The significance of taste perception in food-related behavior needs to be investigated to learn to more efficiently guide people toward a healthier diet. This study aimed to reveal the associations between food-related behavior and individual differences in taste perception regarding five taste modalities: sour, bitter, sweet, salty, and umami. Gender, age, education, body mass index, and smoking status were included as background factors.

Study subjects (N = 205) evaluated the intensity and identified the taste modality of five prototypical tastants at five concentration levels. Taste modality-specific sensitivity groups were determined as well as a taste sensitivity score describing overall taste sensitivity. Online questionnaires were used to gather data regarding background factors and food-related behavior, including consumption of vegetables, fruits, and berries; habits to mask or modify the taste of foods; and use-frequency and recalled pleasantness of foods and beverages.

The subjects varied the most in bitter and umami sensitivity. The most frequent taste confusions were between sourness and bitterness, and between umami and saltiness. Female gender and young age were related to higher taste sensitivity in general. None of the taste sensitivity measures was related to the pleasantness of foods. However, all of them were related to some aspects of food consumption, modality-specific sensitivity more broadly than the taste sensitivity score. The background factors were related to both food consumption and pleasantness.

This study highlights that actual behavior toward food should be investigated instead of hedonics concerning the associations with taste sensitivity. More detailed results can be achieved by focusing on sensitivity to taste modalities separately rather than using a general descriptor of taste sensitivity. Individual differences in taste perception should be acknowledged in all studies involving the sense of taste.