DO YOU LOVE THE TASTE OF FOOD



ARE YOU A SUPERTASTER?

A Science Fair Project

By

T

January, 2013

Abstract

The problem investigated was what percentage of students and teachers in Unit 4 are super-tasters. The hypothesis was that twenty five percent of the volunteers tested were super-tasters. A total of eight persons comprising of six students and two teachers were sampled. To find out the number of papillae on the tested area of the tongue, the volunteers had to: drop blue food coloring on the tip of the tongue, drink water and swish it around in the mouth, spit the water out, place a paper-hole reinforcer on the tip of the tongue, then allow the experimenter to count the number of papillae in the selected area on the tongue for testing. The results were zero super-tasters (0 %), two average tasters (25%), and six non-tasters (75%). Therefore, the hypothesis was not supported, because it stated that 25% of the volunteers tested will be super-tasters but there was none.

The project was meant to help people find out what kind of taster they are.

Table of Contents

Title Page ………………………………………………………………… 1

Abstract ………………………………………………………………….. 2

Introduction …………………………………………………………….…4

Problem ………………………………………………………….…4

Hypothesis ……………………………………………………….…4

Independent Variable …………………………………………….…4

Dependent Variable …..………………………………………….…4

Constants or Controlled Variable .………………………………… 4

Background Research ……………………………………………... 4

List of Materials ………………………………………………………...…6

Experimental Procedure ………………………………………………….. 6

Picture of Experiment …………………………………………………….8

Data Table …………………………………………………………………8

Graphs ……………………………………………………………………..9

Conclusion …………………………………………………………….…10

Bibliography ………………………………………………….…………..11

INTRODUCTION

Problem: What percentage of Unit 4 students and teachers are supertasters?

Hypothesis: If eight volunteers in unit 4 and two teachers are tested for supertasters by counting the number of papillae each person has then, twenty five percent of them will be supertasters.

Independent Variable: Volunteers

Dependent Variable: Number of papillae on the tongue in selected area.

Constants or Controlled Variables:

- Same area of the tongue selected

- Same type of paper-hole reinforcers

- Same food coloring

- All volunteers drink & swish water.

- Same person examining each volunteer

Background Research

The number of taste buds varies from person to person. People who have more taste buds are called super-tasters. To super-tasters, foods have much stronger flavors, which often leads to super-tasters having very strong likes and dislikes for different foods. Super-tasters often report that foods like broccoli, cabbage, spinach, grapefruit, and coffee taste very bitter.

The opposite of super-tasters are non-tasters. Non-tasters have very few taste buds and to them, most food seems bland and unexciting. The people in the middle are average tasters. You can find out types of taster by putting some blue food coloring on the tip of your tongue and counting the number of papillae there. Papillae are structures that house the taste buds. Fewer than 15 papillae is a non-taster. Between 15 and 30 papillae is an average taster. And more than 30 papillae is a super-taster.

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Vocabulary Words:

Taste Buds- Any of numerous spherical clusters of receptor cells found mainly in the covering of the tongue and are the end organs of the sense of taste.

Receptor- A specialized cell or group of nerve endings that respond to sensory stimuli.

Super-Taster- A person who experiences the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average.

Non-Taster- A person unable to taste the chemical phenylthiocarbamide.

Average Taster- A person who experiences very little sense of taste.

Papilla - one of the small, round or cone-shaped outgrowth on the top of the tongue that contains taste buds.

List of Materials:

• 8 Volunteers

• 8 Pairs of disposable gloves

• Blue food coloring

• Small disposable cups, one for each volunteer

• Water

• Paper-hole reinforcers,

• Flashlight

• Magnifying glass

• Lab notebook

Experimental Procedure:

1. Put on a pair of disposable gloves and have the first volunteer put on gloves.

2. Have the volunteer open his or her mouth, place a drop of blue food coloring on the tip of his or her tongue. Do not let the food coloring tip touch the volunteer's tongue.

3. Have the volunteer take a mouthful of water, swish it around in his or her mouth, and then spit it out. Use a new cup and fresh water for each volunteer.

4. Ask the volunteer to make his or her tongue as dry as possible by swallowing a couple of times, and then ask the volunteer to stick out his or her tongue.

5. Have the volunteer take one paper-hole reinforce and place it on the tip of his or her tongue.

6. The blue dye will stain all of the tongue, except the papillae. The papillae will look like light blue or pink bumps in a sea of dark blue.

7. Using a flashlight and a magnifying glass, count the number of papillae within the paper-hole reinforcer.

8. Record the data in your lab notebook in a data table like the one below.

9. The volunteer is finished and can remove the paper-hole reinforcer from his or her tongue.

10. Repeat steps 2-9 for each of the remaining volunteers.

11. Classify each person as a non-taster, an average taster, or a super-taster, based on how many papillae you counted for them. Fewer than 15 papillae is a non-taster. Between 15 and 30 papillae is an average taster. And more than 30 papillae is a super-taster

12. Record the classification in the data table.

13. Calculate the percentage of people who belong in each category of taster by dividing the number of each type of taster by the total number 8 and multiplying by 100.

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Tongue with Paper-reinforcer

Data Table

|Volunteer |Number Of Papillae |Type Of Taster |

|A |8 |Non-Taster |

|B |5 |Non-Taster |

|C |5 |Non-Taster |

|D |10 |Non-Taster |

|E |17 |Average Taster |

|F |4 |Non-Taster |

|G |16 |Average Taster |

|H |9 |Non-Taster |

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Data Analysis and Discussion of Results

According to the data, two of the eight volunteers tested had 16 and 17 papillae respectively in the selected area of the tongue. To be a super-taster, a person has to have more than 30 papillae in that selected area. Therefore, none of the volunteers was a super-taster. Two of the volunteers have 5 papillae each, one has 4, one has 8, and the other two has 9 and 10 papillae each. Hence, none of the volunteers are super-tasters, 25% are average tasters while 75% are non-tasters.

Conclusion

According to the data from the experiment, none of the volunteers tested is a super-taster. Two out of eight, or 25% of the volunteers that were tested are average-tasters. The other 75% are non-tasters. Therefore data does not support the hypothesis which was that if eight volunteers in unit 4 and two teachers are tested for supertasters by counting the number of papillae each person has then, twenty five percent of them will be supertasters. Most of the volunteers were non-tasters.

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Bibliography

Murray, J. (2004). Taste intensity & fungiform papillae. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from









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