biology lab

Taste Perception

Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) has a bitter taste!

A gene, TAS2R38, codes for a chemoreceptor protein that binds to PTC.

The most common sensitive allele is PAV that is dominant, and the most common insensitive allele is AVI that is recessive.

People who are homozygous AVI/AVI don’t seem to detect PTC, while people who are PAV/PAV are ‘supertasters’ who detect an extremely bitter flavor, even when only trace amounts of PTC are present. PAV/AVI individuals also capable of tasting PTC, but they are not as sensitive as PAV/PAV individuals.

On average, about 70% of people are tasters and 30% are non-tasters.