BITTER TASTE IN AGING - COMPOUND-SPECIFIC DECLINE IN SENSITIVITY

Threshold sensitivity to and the perceived intensity of two bitter com pounds, quinine sulfate and urea, were assessed in 52 young adults and 60 elderly adults. Consistent with previous literature, age-related d eclines in sensitivity to the bitterness of quinine were observed at b oth threshold and suprathreshold levels. In contrast, the same young a nd elderly subjects showed comparable sensitivity to the bitterness of urea. These results provide further support for the existence of mult iple bitter taste transduction sequences in humans, and indicate that they may be differentially affected by aging.