The sense of taste - Essay Example

Taste One of the central aspects of the human physiological system are he senses. These mechanisms provide the human being with their access to perception of the world and virtual all access to knowledge and understanding of their surroundings. As is well understood there are fives senses that underline human cognition. Each sense contributes markedly to a different cognitive aspect of perception. This essay considers various aspects related to the sense of taste. The sense of taste has been classified as one of the main chemical senses.

This sense has the well-known feature of allowing the individual to taste objects differently. Also referred to as gustation the sense of taste involves a complex interaction between receptors on the individual’s tongue and mental perception. As the saliva in one’s mouth breaks down food, the taste sense receptors in the tongue relay messages to the neurological aspects of the nervous system. As one might expect there are a broad array of receptors in this region, which has led some researchers to argue that there is actually more than one sense of taste; instead they contend taste constitutes a variety of distinguishable characteristics.

For instance, of the most readily distinguishable receptors function to identify tastes for sweet, salty, sour, and bitter; another receptor, referred to as the umami receptor, detects the amino acid glutamate (‘Umani Taste Receptor’). There are a number of notable elements and features related to one’s sense of taste. One of the most interesting is that while all individuals are born with a sense of taste, like fingerprints all individuals taste receptors are slightly different. It’s also true that as individuals age their taste receptors will correspondingly change.

At an early age taste buds function around the entire individual’s mouth, but as individuals age these surrounding taste buds shrink so that they are ultimately limited to predominantly the tongue (‘Taste’). Indeed, there are over 10,000 taste buds inside our mouths that will be altered and evolve throughout an individuals lifetime (‘Taste’). It’s also true that as individuals age their taste buds become more limited, so that in an effort to gain the same feel they had at earlier ages they will eat increasingly spicier or saltier foods.

There are a variety of neurological conditions including head injuries, brain tumors, lack of vitamins, and even chemical exposure that can contribute to these functions. While humans are generally considered when one examines the nature of taste buds, there are further differences when one considers the question in terms of the animal world. Some notable facts in these regards, consider that insects have the most developed taste buds, with sense receptors inside their feet and mouths (‘The Sense of Taste’).

Fish can even taste objects with their fins and tails, in addition to their mouths (‘The Sense of Taste’). In conclusion, taste represents one of the five senses. There were a number of notable taste elements that were noted, including the variability of taste throughout the individual’s lifetime. In addition, taste receptors change as the individual ages. Ultimately, taste represents one sense along a multi-varied spectrum of perspective. References ‘Umami Taste Receptor Identified.’ Nature Neuroscience.

http://www.nature.com/neuro/press_release/nn0200.html ‘Taste’ Oracle. http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/taste/taste.html ‘The Sense of Taste’ Ultranet. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/Taste.html