phen·yl·thi·o·car·ba·mide

(fĕn′əl-thī′ō-kär′bə-mīd′, -kär-băm′īd, fē′nəl-)

n. Abbr. PTC

A crystalline compound, C₇H₈N₂S, that tastes intensely bitter to people with a specific dominant gene and is used to test for the presence of the gene. Also called phenylthiourea.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

phen•yl•thi•o•car•ba•mide

(ˌfɛn lˌθaɪ oʊˈkɑr bəˌmaɪd, -mɪd, -kɑrˈbæm aɪd, -ɪd, ˌfin-)

n.

a crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C₆H₅NHCSNH₂, that is either tasteless or bitter, depending upon the heredity of the taster, and is used in medical genetics and as a diagnostic.Abbr.: PTC Also called phen`yl•thi`o•u•re′a (-yʊˈri ə, -ˈyʊər i ə)

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References in periodicals archive

Genetics, physiology and phenylthiocarbamide. J Hered.

A comparative study of taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide in pregnant and nonpregnant females

Compared with the human TAS2R38 receptor, the cat receptor was 10 times less sensitive to a key bitter compound called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC).

Why they're 'picky' eaters: it may be in their genes

Supertasters are defined by whether they can detect the presence of two bitter-tasting compounds, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and propylthiouracil (PROP), and geneticists have shown that this ability depends to a large extent on certain variations of a gene known as TAS2R38.

Bumpiness of tongue not linked to having more taste buds: Study

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