Buried within that cluster is a gene called OR6A2, which encodes a receptor that makes people sensitive to the aldehyde chemicals contributing to cilantro's characteristic flavor. After surveying nearly 30,000 people, the scientists singled it down to the OR6A2 gene. One of the eight genes near the SNP we identified codes for a receptor called OR6A2, which is known to detect aldehydes such as those found in cilantro. The strongest-linked variant is traced to a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes that influence smell.One of those genes is OR6A2, which is very … He explains that after conducting a few separate studies, scientists were able to pin down most cilantro haters as people with a shared group of olfactory-receptor genes, called OR6A2, that pick up on the smell of aldehyde chemicals. This finding isn’t going to solve the problem of people plagued by the “devil herb” from having to pick cilantro out of their guacamole, but it does tell us much more about the genetics around taste perception. via Nature News Journal information: arXiv Thus, it was concluded that OR6A2 may be the olfactory receptor which contributes to the identification of soapy smell and in turn serves as the root for the soapy taste of cilantro leaves. Nature reports that a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, led by Nicholas Eriksson at the consumer genetics firm 23andMe, asked participants whether or not cilantro tasted like soap and whether or not they liked it. "How cilantro tastes to you has a lot to do with your genes," says SciShow's Hank Green. Sources Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Only Some People? The folks behind the personal genomics company 23andMe published a study that proposed that the olfactory receptor gene OR6A2 could be responsible for detecting a soapy odor in cilantro… The key aroma components in cilantro consist of various aldehydes, in particular (E)-2-alkenals and n-aldehydes.In a study conducted by genomics company 23andMe, scientists discovered that a reception gene identified as OR6A2, which resides on chromosome 11, is responsible for … Aldehyde chemicals are found in both cilantro … A person who has the cilantro gene will usually be the one who determines which Mexican restaurant you go to, because they know there are … We found a genetic variant near the gene OR6A2 associated with thinking cilantro tasted like soap. We propose that OR6A2 may be the olfactory receptor that contributes to the detection of a soapy smell from cilantro in European populations. Cornell University conducted its own study on more than 14,000 participants and traced the preference of cilantro to an olfactory receptor gene “OR6A2,” which is … Some study participants without the OR6A2 gene also reported saying that cilantro tasted soapy, leading researchers to believe there may … This gene “codes for the receptor that picks up the scent of aldehyde chemicals” — these chemicals are found in cilantro and soap, which is why many people anecdotally say cilantro tastes like soap.