The taste (or tasting ) is one of the five senses and it is through him that the flavors are perceived.
The tongue , the main organ of this sense, has on its surface most of the taste buds or lingual papillae , which are small elevations full of sensory cells whose nerve endings receive the flavors of food and communicate them to the brain, thus triggering nerve impulses that have as a result taste sensations .
Substances that do not trigger nerve impulses that result in these sensations are considered tasteless, as is the case with water.
Before, it was believed that each papilla was responsible for perceiving only one of the primary taste sensations (sweet, salty, sour and bitter) .
Nowadays, it is known that these sensations, as well as hundreds of others derived from combinations between them, can be perceived by all papillae, varying only the degree of intensity of perception of each one according to the region of the tongue.
Important Factors in Perception of Taste
- Condition : the papillae are only able to receive the taste of substances in the liquid state.
- Smell : it is directly related to the perception of taste sensations. The substances, when in the mouth, release odors that spread through the nose and assist in the perception of specific flavors among substances of the same flavor. It helps, for example, to differentiate the taste of an apple from that of a pear, even though both taste sweet. When we have a stuffy nose, we notice a reduction in sensitivity in our taste, which often makes it seem that even the most tasty food is “tasteless”.
- The odor of a food can also be sufficient to stimulate the production of saliva.
- Saliva : works by dissolving solid substances so that they can have their taste received by the papillae.
- Temperature : it has a direct influence on the perception of flavors, since the sour taste becomes more evident in cold substances, just as the sweet taste is better perceived in hot substances.
Taste Diseases
- Ageusia : reduction or loss of taste.
- Dysgeusia : distortion or decreased taste, and may even achieve a complete loss of sense of taste.
Can Affect Taste
- Mouth ulcers
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Zinc deficiency
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Herpes
- Medication intake
- Stuffy nose
- Oral health problems
- Smoking