Taste & Saliva Study | Clinical Research Studies Listing

Recruiting

18 years - 45 years

All

Phase N/A

30 participants needed

1 Location

Brief description of study

Monell Chemical Senses Center in collaboration with Penn Medicine is conducting a study to understand how people perceive the quality and intensity of different tastes. To take part in this study, you must be healthy, between 18 and 45 years old, fluent in English, and willing to fast for at least one hour prior to each testing session.

Detailed description of study

This is an in-person study. All sessions will be conducted at Monell Chemical Senses Center (3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104). Participation involves one test session of about 50–60 minutes. During the session, you will be asked to taste and rate the intensity of different sweet solutions, and we will also collect saliva samples. There may be opportunities for follow-up sessions at a later date. Following completion of the study, you will receive $20 in Tango gift cards.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the following REDCap screening survey. If you qualify, you will be provided a Calendly link to select an appointment from the available dates. If availability runs out, you will be contacted when the next round of testing opens. If you have any questions, please contact carbtastestudy@monell.org.

Eligibility of study

You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:

Conditions: Healthy
Age: 18 years - 45 years
Gender: All

Inclusion

Generally Healthy
Fluent in English

Exclusion

smoking
taking prescription pain medication
history of taste, smell, or other oral disorders
history of middle ear surgery
current oral lesions, canker sores, or piercings
are diabetic or taking insulin
have any food allergy
have a chronic gastrointestinal condition
on a calorie-restrictive diet

Updated on 14 Sep 2026. Study ID: 24-1159

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