Bacteria | Population | Effect on taste perception | Potential mechanisms | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bacteria in saliva | ||||
 Lactobacilli | Elderly, acutely hospitalized adults | Inverse association with sour taste* | Metabolites synthesized by bacteria increase sour threshold | [107] |
 Actinobacteria | Healthy adults | Inverse association with salty taste sensitivity* Inverse association with sensitivity for sweet, sour, bitter, umami taste+ | Metabolite production Saliva flow and pH | [108] |
 Bacteroidetes | Healthy adults | Positive association with salty taste sensitivity+ Inverse association with sensitivity for sour, and umami taste+ | Metabolite production Saliva flow and pH | [108] |
 Firmicutes | Healthy adults | Inverse association with sensitivity to sweet, sour, salty and bitter taste+ | Metabolite production Saliva flow and pH | [108] |
 Proteobacteria | Healthy adults | Inverse association with sensitivity for salty taste+ Positive association with sensitivity for umami taste + | Metabolite production Saliva flow and pH | [108] |
 Fusobacteria | Healthy adults | Inverse association with sensitivity for salty taste + | Metabolite production Saliva flow and pH | [108] |
 Bacteroidetes Bacteroidia | Obese and non-obese children and adolescentes | Higher Bacteroidetes abundance associated with lower total and bitter taste sensitivity | Not specified | [15] |
Bacteria in tongue film | ||||
 Actinobacteria | Healthy adults | Inverse association with sensitivity for sour and umami taste+ Positive association with sensitivity for bitter taste + | Metabolite production Tongue film weight and pH | [96] |
 Bacteroidetes | Healthy adults | Positive association with sensitivity for bitter taste * and salty and sweet taste+ | Metabolite production Tongue film weight and pH | [108] |
 Firmicutes | Healthy adults | Inverse association with bitter and umami taste+ | Metabolite production Tongue film weight and pH | [108] |
 Proteobacteria | Healthy adults | inverse association with salty taste+ positive association with umami taste+ | Metabolite production Tongue film weight and pH | [108] |
 Fusobacteria | Healthy adults | inverse association with salty and sour taste+ | Metabolite production Tongue film weight and pH | [108] |
 Actinomyces, Oribacterium, Solobacterium, Catonella, Campylobacter | PROP$-tasters vs non-tasters | Overexpression associated with higher responsiveness to bitter taste* | Not specified | [119] |
 Peptococcus, Peptostreptoccoccus, Parvimonas, Lachnoanerobaculum, Prevotella, Fusobacterium | Healthy adults | Inversely associated with salty taste sensitivity* | Not specified | [29] |
 Bergeyella, Peptostreptoccoccus,Lachnoanerobaculum, | Healthy adults | Inversely associated with sour and sour sensitivity* | Not specified | [29] |
 Rothia | Healthy adults | Positive association with salty taste sensitivity* | Not specified | [29] |
 Streptococcus mutans | Visually impaired children | Decreased taste sensitivity to PROP (bitter)* | Not specified | [120] |
 Bacteroides | Obese adults | Increase in alpha-diversity in obese low-lipid tasters* higher frequency in low lipid tasters positive association with lipid taste* | Metabolite production | [28] |
 Lachnospiracea | Obese adults | Negative association with lipid taste* | Metabolite production | [21] |