This Mushroom’s Incredibly Bitter Taste Is New to Science
The first analysis of mushroom bitterness reveals ultrapotent compounds
By K. R. Callaway edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Alexander Kurlovich/Alamy Stock Photo
Ever bite into something so bitter that you had to spit it out? An ages-old genetic mutation helps you and other animals perceive bitterness and thus avoid toxins associated with it. But while most creatures instinctively spit first and ask questions later, molecular biologists have been trying to get a taste of what bitterness can tell us about sensory evolution and human physiology. A new study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistryis the first analysis of how taste receptors respond to a mushroom’s bitter compounds—which include some of the most potently bitter flavors currently known to science.The bitter bracket mushroom is nontoxic but considered inedible because of its taste. Researchers extracted its...
