When do we recognize a specific taste?

Tastes are detected by thousands of taste buds scattered along the tip, sides, and back of the tongue. There are also some near the lips, on the roof and sides of the mouth, and in the upper throat. Each taste bud is tiny – a microscopic bunch of about 50 cells which have furry, frilly tips. There are four main types of taste: sweet, sour, salty and bitter and these can be detected by different areas of the tongue. When molecules land on the frilly tip, the tastebud cells make nerve signals. These signals pass long small nerves which gather into two main nerves – the seventh and ninth cranial nerves. These signals then travel along them to the gustatory, or taste, area in the brain. You have around 10,000 taste buds on your tongue.

Fact File:

Smell enters the cavity behind the nose when you inhale. They also rise up from the back of the mouth as you eat, which is why smell is such an important part of enjoying food.

 

Picture Credit : Google