Hate Broccoli? Blame the PTC-Tasting Gene
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Stanford University Medical Center researchers have discovered a single gene that helps explain why some love broccoli while others can’t bear it. In tests, some people recoil upon chewing on paper soaked in a bitter, man-made compound called phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC, while others can chomp without gagging. The researchers report in Friday’s issue of Science that they have identified the gene responsible for the ability to taste PTC.
