User Guide

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“Supertaster” Lab Kit Instructions

Are you a Supertaster?

Background Information:

Taste test strips exhibit a taste due to a dominant allele on chromosome number seven.

The ability to taste the compounds on the Phenylthiourea (also known as PTC) paper

strip is present in about 70% of the U.S. population. The ability to taste is due to two

different sets of alleles. Receptors on the tongue allow you to taste five major flavors –

savory, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Thus, their presence is a result of natural selection

both for the plants which produce them and the animal which benefits from the ability to

sense them. It is a benefit to be able to detect them and avoid bitter tasting foods, some

of which might be harmful if swallowed. Hence, it is a trait selected for in populations

evolving in an area which had/has such plants.

Our strips are made by dipping large sheets of specialty paper into a liquid solution of

each chemical compound. The paper is then dried, leaving only the dry chemical

compound on the sheet. Sheets are then cut into small strips and packaged into vials.

Phenylthiourea (also known as PTC) can be tasted by approximately 70% of the U.S.

population. It is also tied to the TAS2R38 gene, a member of the bitter taste receptor

family. Sodium Benzoate is often used as a preservative in foods and beverages such

as pickles, fruit juices, and sodas. The Sodium Benzoate strips will either be tasteless,

sweet, salty, or even bitter, depending on the individual. If you are not a taster for

Sodium Benzoate you will not taste anything. The ability to taste Thiourea is genetically

linked to PTC because they’re similar chemicals, however, this doesn’t mean you will

have the same reaction to both. PTC and Thiourea are not identical, so some people

may taste PTC but not Thiourea, or vice versa. The control paper is untreated paper

with no chemical and is used as a placebo to control the experiment.

Prodi DA, Drayna D, Forabosco P, Palmas MA, Maestrale GB, Piras D, Pirastu M, Angius A. Bitter taste

study in a sardinian genetic isolate supports the association of phenylthiocarbamide sensitivity to the

TAS2R38 bitter receptor gene. Chem Senses. 2004 Oct;29(8):697-702. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjh074.

PMID: 15466815.

This kit includes:

● PTC (Phenylthiourea)

● Sodium Benzoate

● Thiourea

● Control Paper (chemical-free)

each in a vial of 100 paper test strips

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“Supertaster” Lab Kit Instructions Are you a Supertaster? This kit includes: ● PTC (Phenylthiourea) ● Sodium Benzoate ● Thiourea ● Control Paper (chemical-free) each in a vial of 100 paper test strips Background Information: Taste test strips exhibit a taste due to a dominant allele on chromosome number seven. The ability to taste the compounds on the Phenylthiourea (also known as PTC) paper strip is present in about 70% of the U.S. population. The ability to taste is due to two different sets of alleles.
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Approximately 25% of the American population can taste the compounds on all three strips and nothing on the control. Within this 25%, supertasters have different levels of sensitivity. If a person can test the substance is determined by their phenotype, which is determined by the genetic genotype. We will denote supertasters with “T” and the recessive non-supertaster gene with “t”.
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Experiment: 1. Form groups of five and give each group member a number, 1 through 5. 2.
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Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Participant 1 1 2 3 4 Participant 2 1 2 3 4 Participant 3 1 2 3 4 Participant 4 1 2 3 4 Participant 5 1 2 3 4 © 2018-2021 Bartovation LLC All Rights Reserved. PGE99K - Rev.