Download The Sense Of Taste

The Sense Of Taste
Why We Taste
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We taste because without taste we would not
have a desire for food. The reason that we
have different types of taste is because we
need certain nutrients, and certain toxins are
bad for us. For example, we taste salty foods
because we need sodium chloride, we like
sweets since we need carbohydrates and
sugar is a form of carbohydrates. The reason
that we taste bitter and sour (which is a
negative taste) is because many poisons and
toxins taste bitter or sour.
Taste
Taste Qualities
Properties Of The Taste System
You can taste 5 different reactions: salty,
umami ( savory), sour, sweet, bitter.
 A single taste bud contains 50-100 taste
cells that can taste all 5 taste sensations
 Smell and taste are related because they
are both controlled by the same part of
the brain.
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Smell and Taste Relationship
Taste

The papillae of the
tongue
 Four types:
1) Filiform; entire
surface; no taste
buds
2) Fungiform; tip and
sides
3) Foliate; sides
4) circumvallate; back
Taste
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The taste bud. All papillae except filiform contain
taste buds (n=10,000). No buds in the center of
the tongue. Bud is a cluster of taste cells.
Taste
Sweet:Na selective channel ,or activate AC –cAMP-closing Kselective
channel
 Bitter:IP3-iCa increase- active synapses
 Salty:amiloride sensitive Na channel
 Sour:iH increase-block K channel
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Taste
CNS Pathways
Taste
Taste and Smell produce Flavor. Percent correctly
recognizing smell with nostrils open (solid) or
closed (shaded)
Taste
Brain Processing of Flavor
Sour
Sourness is the taste that detects acids.
 The taste of sour is sharp, tart or tangy
 Some sour food items are whisky, lemon
or lime juice and soda water
 Sour is also a negative taste because
rotten food often taste sour

Salty
The reason we taste salt is (as stated
earlier) because our bodies need sodium
chloride which aids in the absorption of
other nutrients in the small intestine,
regulates blood pressure, and acidic
balances in the body.
 The salty substance we have given you
to taste is table salt note how the taste is
briny.

Bitter
Bitterness may taste sharp, acrid and
unpleasant
 Many people find bitter tastes to be too
strong.
 Bitter is also negative because it
resembles toxins or poisons.
 Some foods that taste bitter are some
chocolates, ginger , and olives directly
from the tree

Sweet
Sweetness is produced by the presence
of sugars, some proteins and a few other
substances
 The reason why we taste sweetness is
the need for carbohydrates which is
present in sugars as previously stated
 Foods that are sweet are honey, sugars,
fruits and any confections

Umami (Savory)
Savoriness or umami is the name for the
taste sensation produced by the fats
commonly found in fermented and aged
foods.
 The additive monosodium glutamate
(MSG) often gives a very savory taste.
 Foods that taste savory are cheeses, soy
sauce, meats, walnuts

How We Taste

If you were to look at your tongue you would
see many small fleshy colored spots these are
called papillae, these papillae contain about
252 taste buds, which are the cells that sense
taste.
 Taste all starts when molecules from foods are
mixed with saliva this reaction gives the taste
buds a signal, which in turn sends a signal to
the gustatory nerves, the taste nerves, they
send messages to the brain which sends the
right response back to the taste buds and so
that response is what we taste.
Taste Among Individuals

Every persons tastes are different,
nobody likes all the same foods. This is
because everyone has different
experience, certain factors affect likes
and dislikes of tastes such as: smoker or
non-smoker, age and now as scientists
have discovered it can also be
hereditary…
Taste Among Individuals cont.
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As in super-tasters, normal tasters, non-tasters
Super-tasters have more taste buds then average and
therefore and more sensitive to taste and make up
25% of the population
Normal tasters have average amounts of taste buds
and make up 50% of the population and this is the
dominant trait
Non-tasters have less taste buds than average and
therefore have less sensitive tastes and things taste
bland to them and it is a recessive trait and they make
up 25% of the population
Durian
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Durian is a fruit from the South East Asia.
30 known species of durian
They are covered in a very thorny husk and range from 11-15
inches in diameter and weight around 11 pounds
The husk is normally a bright green and the flesh inside is a bright
yellow
They can be found at many specialty Asian food markets