TASTE

The sense of taste refers to the ability of the taste organs to perceive and
recognize the five basic taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty and unami. The
components of food responsible for taste are non-volatile compounds.
They must be in solution or dissolve in saliva to produce the taste
response. Taste is sensed by the buds which lie mostly in grooves around
little projections on the upper surface of the tongue.
It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food,
certain minerals, and poisons.

TYPES OF TASTE:
1. BITTERNESS
Bitterness is the taste which detects bases. Bitterness is the most sensitive
of the tastes, and is perceived by many to be unpleasant, sharp, or
disagreeable. Common bitter foods and beverages include coffee,
unsweetened chocolate, bitter melon, beer, bitters, olives, citrus peel. The
most bitter substance known is the synthetic chemical denatonium, which
has an index of 1,000.
Research has shown that TAS2Rs (taste receptors, type 2, also known as
T2Rs) such as TAS2R38 coupled to the G protein gustducin are
responsible for the human ability to taste bitter substances. Researchers
use two synthetic substances, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-
propylthiouracil (PROP) to study the genetics of bitter perception.
Quinine, the anti-malarial prophylactic, is also known for its bitter taste
and is found in tonic water. Bitter taste is sensed at the back side of the
tongue.
2. SALTINESS
Saltiness is a taste produced primarily by the presence of sodium ions.
Other ions of the alkali metals group also taste salty. Salty taste is sensed
at the edges of the tongue

3. SOURNESS
Sourness is the taste that detects acidity. The sourness of substances is
rated relative to dilute hydrochloric acid, which has a sourness index of 1.
By comparison, tartaric acid has a sourness index of 0.7, citric acid an
index of 0.46, and carbonic acid an index of 0.06. 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.
The most common food group that contains naturally sour foods is the
fruit, with examples such as the lemon, grape, orange, and sometimes the
melon. Wine also usually has a sour tinge to its flavor. If not kept
correctly, milk can spoil and contain a sour taste. Sour taste is sensed at the
edges of the tongue
4. SWEETNESS
Sweetness, usually regarded as a pleasurable sensation, is produced by the
presence of sugars, some proteins and a few other substances. Sweetness is
often connected to aldehydes and ketones, which contain a carbonyl group.
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. Taste detection thresholds for sweet substances are
rated relative to sucrose, which has an index of 1.The average human
detection threshold for sucrose is 10 millimoles per litre. For lactose it is
30 millimoles per litre, with a sweetness index of 0.3. Sweet is sensed at
the tip of the tongue.
5. UMAMI
Umami is the name for the taste sensation produced by compounds such as
glutamate, and are commonly found in fermented and aged foods. In
English, it is also described as "meatiness", "relish", or "savoriness". The
Japanese word comes from umai ( 旨 い ?) for delicious, keen, or nice.
Umami is now the term commonly used by taste scientists.

Humans have taste receptors specifically for the detection of the amino
acids, e.g., glutamic acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins
and are found in meats, cheese, fish, and other protein-heavy foods.
Examples of food containing glutamate (and thus strong in umami) are
beef, lamb, parmesan, and roquefort cheese as well as soy sauce and fish
sauce.
The additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) produces a strong umami.
Umami is also provided by the nucleotides 5’-inosine monophosphate
(IMP) and 5’-guanosine monophosphate (GMP). These are naturally
present in many protein-rich foods. 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 TASTANT MOLECULES

Sucrose C12H22O11

Fructose C6H12O6

SUGARS

Glucose C6H12O6

Lactose C12H22O11

SALT Table Salt NaCl

 Denatonium C21H29N2O·C7H5O2

Caffeine C8H10N4O2

BITTER
TASTANT Quinine C20H24N2O2
S

PTC
(Phenylthiourea C7H8N2S
)

Humulone
C21H30O5
(beer)

UMAMI
Aspartate C4H7NO4
GOOD TO KNOW:
• Sweet - usually indicates energy rich nutrients
• Umami - the taste of amino acids (e.g. meat broth or aged cheese)

• Salty - allows modulating diet for electrolyte balance

• Sour - typically the taste of acids
• Bitter - allows sensing of diverse natural toxins
– We have almost 10,000 taste buds inside our mouths; even on the roofs of
our mouths.
– Insects have the most highly developed sense of taste. They have taste
organs on their feet, antennae, and mouthparts.
– Fish can taste with their fins and tail as well as their mouth.
– In general, girls have more taste buds than boys.
– Taste is the weakest of the five senses.

Taste Substance Threshold for tasting

Salty NaCl 0.01 M
Sour HCl 0.0009 M
Sweet Sucrose 0.01 M
Bitter Quinine 0.000008 M
Umami Glutamate 0.0007 M

FACTORS AFFECTING TASTE:

TEMPERATURE;
Sugared drink appears sweeter when hot than when cold.
Lemon drink taste more sour when it is hot than when cold.
Coffee and tea appears to be more bitter when cold then hot.
TIME:
Salt on the tongue is sensed in a fraction of seconds, whereas a bitter
substance may require a full second after it contacts the tongue before it is
sensed by the taste buds.
Other factors include:
• Aging
• Color/vision impairments
• Hormonal influences
• Genetic variations; see Phenylthiocarbamide

• Oral temperature
• Drugs and chemicals
• Natural Substances (such as Miracle fruit, which temporarily makes
sour foods taste sweeter)
Lemonade, for example, is made by combining lemon juice (sour),
sugar (sweet), and water. Without the sugar, the lemon juice—water
mixture tastes very sour. The more sugar is added, the less sour the
result tastes. Another example is tonic water, made by combining
quinine (extremely bitter), sugar (sweet), and water. The bitterness
causes many people to not perceive tonic water as sweet, even though it
contains as much sugar as an ordinary soft drink.

TASTE AND THE TONGUE

 Taste cells throughout the mouth
and throat cluster together to form taste buds. Isolated taste buds are
scattered on the surface of the palate and throat, but on the tongue they are
grouped in specialized structures called papillae:
mushroom-shaped fungiform papillae in the front of the tongue, leaf-
shaped foliate papillae protruding from the sides, and circumvallate
papillae arrayed in a chevron at the back of the tongue. The tips of the taste
cells reach toward a tiny opening on the tongue - the gustatory pore -
through which food chemicals can fall. Nerve endings for the taste system
and for the touch/temperature/pain system surround the base of the taste
bud cells.

FROM TONGUE TO BRAIN

Three nerves bring taste messages to the brainstem: the facial nerve, shown in
the picture above, which brings messages from the anterior two-thirds of the
tongue; the hypoglossal nerve, which brings messages from the posterior
tongue; and the glossopharyngeal nerve, which brings messages from the throat
area and the palate. The nerve carrying messages from the
touch/temperature/pain system is called the trigeminal nerve. All of these
nerves bring their messages to the brainstem, where they combine their signals
in areas of the brainstem that are involved with arousal (for example from
sleep), As taste messages move further through the brain, they join up with
smell messages to give the sensation of flavor.