Prevalence, biochemical, and genetic analysis of mutated gene related to bitter taste perception for phenylthiocarbamide in Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq

Background: Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste or any organic bitter compound is widely studied between nations. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of PTC taste sensitivity and its mutated gene frequencies among people in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Materials and Methods: PTC, thiourea, and sodium benzoate paper were used on the participants. Each participant was required to taste each paper differently; then, the results were recorded whether they were tasters or nontasters. Results: Analysis of data from the current study revealed that 70.4% of the Kurdish population is PTC tasters. Of them, 25 (8.3%) of participants were normal tasters, 124 (41.1%) were standard supertasters, 36 (11.9%) were recessive supertasters, and 116 (38.5) of them were dominant supertasters. Smoking showed no effect on the taste perception in this study. However, the rate of female tasters was higher than male tasters. Conclusion: The analysis of data from the current study revealed that most of the Kurdish population is PTC tasters. However, the rate of female tasters was higher than male tasters. Further studies are needed to investigate genetic composition of the Kurdish population