Study finds "everyone experiences their own unique ‘flavor world.’"
Could wine judges be DNA-tested to assess their wine-tasting ability in the future? It's not as unlikely as it sounds, following the publication of a study that suggests our genetic make-up has an impact on our wine-tasting prowess.
A report published by New Zealand’s Plant and Food Research,
published in this week’s edition of the journal Current Biology, has
found an association between our genes and what we can and can’t smell –
and therefore taste.
The findings may go some way to explaining why we vary in our sensitivity to aromas, notes co-author Dr. Richard Newcomb. Anecdotal evidence has always shown that "someone may describe something that you just don’t detect. Even judges have known they have blind spots, but we have not known what the basis of that is.”
However, his team's latest research points to DNA as a cause. “Our ability to smell certain aromas is inherited,” reveals Newcomb.
What’s more, the subjectivity of wine tasting has been highlighted in the study. The participants each had many different combinations of sensitivities to odors – “supporting the notion that everyone experiences their own unique ‘flavor world.’"
As a result of the study's findings, a local tea and coffee company has asked if it is possible to screen its judges genetically to identify blind spots in their tasting ability. The logical conclusion, admits Newcomb, is genetic screening for wine judges.
The researchers tested the sensitivity of close to 200 people for 10 different compounds that occur in food and wine. They found that the ability of participants to detect four of the odors correlated to certain chromosomes.
One of the odors that had strong associations with an individual’s genetic make-up was beta-ionone, which has a floral – specifically violet – characteristic. It can be found in many red wines, particularly pinot noir and cabernet franc.
Source: www.wine-searcher.com
The findings may go some way to explaining why we vary in our sensitivity to aromas, notes co-author Dr. Richard Newcomb. Anecdotal evidence has always shown that "someone may describe something that you just don’t detect. Even judges have known they have blind spots, but we have not known what the basis of that is.”
However, his team's latest research points to DNA as a cause. “Our ability to smell certain aromas is inherited,” reveals Newcomb.
What’s more, the subjectivity of wine tasting has been highlighted in the study. The participants each had many different combinations of sensitivities to odors – “supporting the notion that everyone experiences their own unique ‘flavor world.’"
As a result of the study's findings, a local tea and coffee company has asked if it is possible to screen its judges genetically to identify blind spots in their tasting ability. The logical conclusion, admits Newcomb, is genetic screening for wine judges.
The researchers tested the sensitivity of close to 200 people for 10 different compounds that occur in food and wine. They found that the ability of participants to detect four of the odors correlated to certain chromosomes.
One of the odors that had strong associations with an individual’s genetic make-up was beta-ionone, which has a floral – specifically violet – characteristic. It can be found in many red wines, particularly pinot noir and cabernet franc.
Source: www.wine-searcher.com
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