Question

How does the tongue detect taste ?

Answer 1

Taste is detected by the taste buds on the tongue. Numerous taste papillae are visible to naked eyes as small dots on the tongue. Each papillae contains hundreds of taste buds. When, the food is chewed and mixed with saliva, chemical substances present in it, enter these taste buds. Tate buds have special gustatory receptor cells which are sensitive to thermal, tactile and chemical sensations that together form the "taste" of food. These receptors sense chemical stimulus of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory) tastes and synapse with a neuron, to send the signal to it. The neurons then convey this message to the gustatory region of the cerebral cortex, where the information is processed and perceived as taste.