All sweeteners are recognized by the sweet taste receptor (T1R2–T1R3). The elucidation of the chemoreception mechanism of receptor–ligand interactions is an attractive topic for researchers. Molecular biology and computational biology techniques can reveal the proposed mechanisms for this topic. Other approaches, including chemical biology (bioorganic chemistry), have helped to identify mechanisms on the basis of molecular structure. In this mini-review, we have summarized the recent progress in the synthesis of sweetener derivatives, which includes the use of photoaffinity labeling of diazirine-based derivatives to elucidate the chemoreception of sweeteners.