Asking Copilot, AI Chatbot about the taste
I asked Microsoft AI Chatbot, Copilot about the taste and it explained as follows.
Taste, also known as gustation, is the sensory system responsible for our perception of flavor. When we eat or drink, our taste buds come into play. These tiny structures, located mostly on the tongue, contain taste receptor cells. Here’s how it works:
- Taste Buds and Papillae:
- The tongue is covered with thousands of small bumps called papillae, which are visible to the naked eye.
- Within each papilla are hundreds of taste buds.
- Taste buds are found not only on the tongue but also on the roof, sides, and back of the mouth, as well as in the throat.
- Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.
- Basic Tastes:
- Taste receptors in the mouth sense five basic tastes:
- Sweetness: Associated with energy-rich foods.
- Sourness: Detected when hydrogen ions interact with taste buds.
- Saltiness: Perceived when alkali metals meet taste buds.
- Bitterness: Triggered by specific molecules binding to receptors.
- Savoriness (Umami): Also known as savory, linked to amino acids and proteins.
- Taste receptors in the mouth sense five basic tastes:
- Flavor Perception:
- Taste alone doesn’t fully define flavor. Other factors include:
- Smell: Detected by the olfactory epithelium in the nose.
- Texture: Detected through various mechanoreceptors.
- Temperature: Detected by temperature receptors.
- Chemesthesis: Sensing “coolness” (e.g., menthol) and “hotness” (pungency).
- Taste alone doesn’t fully define flavor. Other factors include:
- Caution and Craving:
- Since taste helps us identify both harmful and beneficial substances, it evokes either caution or craving.
- Sweetness guides us to energy-rich foods, while bitterness warns of potential poisons.
Remember, our sense of taste can change with age, and some people may experience taste distortions (dysgeusia). Not all mammals share the same tastes—cats can’t taste sweetness, and certain carnivores have lost ancestral taste abilities
