Supertasters Can Help Find the Best Balanced Perception!
A supertaster is a person who experiences the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average. The cause of this heightened response is unknown, although it is thought to be related to the presence of the TAS2R38 gene, the ability to taste PROP and PTC, and, at least in part, due to an increased number of fungiform papillae.
A growing body of research has shown that PROP supertasters perceive greater intensity than non-tasters from a wide range of oral stimuli including other basic taste sensations such as sweetness, oral irritation (chili and ethanol), and the mouthfeel of fats. In our sweetner studies, supertasters perceived stronger off tastes from artificial sweetener sucralose (0.125g/l) but not in pure sugar sucrose (12%) solution. For supertasters, citrus beverages’ off tastes from sweeteners were the most important underlying perception dimension that negatively impacted consumer liking. Some studies have sought to define a role for PROP status in guiding food preferences and dietary habits that could ultimately influence nutritional status and health.
We develop supertaster panels to help our clients provide product feedback in a more efficient and cost effective way. In addition to screening prototypes, we also employ the panels to help establish thresholds and saturation levels for desirable attributes as well as thresholds and acceptable ranges for undesirable attributes, and find the best balanced perception.
CONTACT US NOW to learn more about how we can help!