It is known that the same coffee can cause different taste sensations in people.
So, for some the drink may seem more bitter than for others.
Scientists have explained what the problem might be. It turns out that genetics are "to blame".
Study
The corresponding study was conducted by German specialists.
Having discovered a new group of bitter compounds in roasted Arabica coffee, they studied how they affect its taste.
It was then that they discovered the secret of why some people find coffee more bitter than others.
It turned out that even a caffeine-free drink can be bitter due to the fact that it contains other substances that impart the corresponding taste.
They are formed during the roasting of coffee beans, and Arabica coffee beans contain mozambioside, which is 10 times more bitter than caffeine.
It also activates 2 of the 25 types of receptors responsible for bitter taste.
And during roasting, 7 mozambioside breakdown products are formed, which are almost completely transferred into the drink during brewing.
What the experiment showed
Scientists have discovered that these substances activate the same types of bitter taste receptors as mozambioside.
Moreover, three of its decay products are even stronger than itself.
But only in combination with mozambioside were these substances found to have a truly serious effect on people's taste sensations.
Thus, 8 out of 11 study participants said that they felt a bitter taste.
Another reported a tart taste, while two others reported no noticeable flavor.
The scientists then conducted a genetic test, which showed that sensitivity to bitter coffee is a direct consequence of genetic predisposition.
In two subjects, both variants of the TAS2R43 receptor gene (responsible for bitter taste) were damaged.
In seven cases, one of the two variants was defective, and only two had both intact.
