Have you ever thought about why the same dish can be perceived so differently by people? For example, the soup seems very good to you in its original form, and the spouse complements the dish with a slide of pepper and salt. In this case, you can be called a “supertaster” (supertaster) and categorize people who have many papillae on their tongue, which often makes the taste of food seem excessive. Often “supertaesters” add cream to coffee and prefer soft foods over spicy ones. People with a low papilla density, "subtasters", on the contrary, are connoisseurs of food, "burning" oral cavity. However, it is not only the papillae on the tongue that affect taste sensitivity.
What does taste sensitivity depend on?
Despite the fact that our brain is capable of distinguishing five tastes – salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami (the "meaty" exotic taste of oriental food), the set of chemicals that trigger these signals varies from person to person. Alexander Bakhmanov, a geneticist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, notes that humans have between 20 and 40 genes responsible for bitter taste detectors.
Different sensitivity to bitterness, probably a consequence of evolutionary pressure in different parts of the world. The most poisonous plants have a bitter taste and nomadic groups that contacted with different plant species, have developed different receptors over time.
Inhabitants of countries around the world where diseases such as malaria are common tend to have a gene that makes them less sensitive to certain bitter substances, especially those containing cyanide. According to the researchers, small amounts of cyanide can neutralize malaria parasites without harming the host in any way. By the way, people have a natural aversion to bitterness and certain smells, which explains the fact that such a beloved drink as beer is rarely liked by anyone at the first taste.
Who are you – “supertaster” or “subtester”?
To determine what taste sensitivity you have, it is enough to put food with blue dye on your tongue. Since blue dye is not able to adhere to the taste buds on the tongue, a less blue tongue will indicate that you are a "supertaster". If your tongue turns blue, you are most likely a “subtaster”.
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