According to a new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Food Science, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, genetic disposition of taste--whether tasters, nontasters or supertasters, as determined by sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP)--might have a direct connection to preference for specific types of vegetables. The results of the study were published as "Short-term vegetable intake by young children classified by 6-n-propylthoiuracil bitter-taste phenotype" in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (see http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/1/245).
Genetics determines each individual's sensitivity to the bitterness of PROP, with nontasters not really noticing any bitterness, tasters noting a slight to slightly unpleasant bitterness, and super tasters perceiving the chemical as extremely bitter. This predisposition is thought to play a role in the acceptance and rejection of bitter-tasting vegetables by young children.
The two researchers involved with this project, Kendra I. Bell and Beverly J. Tepper, Ph.D., investigated the relationship between the PROP bitter-taste phenotype and acceptance and consumption of vegetables by young children. Tepper directs the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory at Rutgers.
From a group of preschool volunteers, 65 children were identified as tasters (24) or nontasters (41). The children were allowed to select from five different vegetables--black olives, cucumbers, carrots, red pepper and raw broccoli--to consume at their discretion. The researchers then administered a test to determine each child's hedonic ratings to the vegetables.
The results of the study showed that nontaster children consumed more vegetables than did the taster children--0.91 servings compared to 0.48 servings, respectively. This difference also reflected a higher consumption of the more bitter-tasting vegetables--olives, cucumber and broccoli--by nontaster children. Only 8% of nontaster children consumed no vegetables of their own free will compared to 32% of taster children. The hedonic test also determined that nontaster children demonstrated a higher preference for raw broccoli than taster children.
The researchers concluded that these findings suggest that the PROP bitter-taste phenotype contributes to the development of vegetable acceptance and consumption patterns during early childhood. Such information could prove valuable in finding suitable taste levels in products that would appeal to both nontasters and tasters--particularly when it comes to getting children to eat more vegetables and set them on a path to healthful eating patterns.
