PHENYLTHIOCARBAMIDE TASTE THRESHOLDS OF RATS AND HUMAN BEINGS

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Abstract
47 rats first detected a difference between solns. of phenylthiocarbamide and distilled water in concs. which ranged from 0.00005 to 0.02%. The maximum frequency fell at 0.0003%. For the 261 human subjects the concs. at which the phenylthiocarbamide soln. first tasted different from distilled water ranged from 0.000005 to 0.1%. The maximum frequency fell at 0.0003%, at which conc. rats first indicated that they recognized a difference between the phenylthiocarbamide soln. and distilled water. The concs. at which human subjects first recognized a bitter taste ranged from 0.00001 to 0.2%. The maximum frequency for the 261 individuals again fell at 0.0003%. 13 individuals never recognized a bitter taste even though they did recognize that the phenylthiocarbamide did not have the same taste as the distilled water. The conc. at which 95.5% of the rats refused to take the phenylthiocarbamide soln. fell below the lethal doses. When phenylthiocarbamide was mixed with regular food most of the rats would eat enough to kill themselves. This may be explained by the fact that, due to the insolubility of phenylthiocarbamide, they swallow it before they taste it. When the phenylthiocarbamide was placed in a 20% dextrose soln., 50% of the rats drank sufficiently large amts. to kill themselves. The sweet flavor of the dextrose may have concealed the bitter taste of the phenylthiocarbamide.

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