The present invention relates to a method for inhibiting an undesirable taste in oral compositions such as foods, beverages, dental compositions, and pharmaceuticals. The present invention also relates to oral and pharmaceutical compositions comprising undesirable tasting compounds wherein undesirable tastes are inhibited by the addition of an inhibitor of intracellular phosphatase enzymes of taste cells to said oral and pharmaceutical compositions. Said inhibitor is selected from phosphates, thiophosphates, phosphonates, vanadates, bisphosphates, bisphosphonates, phosphate-phosphonates, thiophosphate-phosphates, thiophosphate-phosphonates, their physiologically-relevant salts and esters, and mixtures thereof.