same five tastes, however the chemicals that trigger the signals are different for everyone.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-03/fyi-why-does-some-food-taste-bad-some-people-and-good-others