A Taste of the Science of Taste

Written By Devika Chauhan

Remember the sweet, comforting feeling you feel when eating a slice of chocolate cake? Or maybe the burning sensation when you bite into a chili pepper. Awareness of sensations is evidence of your taste buds at play. 

Our tongue is an important and special muscle that helps us detect temperatures, textures, and flavors. The five main flavors that the tongue can taste are; sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami. Umami is a sort of pleasant and savory taste that has often been categorized as “brothy” or “meaty.” This flavor can be found in foods such as parmesan cheese and soya sauces. On the surface of the tongue are small, visible bumps which are called papillae. Within the walls of the papillae, reside many taste buds. Each taste bud possesses between 50 - 150 taste receptor cells. These receptors extend upwards towards the taste pore where they are known as microvilli or taste hairs. The taste hairs are where the magic starts to happen. Every crumble and sip of food and drink consumed eventually comes in contact with the taste hairs, which are connected to the taste receptors. The receptors cells are then responsible for transmitting the taste signals to the nerves, which will then convey the signal to the brain along the nervous system. Once, the message has reached the brain, it can be comprehended by our knowledge of flavor, letting us know what our food tastes like. This is why, when we eat a hot chili, we reach for the nearest glass of water, because our taste receptors tell our brain that we’re eating something spicy. 

The tongue is certainly a crucial part of understanding taste, however, there is another part of the body that influences our taste. Our nose. As we bring a spoonful of food closer to our mouth, the aroma of it enters our nose, which also contains smell-signalers. Similar to the taste receptor cells in our tongue, the olfactory signalers in our nose, also send signals to our brain, categorizing certain foods with certain flavors. This is a primary reason why it often becomes difficult to taste food when you have a stuffy or congested nose. 

The average person has about 2,000 to 10,000 taste buds. But if you want to keep on enjoying all the wonderful flavors of various foods, it's important to maintain healthy taste buds. This can be done by maintaining good oral hygiene for your teeth, gum, and tongue, helping to prevent oral infections.

References

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, February 7). What Do Buds Taste? Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24684-taste-buds

SciShow Kids. (2016). Your Tongue: The Taste-Maker! On YouTube.

Written By Devika Chauhan from MEDILOQUY