Linda Bartoshuk
Professor of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science
Linda Bartoshuk is interested in genetic variation in the sense of taste as well as pathologies of taste.
Bartoshuk is most famous for her discovery of supertasters, individuals who have more taste buds than most people. These supertasters perceive tastes so intensely that they tend to avoid some foods, like bitter vegetables, which can affect health.
Bartoshuk’s latest work is focused on naturally enhancing the taste of different fruits and vegetables. Bartoshuk and her team have identified a group of naturally occurring compounds that enhance the way people perceive sweetness.
They believe the compounds can be used to make foods taste sweeter while using less sugar and no artificial flavors.
So far the group has worked on enhancing strawberries and tomatoes through increased sweet smells.
