PROP taster status and oral fatty acid perception.
Recent studies with rat taste cells treated with polyunsaturated fatty acids suggest that fatty acids may play a role in dietary fat perception. In humans, sensitivity to the textural properties of fat is associated with the genetic ability to taste the bitter compound 6-N-2-propylthiouracil (PROP). However, it has not been shown that PROP tasters are more sensitive in discriminating fatty acids in a high-fat food. Our study with human subjects was designed to test the hypothesis that the ability to orally detect food-grade conjugated linoleic acid added to high-fat vanilla ice cream is associated with the ability to taste PROP. Eighty percent of the PROP tasters in this study, but only 17% of the PROP nontasters correctly discriminated the sample containing the added free fatty acid in a difference test versus unadulterated high-fat vanilla ice cream (Fisher's Exact Test, P=.05). Because most fatty foods contain minute amounts of free fatty acids, further studies with humans examining the contribution of fatty acids to fat perception seem warranted.
Nasser
J A
JA
St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY, USA. jnasser@worldnet.att.net
Kissileff
H R
HR
Boozer
C N
CN
Chou
C J
CJ
Pi-Sunyer
F X
FX