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Related Concept Videos

The Physiology of Taste01:24

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The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the...
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Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...
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Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.
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The surface of the tongue is covered with various small bumps called papillae, which either distribute what has been ingested (filiform papillae) or contain the sensory taste (or gustatory) receptor cells (fungiform, circumvallate, and foliate papillae). Embedded within each taste-related papilla are the taste buds—clusters of 30 to 100 gustatory receptor cells.
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Conditioned taste aversion, also known as sauce béarnaise syndrome, is a phenomenon in which an individual develops an aversion to a certain food taste following a negative experience, typically illness. This form of aversion is a type of classical conditioning in which the taste of the food (conditioned stimulus, CS) is associated with the experience of illness (unconditioned stimulus, UCS).
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Bitter Taste Perception in BaYaka Hunter-Gatherers.

Sarai Keestra1,2, Inez Derkx3, Edmond Sylvestre Miabangana4,5

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council
|February 18, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Ecological context impacts bitter taste perception. BaYaka individuals from logging towns showed higher bitter taste sensitivity than those from forest camps, suggesting early-life environment influences taste phenotypes.

Keywords:
BaYaka hunter‐gatherersPTCbitter tastedietary transitionhunter‐gatherersplant ecologythioureatraditional medicine

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Area of Science:

  • Human evolutionary biology
  • Sensory ecology
  • Human genetics

Background:

  • Bitter taste perception is a crucial human sensory trait with significant evolutionary and ecological implications.
  • Understanding variation in taste perception can provide insights into human adaptation and environmental interactions.
  • Previous research has highlighted genetic and environmental factors influencing bitter taste sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate variations in bitter taste perception among BaYaka hunter-gatherers in the Republic of Congo.
  • To compare bitter taste phenotypes between BaYaka individuals raised in distinct ecological settings: forest camps versus a logging town.
  • To explore the potential influence of early-life ecological context on bitter taste perception.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed bitter-tasting phenotype in 112 BaYaka individuals using phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and thiourea taste-detection tasks.
  • Classified participants based on their birth and upbringing location: forest camps or logging town.
  • Employed logistic regression to analyze associations between location, sex, age, and bitter taste perception.

Main Results:

  • Town-born BaYaka individuals exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of perceiving both PTC and thiourea as bitter compared to forest-born individuals.
  • Odds ratios for bitter perception were 3.93 for PTC and 4.44 for thiourea in town-born versus forest-born individuals (p < 0.01 for both).
  • No significant associations were observed between bitter taste perception and sex or age.

Conclusions:

  • Bitter taste phenotypes differ significantly between BaYaka individuals raised in town and those from forest camps.
  • Early-life ecological context appears to be a contributing factor to variations in bitter taste perception.
  • Hypothesize that differential exposure to bitter plant compounds in varying environments may explain observed taste phenotype differences.