A supertaster is a person whose sense of taste is of far greater intensity than the average person. Some studies also show that increased sensitivity to bitter tastes may be a cause of selective eating. History The term originated with experimental psychologist Linda Bartoshuk, who has spent much of her career studying genetic variation in taste perception. In the early 1980s, Bartoshuk and her colleagues noticed some individuals tested in the laboratory seemed to have an elevated taste response and called them supertasters. This increased taste response is not the result of response bias or a scaling artifact but appears to have an anatomical or biological basis. Phenylthiocarbamide In 1931, Arthur L. Fox, a DuPont chemist, discovered that some people found phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) to be bitter while others found it tasteless. In the year 1931, American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, Fox collaborated with Albert F. Blakeslee, a geneticist, to have attendees taste PTC: 65% found it bitter, 28% found it tasteless, and 6% described other taste qualities. Subsequent work revealed that the ability to taste PTC was genetic. Propylthiouracil In the 1960s, Roland Fischer was the first to link this ability to taste PTC, and the related compound propylthiouracil (PROP), to food preference and body type. Today, PROP has replaced PTC in taste research because of a faint sulfurous odor and safety concerns with PTC. As described above, Bartoshuk and colleagues discovered that the taster group could be further divided into medium tasters and supertasters. Research suggests 25% of the population are non-tasters, 50% are medium tasters, and 25% are supertasters. Cause The exact cause of heightened response to taste in humans has yet to be elucidated. A review found associations between supertasters and the presence of the TAS2R38 gene, the ability to taste PROP and PTC, and an increased number of fungiform papillae. In addition, it is also hypothesized that environmental causes are likely to play a substantial role in sensitive taste. The exact mechanisms by which these may act are still unknown. An evolutionary advantage for elevated taste sensitivity is also still being determined. In some environments, a heightened taste response, particularly to bitterness, would represent an important advantage in avoiding potentially toxic plant alkaloids. However, an increased response to bitterness may limit approach behavior for various palatable foods. TAS2R38 The bitter-taste-receptor gene TAS2R38 has been associated with the ability to taste PROP and PTC.