Taste perception for phenylthiocarbamide and food choice--a Hungarian twin study.

A total of 98 MZ and 67 like sexed DZ adult twin pairs were studied for taste sensitivity to P.T.C. The MZ pairs were also tested for their food favoritism. A P.T.C. screening test showed a concordance in "tasting" or "non-tasting", within the MZ versus the DZ pairs. For the comparison of food choices of the P.T.C. tasters and non-tasters (members of MZ pairs) a quantity called "Tastership Test Point" (TTP) was constructed. Based on an analysis of the TTP values it may be suggested that taste sensitivity to P.T.C. and food preferences are not completely unrelated characters. These results serve as a contribution to the authors' previous findings obtained in Hungarian adolescents.