Genetics of taste perception and food choices
Info utili
Registration
The course is part of the NODES project and aims to provide participants with knowledge of the genetic bases that act on the mechanisms of taste perception. This information may be useful both to those working in the agri-food sector and to consumers. The awareness that the liking of a product is under genetic control could push companies to conduct targeted surveys on potential consumers in order to offer increasingly specific products. On the other hand, the knowledge acquired can provide all participants with greater awareness of their food choices.
The course includes two modules, one theoretical (6 hours in total) to be followed remotely and one practical to be carried out at the teaching laboratories of the Department of Biology and Biotechnology.
Individual differences in food choices, in addition to being influenced by cultural traditions and life experiences, depend on the perception of taste. The ability to perceive flavors is genetically determined and is the main factor that guides the choice of foods, causing their acceptance or rejection.
The perception of each of the basic flavors is associated with a particular chain of reactions that can be traced back to specific receptors (for bitter, sweet and umami) or to cellular membrane channels (for sour/acid and salty). For example, the ability to perceive bitter is mediated by a series of small receptors, encoded by genes of the TAS2R family. In human populations, there is a huge variability of TAS2R genes and this variability correlates with the great diversity in the perception of bitter compounds. Other important sensations in determining acceptance or rejection of foods are the so-called chemesthetic sensations; these involve the proteins encoded by the TRP genes. As for TAS2R genes, also in the case of TRP genes there is great variability in human populations and different alleles-haplotypes are associated with interindividual variability of taste.
Furthermore, the discoveries that taste genes are expressed in almost all organs and tissues (gastrointestinal, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, reproductive) with unexpected functions ranging from the regulation of nutrient absorption, to their metabolism, to innate immunity, to fertility, open extraordinary horizons of research with possible repercussions.
CALENDAR
- May 8, 2025: Genetics underlying human variability (online)
- May 15, 2025: Genetics of taste/Taste receptors, their location and functions (online)
- May 22, 2025: Lab* ~6 hours
- May 29, 2025: Discussion of the results and impact on food choices (online)
*During the lab each participant will proceed with:
- compilation of a questionnaire on food preferences
- determination of the phenotype for the perception of the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), a compound that contains the thiocyanate group (N-C = S) also present in glucosinates and goitrins, substances commonly found in cruciferous vegetables and other plants belonging to the Brassicaceae family, such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower
- collection of the biological sample (saliva) after completing the informed consent
- extraction of DNA from your biological sample
- amplification of the fragment of interest by the PCR technique
- digestion of the fragment(s) obtained by restriction enzymes
- analysis of the fragments obtained by electrophoresis on agarose gel and their visualization
Useful information
Course duration: 6 hours online + 6 hours in person (workshop)
Language: Italian
Delivery method: blended
Minimum number of participants: 10 - max. 24
Registration fee: free