Taste Buds: New Research on How We Perceive Flavor
Scientists have released new insights into how taste buds function, clarifying the distinction between “taste” and “flavor.” Three of the four types of papillae—the small bumps on a mammal’s tongue—contain 50 to 100 taste cells each. These cells sense five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. While these fundamental signals drive what we taste, “flavor” encompasses additional factors like smell, texture, and even temperature. This means our overall eating experience is a sum of multiple senses, not taste alone. Experts say the findings may help us better understand picky eating, overeating, and how aroma significantly impacts our food choices.
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Key Entities
- • Papillae: Small, bump-like structures on the tongue’s surface; three contain taste buds, one detects texture.
- • Taste Buds: Clusters of chemosensory cells that detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
- • Flavor vs. Taste: Taste is chemical detection by taste buds; flavor is a total sensation involving smell and texture.
- • Umami: Known as the “fifth taste,” often associated with savory foods (e.g., mushrooms, aged cheeses).
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