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Bitter Taste Gene Test

A student placing a taste test sample in their mouth.

Did you ever wonder why some people hate broccoli while other people love it? It could be in their genes. Your genes can make you sensitive to some food flavors. In this activity, we use phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) paper to see if you are part of the 75% of people who can taste the flavor on this paper. Don’t have access to PTC paper? Try cilantro. About 10% of people think it tastes like soap! Click for the experiment.

 

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