What is a Supertaster?

What is a Supertaster?

What is a supertaster? Though not exclusively about wine, being a supertaster changes how a person perceives bitterness, a significant component of red wine. The story starts with a US president. 

The Broccoli Connection

In 1990, former President George Bush received a lot of criticism for his dislike of broccoli. The ridicule was misplaced: he, like many others, has an inherited aversion to bitter tastes. Over the past decade, scientists have shown that 25 percent of the U.S. population are supertasters—individuals with a genetically determined dislike of bitter compounds, such as those found in many vegetables and fruits.

Picky Eaters and Cancer Prevention

This isn’t a trivial matter, especially to the parent of a picky eater or public health officials. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a leading cancer research and prevention authority, recommends eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to help prevent cancer. However, an inherited aversion to bitter foods hinders the effort to reduce cancer rates. Adam Drewnowski, director of the nutrition program at the University of Michigan, suggests that supertasters avoid foods with bitter compounds. Sadly, those bitter compounds have been shown to lower cancer risks.

The Origin of the Supertaster Theory

In 1931, Arthur L. Fox synthesized phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) in his company’s laboratory. When some of the PTC accidentally became airborne, a colleague complained about its terrible taste, while Fox tasted nothing. This incident led to the discovery that some people find PTC intensely bitter while others do not. Further research revealed that the ability to taste PTC is inherited.

In the 1970s, Linda M. Bartoshuk’s team at Yale University began researching a similar compound, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), a bitter thyroid medication. They found that reactions to PROP, like PTC, are inherited. However, Bartoshuk noticed that not all tasters were alike. Some were unusually sensitive to the bitter taste of PROP, leading her to coin the term “supertasters.”

Food Preferences and Supertasters

Subsequent studies showed that about 25 percent of the U.S. population are supertasters, 50 percent are regular tasters, and 25 percent are non-tasters. Researchers investigated whether supertasters’ sensitivity influenced their food choices. Drewnowski’s team found that supertasters were likelier to dislike grapefruit juice, which contains the bitter compound naringin, believed to have cancer-fighting properties.

In addition, supertasters were more likely to reject broccoli, green tea, and soy products, all of which contain bitter compounds thought to prevent cancer. Interestingly, supertasters are more common among Asians than other populations. The gene or genes responsible for supertasting remain unidentified, but family studies suggest that inheriting one copy of the gene results in regular tasting, while two copies result in supertasting.

Supertasters and Wine-Tasting

In grapes, the concentration of bitter compounds is in the seeds. If you have ever heard of tannins in red wine, those are the bitter compounds. They are created during the fermentation of red wines: the red pigment of wine is extracted from both the seeds and the skins during fermentation.

The red of red wine is a complex of tannins and polyphenols that give both color and bitterness to red wine. The bitterness of a specific wine depends on the amount of seed tannins in one particular grape. For instance, Pinot Noir has a low amount of seed tannins, while Cabernet Sauvignon has a much higher amount: this is why supertasters almost always prefer Pinot to Cabernet.

Evolutionary and Gender Differences

Historically, supertasters may have had an advantage in identifying poisonous plants, while in modern urban environments, non-tasters and regular tasters might benefit from a broader diet. Women are more likely than men to detect the bitter taste of PROP, which may have helped avoid harmful foods during pregnancy. Studies have shown that women are most likely to reject bitter foods in the first trimester when the fetus is most vulnerable.

Supertasting in Older Women

Research by Bartoshuk’s team indicates that the number of supertasting women decreases after menopause. This suggests the supertaster gene may become less active after childbearing years, perhaps because it is no longer necessary to protect a developing child.

The World of Supertasters

Supertasters experience tastes and food sensations more intensely. Sweet foods taste sweeter, fatty foods are slipperier, and hot foods are spicier; this heightened sensitivity may be due to more fungiform papillae on their tongues, which contain taste buds. While genes may influence food preferences, Drewnowski emphasizes that experience also plays a significant role. This understanding empowers individuals to make informed food choices, and it’s a factor that public health officials should consider when designing dietary campaigns.