The Senses – The Tongue

Pepsi Blind Taste Test

The Tongue - Taste

The tongue is the organ that has receptors to capture

flavour molecules

The tongue is a muscle that is covered with a layer of

epithelial cells (moist) that form rough bumps called

papillae

http://mentalfloss.com/

article/62294/tongue-

rolling-and-5-other-

oversimplified-genetic-

traits

Types of Taste Buds

Flavour Detection

The tongue can only detect

flavourful molecules of the

following 5 basic flavours:

Bitter

Sour

Salty

Sweet

Umami

A frequent myth…

Tasting

For a substance to be tasted, 4 conditions must be met:

1. It must have a taste

2. It must be able to dissolve in saliva

3. It must be in a sufficient concentration to stimulate

receptor cells

4. It must come into contact with the taste receptor

cells

Non Tasting Function

The tongue is used to move food around for chewing

It is composed of muscle fibers that are oriented in

different directions making it very versatile (flexible)

Taste and Smell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QUphgFZE3s

They are related

Spicy Foods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsgpZdGVNys