Taste

Taste Buds and Gustatory Cortex

• Taste buds are located on the tongue, roof, sides, back of the mouth, and throat.
• The tongue is covered with papillae, which contain taste buds.
• Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.
• Taste buds can detect the five basic tastes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami.
• Taste buds interact with different molecules or ions to distinguish different tastes.
• The gustatory cortex is responsible for the perception of taste.
• It processes the signals received from taste buds.
• The gustatory cortex is located in the brain.
• It helps in identifying and distinguishing different tastes.
• Damage to the gustatory cortex can affect the sense of taste.

Basic Tastes

• The five basic tastes are sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami.
• Sweetness helps identify energy-rich foods.
• Sourness can signal under-ripe or spoiled foods.
• Saltiness is important for ion and water homeostasis in the body.
• Bitterness can warn against potential poisons.
• Umami is the taste of savory and meaty flavors.

Factors Affecting Taste

• Taste is influenced by factors such as smell, texture, temperature, and coolness/hotness.
• Smell, detected by the olfactory epithelium, contributes to the flavor of food.
• Texture is detected through various mechanoreceptors.
• Temperature receptors detect the temperature of food.
• Coolness (menthol) and hotness (pungency) are detected by chemesthesis.

Taste Perception

• Taste perception can change with aging.
• Tongue papillae are lost and saliva production decreases with age.
• Distortion of tastes (dysgeusia) can occur in humans.
• Different mammals have different taste abilities.
• Some animals have lost the ability to sense certain tastes.

Subtopics (Sweetness, Sourness, Saltiness, Bitterness, Umami)

• Sweetness is produced by sugars and sugar mimics.
• Sweetness is detected by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) on taste buds.
• Activation of at least two different sweetness receptors is required for the brain to register sweetness.
• The sweetness receptors are T1R2+3 (heterodimer) and T1R3 (homodimer).
• Natural sweeteners activate GPCR and release gustducin, while synthetic sweeteners activate different GPCRs.
• Sourness detects acidity.
• Sourness is rated relative to dilute hydrochloric acid.
• Type III taste receptor cells detect sour taste.
• H+ ions can directly enter taste cells through a proton channel.
• Sourness causes taste cells to fire action potentials and release neurotransmitter.
• Saltiness has a low-salt signal and a high-salt signal.
• The low-salt signal is caused by the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC).
• ENaC allows sodium cations to enter taste cells and depolarize them.
• Potassium, lithium, and rubidium ions trigger the low-salt signal.
• The saltiness of substances is rated relative to sodium chloride (NaCl).
• Bitterness is perceived as unpleasant and sharp.
• Bitter taste has multiple receptors and signal transduction pathways.
• Bitter substances bind to G protein-coupled receptors.
• Gustducin and phosphodiesterase are involved in the transduction pathway.
• Bitterness is found in various foods and beverages, including coffee, cocoa, and bitter gourd.
• Umami is detected by taste receptors for glutamate.
• The receptors are coupled to the G protein Gα-gustducin.
• Umami taste enhances the perception of other flavors.
• Foods rich in umami include tomatoes, mushrooms, and soy sauce.

Taste Mentions

https://alternix.com/blogs/news/bestselling-nicotine-pouches
https://alternix.com/blogs/news/the-best-nicotine-pouch-brands
https://alternix.com/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-nicotine-pouches
https://alternix.com/blogs/news/how-to-use-a-nicotine-pouch

Taste Data Sources

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://www.alternix.com/blogs/glossary-of-terms/taste
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124794
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/02z3fc