User login

This Bitter Be Good

Source Institutions

    Twin Cities Public Television
Add to listGo to activity
This Bitter Be Good

In this health and genetics activity, learners determine whether tasting the bitter compound PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) influences which vegetables a person likes. Learners conduct a blind taste test to study PTC sensitivity, compile the data, and evaluate the results.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • vegetable with PTC (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, kale)
  • vegetable without PTC (e.g. carrots, yellow/orange/red bell peppers)
  • knife and cutting board
  • paper towels
  • blindfolds
  • paper and pencils
  • PTC paper
  • water and/or juice

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Ecology
      • Biodiversity
    • Heredity and Genetics
      • Human Genetics
    • Human Body
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Taste
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • taste

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Acknowledges this group's contributions to STEM
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All Rights Reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., ©2010

Funding Sources:

  • National Science Foundation, 0813519
  • ExxonMobil

Share

User Lists

This resource is part of these lists: