Bitter Taste Perception in BaYaka Hunter-Gatherers.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study examined variation in bitter taste perception among BaYaka hunter-gatherers from the Republic of Congo, comparing individuals from the same population that were born and grew up in a forest ecology to those from a logging town.

Methods

Bitter-tasting phenotype was assessed in 112 BaYaka individuals using a paper-strip taste-detection task with single-concentration strips of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and thiourea (thiocarbamide). Participants were grouped by the place where they were born and grew up: forest camps or the town. Logistic regression was used to test associations between location, sex, age, and bitter taste perception.

Results

Town-born individuals were more likely to perceive both compounds as bitter than forest-born individuals (PTC

SUBMITTER: Keestra S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12916250 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature