After pouring a total of 30 million dollars into research and development, the companies that have invested into Senomyx's products have been secretive about their involvement within the company. Some, like Kraft, have declined to divulge any specifics regarding their relationship with Senomyx, but instead stated that Kraft was committed "to reducing the sugar and salt levels in many products."
A relatively young company, Senomyx, is responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in your favorite grocery store item. How are they doing this without affecting the taste? They may be putting this chemical into your food without telling you. [1]
Senomyx masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on the tongue and enhancing salty and sweet flavors. This would allow the companies to tout claims such as "less sugar" or "lower sodium" by reducing the actual sugar and/or salt by approximately half, but the foods will retain the same level of sweetness or saltiness when they touch the tongue by fooling your brain.[2]
Since Senomyx's flavor compounds will be used in small proportions, the company is able to bypass the lengthy F.D.A. approval process required to get food additives on the market. Getting the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association status of generally recognized as safe, it took Senomyx less than 18 months, including a 3-month safety study using rats. In contrast, the maker of the artificial sweetener Sucralose spent 11 years winning F.D.A. approval, and is required to list the ingredient on food labels.
Kraft, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Campbell Soup and Solae have contracted with the biotechnology company Senomyx, for exclusive rights to use the ingredients in certain types of food and beverages. [3]
The Children of God for Life claims that Senomyx is using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to assist in producing this chemical that will turn off receptors. This pro-life watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years. The watch dog group is calling on the public to boycott products of major food companies that are partnering with Senomyx, unless the company stops using aborted fetal cell lines to test their products.
The spokesman for Children of God for Life stated, “They could have easily chosen COS (monkey) cells, Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, insect cells or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors,” Vinnedge added.
In writing to their collaborators, Nestlé finally admitted the truth about their relationship with Senomyx, noting the cell line was “well established in scientific research".[4]
Since a pro-life group announced that a biotech firm, Senomyx, is using aborted fetal cell lines to test their artificial flavor enhancers, two companies have announced they have disaffiliated with the firm. Within hours of its press statement to LifeNews.com, the pro-life group received notice from Campbell Soup has severed its ties with Senomyx. Solae, LLC, indicates it, too, has severed its ties with the controversial biotech firm. [5]
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