• Question: how do tastebuds work?

    Asked by ytpies to Betul, Bridget, Ceri-Wyn, Laurel, Maria on 21 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      Taste buds are made up of bundles of taste receptor cells which send information about the five different tastes to the brain (sweet, salt, sour, bitter and savory) and they’re not just located on your tongue! They can also be found on the roof of your mouth, at the top of your oesophagus and your epiglotis (the flappy bit that stops you from choking). All areas of your tongue can differentiate between the different tastes.

    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Great question! Taste buds are interesting. Taste buds are covered with tiny cells called taste receptors, which contain chemicals similar to neurotransmitters. When they encounter certain ‘tastes’ they respond and tell the brain that it can taste the substance. We can taste salt, sugar, bitter and sour, and more recently we have discovered a receptor for monosodium glutamate which is used in fast food to make it taste better! People vary enormously in their ability to taste, and we can categorise people as non-tasters, tasters or supertasters depending on how many tatse buds they have. Try this test!:

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/supertaster/

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