The Sense of Taste

Content:
Pg. 2-3 The sense of taste

Pg. 4 The five basic tastes

Group #5

Isis A. Buezo
Pg. 5 How does our taste sense work?

Douglas Aguilar Pg.6 Taste Disorders

Alicia López Pg.7 More causes of taste disorder.

Rafael Mejía Pg. 8 Change and effects on behavior because of loss of sense.

Edilberto Bueso Pg. 9 Experiment

Introduction
Taste is the ability to respond to dissolved molecules and ions called tastants. Any chemical that stimulates the sensory
cells in a taste bud. Humans detect taste with taste receptor cells. These are clustered in taste buds. Each taste bud
has a pore that opens out to the surface of the tongue enabling molecules and ions taken into the mouth to reach the
receptor cells inside.

Taste (or, more formally, gustation) is a form of direct chemoreception and is one of the traditional fivesenses. It refers to
the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, andpoisons. 
 The Sense of Taste
Taste is to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food and poisons. In humans and many other vertebrate
animals the sense of taste partners with the less direct sense of smell, in the brain's perception of flavor. Taste is a
sensory function of the central nervous system. The receptor cells for taste in humans are found on the surface of the
tongue clustered in taste buds. Taste buds are small structures on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, and
epiglottis that provide information about the taste of food being eaten. Each taste bud has a pore that opens out to the
surface of the tongue enabling molecules and ions taken into the mouth to reach the receptor cells inside.
Portion of the tongue: Two fungiform
papillæ are shown. Filiform papillæ stand
erect, in one they are spread out, and in
three they are folded in.

The majority of taste buds on the tongue sit on bulkiness

of the tongue

surface called papillae. There are four types in the

human tongue:

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  Fungiform papillae - as the name suggests, these are slightly mushroom shaped if looked at in section. These are
present mostly at the apex (tip) of the tongue.
 Filiform papillae - these are thin, long papillae that don't contain taste buds but are the most numerous. These
papillae are mechanical and not involved in gustation.
 Foliate papillae - these are ridges and grooves towards the posterior part of the tongue.
 Circumvallates papillae - there are only about 3-14 of these papillae on most people, and they are present at the
back of the oral part of the tongue. They are arranged in a circular-shaped row just in front of the sulcus terminalis
of the tongue.

Psychophysicists have long suggested the existence of four taste 'primaries', referred to as the basic tastes: sweetness,
sourness, bitterness, and saltiness.

Umami, or savoriness, has been suggested as a fifth basic taste, exemplified by the non-salty sensations evoked by
Monosodium glutamate. All of these taste sensations arise from all regions of the oral cavity, despite the common
misperception of a "taste map" of sensitivity to different tastes thought to correspond to specific areas of the tongue.

The receptors for all known basic tastes have been identified. The receptors for sour and salty are ion channels while the
receptors for sweet, bitter and umami belong to the class of G protein coupled receptors.

Ion channels are pore-forming proteins that help establish the small voltage gradient that exists across the membrane of
all living cells, by allowing the flow of ions down their electrochemical gradient. They are present in the membranes that
surround all biological cells.

G-protein-linked receptors (GPLR), are a large protein family of transmembrane receptors that sense molecules outside
the cell and activate inside signal transduction pathways and, ultimately, cellular responses.

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 Five Basic Tastes
SALTINESS

Saltiness is a taste produced primarily by the presence of sodium ions. They can pass directly through ion channels in the
tongue, generating an action potential.

SOURNESS

Sourness is the taste that detects acidity. The mechanism for detecting sour taste is similar to that which detects salt taste.
Hydrogen ion channels detect the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+ ions) that are formed from acids and water.
Hydrogen ions are capable of permeating the amiloride-sensitive sodium channels, but this is not the only mechanism
involved in detecting the quality of sourness.

SWEETNESS

Sweetness is produced by the presence of sugars, some proteins and a few other substances. Sweetness is detected by
a variety of G protein coupled receptors coupled to the G protein gustducin found on the taste buds. At least two different
variants of the "sweetness receptors" need to be activated for the brain to register sweetness. The compounds which the
brain senses as sweet are thus compounds that can bind with varying bond strength to two different sweetness receptors.
These receptors are T1R2+3 (heterodimer) and T1R3 (homodimer), which are shown to be accountable for all sweet
sensing in humans.

BITTERNESS

Research has shown that TAS2Rs (taste receptors, type 2) such as TAS2R16 coupled to the G protein gustducin are
responsible for the human ability to taste bitter substances. They are identified not only by their ability to taste for certain
"bitter" ligands, but also by the morphology of the receptor itself (surface bound, monomeric). Common bitter foods and
beverages include coffee, unsweetened chocolate, bitter melon, beer, uncured olives, citrus peel, many plants in the
Brassicaceae family, dandelion greens and escarole. Quinine is also known for its bitter taste and is found in tonic water.

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UMAMI

Umami is the name for the taste sensation produced by compounds such as glutamate, are commonly found in fermented
and aged foods. In English, it is sometimes described as "meaty" or "savoury". The glutamate taste sensation is most
intense in combination with sodium chloride (table salt). Some umami taste buds respond specifically to glutamate in the
same way that sweet ones respond to sugar. Glutamate binds to a variant of G protein coupled glutamate receptors.
Examples of food containing glutamate (and thus strong in the umami taste) are parmesan and Roquefort cheese as well
as soy sauce and fish sauce. It is also found in significant amounts in various unfermented foods such as walnuts, grapes,
broccoli, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and to a lesser degree in meat.

How Does Our Taste Sense Work?

Taste belongs to our chemical sensing system, or the chemosenses. The complex process of tasting begins when tiny
molecules released by the substances around us stimulate special cells in the nose, mouth, or throat. These special
sensory cells transmit messages through nerves to the brain, where specific tastes are identified.

Gustatory or taste cells react to food and beverages. These surface cells in the mouth send taste information to their nerve
fibers. The taste cells are clustered in the taste buds of the mouth, tongue, and throat. Many of the small bumps that can
be seen on the tongue contain taste buds.

Another chemosensory mechanism, called the common chemical sense, contributes to appreciation of food flavor. In this
system, thousands of nerve endings--especially on the moist surfaces of the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat--give rise to
sensations like the sting of ammonia, the coolness of menthol, and the irritation of chili peppers.

We can commonly identify at least five different taste sensations: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami (the taste elicited by
glutamate, which is found in chicken broth, meat extracts, and some cheeses). In the mouth, these tastes, along with
texture, temperature, and the sensations from the common chemical sense, combine with odors to produce a perception
of flavor. It is flavor that lets us know whether we are eating a pear or an apple. Some people are surprised to learn that
flavors are recognized mainly through the sense of smell.

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Saliva
Saliva is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. As part of
the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the
molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay.

Taste Disorders
The most common true taste complaint is phantom taste perceptions. Additionally, testing may demonstrate a reduced
ability to taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami, which is called hypogeusia.

Some people can detect no tastes, called ageusia. True taste loss is rare; perceived loss usually reflects a smell loss,
which is often confused with a taste loss.

In other disorders of the chemical senses, the system may misread and or distort an odor, a taste, or a flavor. Or a person
may detect a foul taste from a substance that is normally pleasant tasting.

CAUSES

Some people are born with chemosensory disorders, but most develop them after an injury or illness. Upper respiratory
infections are blamed for some chemosensory losses, and injury to the head can also cause taste problems.

Loss of taste can also be caused by exposure to certain chemicals such as insecticides and by some medicines. Taste
disorders may result from oral health problems and some surgeries (e.g. third molar extraction and middle ear surgery).
Many patients who receive radiation therapy for cancers of the head and neck develop chemosensory disorders.

The eating disorder anorexia nervosa may affect women's taste sensations. The brain scans showed that the women who
had had anorexia had less activity in their insula (structure of the human brain) when drinking the plain water and the
sugary water than women who hadn't had anorexia.

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More causes are:

 Loss of sense of smell

 Diseases of the oral mucosa

 Benign or cancerous lesions

 Infections

 Disorders of saliva and the salivary glands

 Radiation/chemotherapy

 Sjogren's syndrome

 Medications

 Disorders of the nerves of taste

 Oral, neck, or ear trauma or surgery

 Tumors

 Viral infection/Bell's palsy

 Brain disorders affecting taste

 Stroke

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 Tumor

 Seizures

 Multiple sclerosis

 Infection/meningitis

 Disorders leading to abnormal taste sensations

 Sinus infection

 Tonsillitis

 Gastric reflux

 Liver failure

 Dental disease

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Change of behavior because of loss of the sense
1. Less involved in interpersonal communication, leading to decreased quality of
life, and contributing to depression and apathy.
2. The decline in taste sensitivity with aging is worsened by smoking, chewing
tobacco, and poor oral care. This results in more complaints about food tasting
unpleasant or unappetizing, and sometimes causing the person to stop eating
altogether;
3. With aging, there is a decline in the sense of smell, resulting in a decreased
ability to identify odors. Also the person with a declining sense of smell is more
tolerant of unpleasant odors, and this can be further exacerbated by smoking,
some medications, and certain illnesses.

Effects on behavior because of loss of taste

1. The impairment in the ability to distinguish flavors in foods for those with
dementia results in diminished eating pleasure, and a loss of appetite.
Recommendation: more attention to and greater awareness of the importance of
eating, and reminders of having eaten, which can minimize the risk of malnutrition
and dehydration.
2. The impaired sense of taste and smell can result in a serious inability to sense
danger, such as gas leaks, smoke or other odors, which would obviously interfere
with taking necessary steps for safety. Also, problems with taste may cause the
person to overcook or use spoiled foods, raising the risk of food poisoning.
Recommendation: use smoke detectors, clean out refrigerators regularly, and
check drawers for food hoarding.

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 No Saliva, No Taste?

In order for food to have taste, chemicals from the food must first dissolve in saliva. Once dissolved, the chemicals can be
detected by receptors on taste buds.

Therefore, if there is no saliva, you should not be able to taste anything. To test this theory, dry your tongue with a clean
paper towel. Once your tongue is dry, try tasting a few samples of salt, sugar or other dry foods. Rinse your mouth and dry
your tongue after each test.

Materials:

 Food items - sugar, salt, crackers and other dry food

 Clean paper towels
 Water (for rinsing in between tests)

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