Why do some people hate cilantro, while others love it? Here's the reason!

Coriander is very familiar to everyone. As a plant that has been cultivated since 2000 BC, it is commonly used in cuisines around the world.

Yet, some people find the smell of cilantro offensive, labeling it as “soapy” or even “buggy.” Even the name coriander may have come from the Greek word for bug. Why is this so?

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What does the smell of cilantro consist of?

The "aroma" of coriander is composed of various aldehydes, mainly n-aldehydes and (E)-2-enals. Some unsaturated aldehydes in coriander can produce fruity aromas and pungent odors; while the odor of (E)-2-enals (mainly (E)-2-decanal and (E)-2-dodecanal) is similar to the smell of soap .

We feel the taste and smell of food mainly through receptors of the taste and smell gene family . The taste gene family's TAS1R and TAS2R taste receptors can sense sweetness, umami and bitterness; while the olfactory receptor gene family contains about 400 functional genes in the human genome. Each receptor in the taste and smell gene family is a biosensor that detects chemicals in the air and food. When they bind to different chemicals, they can enable people to recognize specific odors or flavors . Therefore, these receptors play an important role in how we perceive taste and smell.

Why do some people think cilantro

Smells like soap?

23andMe, a genetic testing company based in California, USA, surveyed 50,000 volunteers to find out whether they like the taste of cilantro or whether they think cilantro tastes like soap, and explained from a genetic perspective why some people don't like cilantro.

The researchers speculate that some people don't like cilantro, largely because of smell rather than taste. After comparing the DNA of people who hate cilantro with that of people who love cilantro, they found common single nucleotide polymorphism (SPN) variations in a group of olfactory receptor genes on chromosome 11 in people who hate cilantro , that is, genetic variations in DNA sequence diversity caused by variations in a single nucleotide at the genomic level. They also determined that one of the eight genes near the SNP, the olfactory receptor gene encoding OR6A2, had changed, and the mutated OR6A2 receptor had a high binding specificity for several aldehydes that give cilantro its characteristic smell. That is, when people get close to cilantro, the (E)-2-decanals and (E)-2-dodecanals emitted by cilantro will specifically bind to the OR6A2 receptor and activate the receptor, causing the mutant to feel the smell of soap .

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The proportion of people who dislike cilantro varies from country to country. Compared with Europeans, African Americans, Latin Americans, East Asians, and South Asians are much less likely to find cilantro a soapy taste.

The percentage of people in different regions who think coriander tastes like soap. Table source: Reference 2

The survey also found that different genders have different sensitivities to the smell of coriander, with women being more likely to detect the soapy smell in coriander than men .

In addition to genetic mutations, environmental factors can also

People don't like to eat coriander

Although the above research provides direct evidence that genetic variation in olfactory receptors is related to the perception of coriander taste, and receptor gene mutations have a great impact on the perception of coriander odor, causing some people to dislike coriander, genetic variation can only explain 5% of people who do not like coriander.

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Everyone has different reasons for not liking cilantro. In addition to genetic reasons, a large number of people do not like cilantro due to environmental factors . Some of them may simply dislike the taste of cilantro, while others do not like cilantro due to the influence of their family.

Can you make someone who hates cilantro "immune" to it by eating it like crazy, so that they will love it? There is some evidence that people can overcome their aversion to certain foods through repeated exposure . If a person's aversion to cilantro is caused by a genetic mutation, it is almost impossible for them to love cilantro in their lifetime. Who would love to eat "soap" by eating "soap" like crazy? If the people around you don't eat cilantro, so you don't like the taste of cilantro, you can try eating more cilantro, and maybe you will eventually accept and love the taste of cilantro.

In addition to coriander, what other foods are there?

Does it taste different to different people?

A study in Italy showed that some people taste soap when eating cheese. Scientists conducted an experiment on 219 testers, and two-thirds of the subjects felt that Gorgonzola (an Italian blue cheese) had a soapy taste . They also found that four genes, SYT9, PDE4B, AVL9, and HTR1B, are involved in the human body's sense of smell or taste of cheese. Among them, the single nucleotide polymorphism near the HTR1B gene affects the degree to which different people like this cheese .

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There is also a group of people who don't like to eat broccoli because they can't stand the bitter taste of broccoli . Bitter? You might say that broccoli is not bitter...

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In fact, the bitter taste of broccoli for some people comes from a chemical called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). People who can taste the bitterness of broccoli are called "supertasters" or "supertasters". They have 2 to 3 times more taste buds and receptors than ordinary people, so their perception of taste is stronger than that of ordinary people. At the same time, most supertasters have the TAS2R38 gene, which makes supertasters sensitive to the bitter taste in all foods and drinks . Supertasters may look like picky eaters. Not only do they not like to eat broccoli, they may even refuse to eat foods such as spinach, coffee, beer and chocolate because they are too bitter.

People who are picky about broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, coffee, chocolate and many other foods may not be picky eaters, but supertasters.

Do you like cilantro or hate it? Is there a supertaster hidden among you? Share your thoughts in the comments~

References:

[1]Callaway E. Soapy taste of coriander linked to genetic variants[J]. Nature, 2012, 12.[2]Eriksson N, Wu S, Do CB, et al. A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference[J]. Flavour, 2012, 1(1): 1-7.

[3]Howgego J. Sense for scents traced down to genes[J]. 2013.

[4]Song X, Wang J, Li N, et al. Deciphering the high-quality genome sequence of coriander that causes controversial feelings[J]. Plant biotechnology journal, 2020, 18(6): 1444-1456.

[5]Concas MP, Piochi M, Cabrino G, et al. Genetic variations associated with the soapy flavor perception in Gorgonzola PDO cheese[J]. Food Quality and Preference, 2022, 99: 104569.

[6]Cadwallader KR, Benitez D, Pojjanapimol S, et al. Characteristic aroma components of the cilantro mimics[M]. 2005.

[7]Lipchock SV, Mennella JA, Spielman AI, et al. Human bitter perception correlates with bitter receptor messenger RNA expression in taste cells[J]. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2013, 98(4): 1136-1143.

[8]Hayes JE, Bartoshuk LM, Kidd JR, et al. Supertasting and PROP bitterness depends on more than the TAS2R38 gene[J]. Chemical senses, 2008, 33(3): 255-265.

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