What's The Worst Flavor In The World?

of all the flavors in the entire world which one is considered scientifically the worst I mean there has to be one flavor that towers above the rest with regards to how vile it is right we know who to call for this one that's right our old pal Brainerd he'll eat anything for science and that includes eating some of the worst tasting fruits out there so we can get to the bottom of what happens when we taste how we taste what makes something taste awful and of course what is scientifically considered the worst flavor in the world hey Brainerd thanks man you're really doing us a solid on this one just be sure to use some mouthwash after you're done tasting all these foods we're about to serve up because today's about to get pretty gosh-darn disgusting our sense of taste is a pretty complicated process but it is absolutely essential for our survival the reason humans can even taste it all is because in our ancient past it was an evolutionary advantage to be able to taste something rather than not taste something think of it this way with each generation every time parents pass on their genes to their offspring tiny mutations and random variations occur in the DNA sometimes this results in traits that can actually help the next generation survive better and on the flip side it sometimes could result in a trait that either does nothing or actually makes it more difficult for the next generation to survive but in the case of tasting this most likely started way back in our evolutionary past where a random mutation allowed a new generation to be able to detect whether a food they were ingesting was poisonous or not based on a quality like say bitterness as you can guess this was a very advantageous ability natural selection or the process that says organisms with an ability that helps them survive in their environment will pass on those genes to the next generation would very much come into play here and thus the ability to taste something and know if it was good to eat or not was passed on and on and on and on and remains a trait that we currently have today so here's the short version something that was sour most likely was bad for us something that was sweet was most likely good and that's why we taste but how do we do this oh man this is where things get a little complicated our tongues are lined with taste papillae or those little bumpy dudes that you can feel on the top of your tongue these taste papillae are in turn made up of your taste buds of which we have about 10,000 up on our tongues which are themselves made up of about 50 gustatory receptor cells every gustatory receptor has a small gustatory hair which is a tiny spindle like structure this is what will come in contact with the molecules that enter your mouth like food and when that happens the sensation of taste starts an electrical impulse is sent to the gustatory area of our cerebral cortex in our brains this bringer is how we know what we are tasting from sweet to sour to salty too bitter to savory these are the five types of tastes out there and through the mixing and matching of these five tastes our brains let us know if what we are eating is good for us or not the blood hold on taste is one thing but what about some things flavor believe it or not there is actually a difference between flavor and taste flavor is a mix of many different senses not only is taste taken into account but smell temperature and texture are all mixed together to result in what we think of as a flavor don't believe us well ever try to drink wine out of something other than a wineglass you may have thought hmm this doesn't really taste the same and you'd be right the shape of a wine glass is ideal for allowing the smell of the wine to hit your nose and also the speed at which the wine will enter your mouth these seemingly not related aspects of drinking a glass of wine are exactly what make the experience what it is so yes drinking wine out of just your normal average everyday glass is going to affect its flavor who'da thought here's a simple experiment you can do at home to test how different senses affect flavor the next time you're about to take a big bite of your delicious dinner try holding your nose before as well as during your next flight you'll find it much harder to sense the flavor of what you are eating again this is because our sense of smell is tied directly with our sense of taste to assess flavor and when we chew our food tiny molecules travel up to our nose and help our brains make that fully formed decision on whether something is flavorful or on an evolutionary level if something is safe and nutritious to eat or if it's something you should just spit out another simple experiment you could try try eating blindfolded and see how this affects your sense of taste so now we know how we taste and we know all the things that are taken into account when deducing a foods flavor so let's get down to it what's the worst flavor ever as in ever ever in the history of the world can science deduce what is the absolute nastiest most nausea-inducing disgustingly bitter flavor ever brainerd thanks again for volunteering cuz we have a few contenders for you let's first serve you up what Anthony Bourdain once called unspeakably nasty we are talking about the Icelandic delicacy fermented shark also known as cow cut here's the thing though Anthony Bourdain was absolutely a food expert but his assessment of this food is still his opinion another food expert and editor Ragnar edge Wilson later commented on Bourdain's reaction and said celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain famously called how call the worst thing he had ever eaten this may have been colored by an overall miserable visit to Iceland or by the fact that Anthony Bourdain is a huge hey we aren't here to pass judgment one person's disgusting shark meal is another person's rare and delicious delicacy Brainerd we'll leave this one up to you and your own personal tastes but we still want to get to the bottom of this is there a scientifically proven flavor that is so vile it could be dubbed the worst flavor in the world Oh make sure you keep some water nearby Brainerd because we very well may have the tender drumroll please we'd like to introduce you to the chemical known as denatonium benzoate which more commonly goes by the name Victrix this chemical was discovered kind of by accident in 1958 scientists at a pharmaceutical research company called mcfarland smith were doing routine work on anesthetics when they realized that when in powdered form denatonium benzoate was extremely bitter and we're talking extremely bitter just how bitter you asked hmm maybe this will put it into perspective take one teaspoon of bit ryx and drop it into an Olympic sized swimming pool remember that's over six hundred and sixty thousand gallons of water and you would still be able to taste it it's incredibly ridiculously surprisingly and apparently unavoidably bitter ready to sprinkle a little on your pasta brain yard or how about we use it instead of sugar for your coffee wow you really are a trooper and yep your face says it all that's exactly the reaction we were expecting so this substance tastes incredibly nasty which on the surface may make it seem like it's discovery was also completely useless however the thing about bit tricks is it's also completely odorless colorless and harmless you heard that right Brainerd contrary to what your tastebuds are telling you this substance is absolutely safe to eat sure you may think the next logical step is to buy a big bag full and sprinkle it on your siblings dinner as a prank but scientists found a much better use for it as a deterrent for common household cleaners that could potentially be poisonous hey when life gives you incredibly sour lemons make well something else really really really bitter with them and that's exactly what bit tricks is used for today by adding it to potentially harmful liquids that are kept in our homes we are protecting kids and toddlers who are being maybe a little too curious and would maybe decide to take a big swig of that detergent but here's the thing adding bit tricks actually works quite well by making these potentially harmful cleaners and household products taste absolutely terrible there's a good chance that if someone started to drink it they would spit it right out looks like being the worst tasting substance in the world also makes you the best line of defense against accidentally ingesting something poisonous a few common products that contain this super bitter chemical are disinfectants toilet cleaner fabric conditioner hard surface cleaner air fresheners laundry detergent capsules and potpourri oil ah because it's added in we're all a little safer well done bit tricks well done as you can imagine leave it to the internet to find out about a chemical like bit tricks and make well a bit tricks challenge if you want to see how people react to bit tricks but aren't ready to try it yourself and hey we really don't blame you then be sure to search bit tricks taste test to see exactly what people think of the bitterest substance in the world well there you have it brain iord you buckle down face the elements and tried a bit of this bit trick stuff and of course you'll live to tell the tale after all it's not poisonous it's just absolutely disgusting but hey leave it to scientists to put it to good use a few grams of bit ryx in something like home cleaning solutions or detergents will make anyone who decides to try them spit them right out and good thing to considering most of these products are very poisonous in the meantime if you're really craving sour we say stick to lemons limes and grapefruits brainier they're healthy delicious and packed with vitamin C you'll get all the sour and some healthy bonuses too [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Brainiac

Views: 133,349

Rating: 4.8881512 out of 5

Keywords: Brainiac, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory, flavor, bitrex, worst flavor, taste buds, taste test, taste and see

Id: yzYUS0bP2QI

Length: 10min 53sec (653 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 05 2020