Thermal taster status: A review of physiological aspects, methodological variables in phenotypical characterisation and relationship with sensory perception and affective response

Abstract

Thermal taster status (TTS), the ability to perceive tastes from lingual thermal stimulation, is a phenotype first observed in 2000. Due to limited data available, knowledge on this phenotype is still scarce. This review assessed existing literature (from 2000 to 2025) on TTS considering physiological aspects; methodological variables related to the determination of TTS and participant classification; socio-demographic factors and other orosensory phenotypes; the relationship between TTS and consumer affective responses to food and beverage. It showed that TTS represents a source of individual taste variation that discriminates between thermal tasters and thermal non-tasters, where the former are found to be more responsive to taste and chemesthetic sensations, in watery solutions, beverages and liquids. Despite only a few studies evaluating the effect of TTS on food and beverage sensory perception, it emerged that TTS could have an influence on food liking. However, several limitations in this field of research were identified and future research perspectives are suggested. This review contributes to understanding how this taste phenotype may play a key role in food preferences, food intake, and diet-related diseases. A deeper understanding of the impact of TTS on sensory perception through future research is warranted.