Bitter Truth

For some people dark chocolate or coffee are just too bitter to stomach. For others they're heavenly. While culinary experiences throughout life certainly shape food preferences, the main reason for these stark differences may lie in our genetic make-up. This is because the shape and density of bitter taste buds called fungiform papillae (the rough patch in this microscope image of a rat's tongue) varies enormously between individuals. Having greater quantities of these sensors will exaggerate the characteristic bitterness of coffee and make it unbearably strong. Scientists now know that a minute difference in a single gene (called gustin) determines how many of these bitter buds coat our tongues. Fungiform papillae also pick up sweet, sour and spicy flavours so an aversion to dessert or curry for example, may have similar genetic foundations.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

Jan Piotrowski

Writer

A recent Imperial College graduate with a Masters in Science Communication, Jan now works as a freelance science communicator. His interests focus on neuroscience, psychology and the environment.

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• Image by Adriano Polican Ciena and colleagues
• Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 3.0)
• Research published in Physiology and Behaviour, January 2015