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hBARSCI “Supertaster” Lab Are you a “Supertaster?!” Materials Included: 100 Strips containing Phenylthiourea (PTC) 100 Strips containing Sodium Benzoate 100 Strips containing Thiourea 100 Strips containing NO chemical (Control) Key Vocabulary: Genotype: the specific genes found in DNA. Phenotype: the physical expression of genes (examples: eye color; tasting ability). Heredity: the passing of genetic information from parent to offspring. Punnett Square: a method for determining the qualitative chances of offspring inheriting certain genes from their parents. Introductory (Pre-Lab) Information: Mammals, such as humans, have a unique sense that makes consuming certain substances pleasant and consuming other substances unpleasant – the ability to taste. Special receptors in the taste buds on our tongues allow us to taste five different flavors – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami (savory). Without this ability, Brussel sprouts would taste exactly the same as cupcakes! Not only does taste make consuming food more interesting, but it also serves a purpose – it allows humans to determine the relative safety of what they plan to consume. Toxic substances tend to be bitter in taste, so humans tend to avoid this particular flavor – not only do most people find this taste unpleasant, but they also have an aversion to it for evolutionary reasons – it can signify danger! Just as humans have different levels of acuity in the senses of smell and sight, they also have differences in their ability to taste. Approximately 25% of Americans are considered “supertasters” and, of this subset, people have varying levels of “supertasting” ability. “Supertasters” are people who have the ability to taste the substance Phenylthiourea (PTC). Some people cannot taste this substance at all and others taste it quite distinctly. Whether or not a person is a supertaster (phenotype) is dependent on his/her genetics (genotype). For the purposes of this experiment, the dominant supertasting gene will be represented as “S” and the recessive supertasting gene will be represented as “s.” Based on the genetics involved, there are four basic types of tasters normal tasters (no S or s), standard supertasters (__ s), recessive supertasters (ss), and dominant supertasters (S__): Copyright 2015, hBARSCI LLC Label Genotype Phenotype Normal Taster ___ ___ Standard Supertaster Recessive Supertaster Dominant Supertaster __ s Cannot taste any difference amongst the substances Can taste PTC ss S __ Can taste PTC and Thiourea, but not Sodium Benzoate Can taste PTC, Thiourea, and Sodium Benzoate To further understand how these genotypes (genes found in DNA) express as phenotypes (gene expression (as differing levels of taste, in this experiment)) and to better understand how these genes work in heredity (passing genes from parent to offspring), see the following Punnett squares that represent various pairings of parents with non-supertaster and supertaster genes: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ When 2 Normal Tasters (that have NO supertaster genes) have a child, the percentage chance of having a supertaster (dominant or ___ S ___ ___ ___ ___ recessive) is 0%. S S When 2 Dominant Supertasters (that each have TWO SS SS dominant supertaster genes (SS)) have a child, the percentage chance of having a dominant supertaster (S __) is 100%. The percentage chance of having a standard supertaster S SS SS (__s) is 0% and the percentage chance of having a recessive supertaster (ss) is also 0%. Copyright 2015, hBARSCI LLC S S ____ SS S ___ When 2 Dominant Supertasters (that each have ONE dominant supertaster gene (S __)) have a child, the percentage chance of having a ___ S ___ S ___ ___ dominant supertaster (S __) is 75%. s When 2 Dominant Supertasters (that each have one S SS Ss dominant supertaster gene AND one recessive supertaster gene (Ss)) have a child, the percentage s s Ss ss s s ss ss chance of having a dominant supertaster (S __) is 75% and the percentage of having a recessive supertaster is 25%. When 2 Recessive Supertasters (that each have 2 recessive supertaster genes (ss)) have a child, the percentage chance of having a dominant s ss supertaster (S __) is 0% and the percentage chance ss of having a recessive supertaster (ss) is 100%. This kit contains all of the materials necessary to determine if a person is a supertaster in a scientifically sound way – utilizing a control paper to minimize sampling bias and error. The purpose of the control is to provide a basis for comparison – the control paper strip has no chemicals added, so it has “no taste.” The experience of “no taste” can thus be compared to various taste experiences. (A procedure for a group of 5 people participating in a supertaster experiment is included and it can be adapted for 1 person or a class of 25 students.) Copyright 2015, hBARSCI LLC Supertaster Experiment 1. Assign each person a participant number, 1 through 5. 2. Out of the view of the five participants, (to avoid participants “expecting” various tastes) setup the five testing sheets (example of testing sheet included) according to the following grid: Participant 1 Round 1 Control Round 2 PTC Round 3 Thiourea Participant 2 PTC Control Participant 3 Thiourea PTC Sodium Benzoate Control Participant 4 Sodium Benzoate Control PTC Control Thiourea PTC Participant 5 Round 4 Sodium Benzoate Thiourea Sodium Benzoate Thiourea Sodium Benzoate 3. Have each participant taste each strip by placing the strip on his/her tongue for a few seconds – saliva will wet the paper and allow the flavor (or lack thereof) to be detected. 4. Have each participant write the taste of the strip in the box underneath the strip for each round (none, salty, sweet, bitter, sour, or umami). 5. Gather results and use the chart below to determine what kind of “taster” each participant is: Phenotype (Gene Expression) The person cannot taste any difference between the strips The person can only taste PTC Label Normal Taster Genotype (Genes in DNA) ____ ____ (No S or s gene) Standard Supertaster __ s Copyright 2015, hBARSCI LLC The person can taste PTC and Thiourea, but not Sodium Benzoate Recessive Supertaster ss The person can taste PTC, Thiourea, and Sodium Benzoate Dominant Supertaster S ___ Participant _______________________ Round 1 Copyright 2015, hBARSCI LLC Round 2 Round 3 Round 4