Abstract It is well known that perceived taste intensity varies greatly among individuals, and that several factors including taste phenotypes (PROP Taster Status (PTS), Sweet Liking Status (SLS), Thermal Taster Status (TTS)), ethnicity and gender, contribute to variation in taste responsiveness, although such factors are usually investigated in isolation. This study aimed to investigate the association between different taste pheno/genotypes, explore whether these taste phenotypes associated with ethnicity (Caucasian vs Asian) and gender, and determine the relative effects of the different factors on perceived taste intensity. As analysis of this type of data with ANOVA can be difficult due to confounding factors, interactions, and small sample sizes in subcategories, the use of regression tree analysis as an alternative approach was investigated. To that end, two-hundred and twenty-three volunteers were phenotyped for their PTS, SLS and TTS and genotyped for TAS2R38 –rs713598 and gustin –rs2274333. They also rated their perceived intensity of five basic taste and metallic solutions on a gLMS scale. No significant association between the three taste phenotypes were found indicating PTS, SLS and TTS are independent taste phenotypes. However, the results indicated that Asians were not only more likely to be PROP supertasters, but also more likely to be thermal tasters or Low Sweet Likers, compared to Caucasians. Gender was also significantly associated with SLS, where males were more likely to be High Sweet Likers. For perceived taste intensity, traditional ANOVA analysis proved to be challenging. The alternative approach, using regression trees, was shown to be an effective tool to provide a visualised framework to demonstrate the multiple interactions in this dataset. For example, ethnicity was the most influencing factor for perceived sour and metallic taste intensity, where Asians had heightened response compared to Caucasians. The regression tree analysis also highlighted that the PTS effect was dependent on ethnicity for sour taste, and PTS and TTS effect was dependent on ethnicity for metallic taste. This study is the first study to use regression tree analysis to explore variation in taste intensity ratings, and demonstrated it can be an effective tool to handle and interpret complex sensory datasets.

中文翻译：

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使用卡方和回归树分析探索味觉表型、基因型、种族、性别和味觉之间的关系

摘要 众所周知，感知味觉强度因人而异，包括味觉表型（PROP Taster Status (PTS)、Sweet Liking Status (SLS)、Thermal Taster Status (TTS)）、种族和性别在内的几个因素有助于味觉反应的变化，尽管这些因素通常是单独研究的。本研究旨在调查不同味觉表型/基因型之间的关联，探讨这些味觉表型是否与种族（白种人 vs 亚洲人）和性别相关，并确定不同因素对感知味觉强度的相对影响。由于混杂因素、相互作用和子类别中的样本量小，使用 ANOVA 分析此类数据可能很困难，因此研究了使用回归树分析作为替代方法。为此，对 223 名志愿者的 PTS、SLS 和 TTS 进行了表型分析，并对 TAS2R38 –rs713598 和 gustin –rs2274333 进行了基因分型。他们还在 gLMS 量表上评估了他们对五种基本味道和金属溶液的感知强度。未发现三种味觉表型之间存在显着关联，表明 PTS、SLS 和 TTS 是独立的味觉表型。然而，结果表明，与高加索人相比，亚洲人不仅更有可能成为 PROP 超级味觉者，而且更有可能成为热味觉者或低甜食者。性别也与 SLS 显着相关，其中男性更可能是高甜的喜欢者。对于感知的味道强度，传统的 ANOVA 分析被证明具有挑战性。另一种方法，使用回归树，被证明是一个有效的工具，可以提供一个可视化的框架来演示这个数据集中的多重交互。例如，种族是感知酸味和金属味强度的最大影响因素，与白种人相比，亚洲人的反应更高。回归树分析还强调，PTS 效应依赖于酸味的种族，而 PTS 和 TTS 效应依赖于金属味的种族。这项研究是第一项使用回归树分析来探索口味强度等级变化的研究，并证明它可以成为处理和解释复杂感官数据集的有效工具。与高加索人相比，亚洲人的反应更高。回归树分析还强调，PTS 效应依赖于酸味的种族，而 PTS 和 TTS 效应依赖于金属味的种族。这项研究是第一项使用回归树分析来探索口味强度等级变化的研究，并证明它可以成为处理和解释复杂感官数据集的有效工具。与高加索人相比，亚洲人的反应更高。回归树分析还强调，PTS 效应依赖于酸味的种族，而 PTS 和 TTS 效应依赖于金属味的种族。这项研究是第一项使用回归树分析来探索口味强度等级变化的研究，并证明它可以成为处理和解释复杂感官数据集的有效工具。