Super-taster, thermal taster or sweet-liker: Where are we with

individual variation in perception?

Dr Rebecca Ford

Assistant Professor in Sensory Science

University of Nottingham

What might cause variation in sensory perception?

Individual variation

Genetics

Age

Health status

Psychology/ Personality

Gender

Ethnicity

Physiology

Environment

Learned behaviour

Phenotype

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Overview of PROP taster status

Variation to PTC/PROP bitterness discovered (Fox 1932)

• Individuals grouped by their response:1. Non – taster2. Medium – taster3. Super - taster

Taster groups vary in their oral sensitivity• Basic tastes (Hall et al 1975; Bartoshuk

1979; Miller & Reedy 1990 & others)

• Irritants (Karrer & Bartoshuk 1991)

• Fat (Duffy et al 1996)

• Tactile acuity (Essick et al 2003)

Polymorphisms on TAS2R38 gene(Duffy & Davidson 2004)

Super-tasters have more fungiform papillae (Miller & Reedy 1990)

Correlations to food & drink preferences / consumption

(Glanvill & Kaplan 1965; Duffy & Bartoshuck 2000 & others)

Links to health & nutritional status (Tepper et al 2008; Burd et al 2013)

Polymorphisms on CA6 (gustin) gene (Padiglia et al 2010; Calo et al 2011; Meliset al 2013)

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Thermal taster status

Variation in response to temperature stimulation of tongue (Cruz & Green 2000)

• Thermal tasters• Thermal non-tasters

Thermal tasters rate intensity of oral stimuli higher than non-tasters

(Green & George 2004; Bajac & Pickering 2008; Yang et al 2014; Hort et al 2016)

Classification of phenotyping seems to be independent of fungiform

papillae & PROP taster status (Bajac & Pickering 2008; Yang et al 2014)

Correlations to food preferences / consumption of certain foods (Bajac &

Pickering 2010)

Links to health & nutritional status

Difference in cortical processing between phenotypes (Hort et al 2016)

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Areas of the brain responding to increasing levels of CO2

Sweet-liking phenotype

Variation in population to liking of sweetened solutions (Pangborn 1970).

• Classified into groups (Looy & Weingarten 1991)

1. Sweet disliker2. Sweet liker

Sweet liking linked to:• Sweet food consumption (Holt et al 2000)

• Alcoholism (Kampov-Polevoy et al 2004)

• Preference/liking for sweet foods (Mennella et al 2011; Kim et al 2014)

dislikers

likers

neutrals

Relationship with other phenotypes?

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Sweetener concentration

(Looy & Weingarten 1991)

Genetic link(Keskitalo et al 2007)

Knaapila et al (2007) Environmental effects exceed genetic effects on perceived intensity & pleasantness of several odours: A three-population twin study

Environment and twin studies

Genetics

Environment

Perceived intensity of odours (Knaapila et al 2007)

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Liking for sweet solutions (Keskitalo et al 2007)

<20%

>80%

49%

51%

Intensity of sweet solutions (Keskitalo et al 2007) 33%

67%

Liking of sweet foods (Keskitalo et al 2007)

54%

46%

Frequency of sweet food consumption (Keskitalo et al 2007)

53%

47%

Personality

• Anti-social personality & bitter taste preference (Sagioglou & Greitemeyer 2016)

• High sensation seekers & liking of spicy foods (Byrnes & Hayes 2013)

• Agreeableness & Openness to Experience personality traits & fruit & vegetable consumption (Bruijn et al 2005)

Is personality driving perception?

Is perception driving personality?

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So where are we…?

Individual variation

Genetics

Age

Health status

Psychology/ Personality

Gender

Ethnicity

Physiology

Environment

Learned behaviour

Phenotype

Genetics + physiology + phenotype (gender + ethnicity)Environment + personality – health status + learned behaviour

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