Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am doing a group project on the cells responsible for taste and have a few questions.

• How do the cells that sense taste differ from those that sense touch?
• How varied is taste actually, in terms of something becoming sweeter or more bitter? Is that all just variation in the brain?
• Does the form that food is in affect how you will perceive its taste?

Thank you!

Hello,
These are all great questions. I think to start you should try to establish what on the cell actually "tastes". Is it a receptor on the outside of the cell? Does the molecules in the food that contain flavor diffuse across the membrane into the cell? If you do an internet search on "how do taste buds work" it will probably yield some interesting results. Once you determine how the cell actually determines taste that will help you understand how the brain receives the signal of taste. In regards to flavor intensity, I think you will be able to understand how that works once you determine how the cells actually "taste" food.

Hope this helps get you started!
Katie

sydneyhackLTIN wrote:• How do the cells that sense taste differ from those that sense touch?

The cells that sense taste are chemoreceptors, which means they detect chemicals (usually organic molecules) in your mouth. The cells that sense touch are mechanoreceptors that respond to the movement caused by pressure. Your taste receptors work more like your olfactory (smell) receptors, which also detect chemicals.

sydneyhackLTIN wrote:• How varied is taste actually, in terms of something becoming sweeter or more bitter? Is that all just variation in the brain?

Different receptors respond more to different chemicals, which is how we detect the different "flavors." Genetics have something to do with our ability to detect different flavors. (Look up the "bitter gene" to learn more about this.) However, whether we "like" or "dislike" a food, which is a combination of flavors, is entirely about how our brain interprets the signals.

sydneyhackLTIN wrote:• Does the form that food is in affect how you will perceive its taste?

It can. The form of the food can affect what chemicals (and in what amounts) are available to your taste buds. As Katie mentioned, a good internet search will provide you with more details.

Good luck, and please post again (in this same thread) if you have more questions.

Heather