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Biomedical Basics

Senses: taste and the mouth

  • Created by Henry Stewart Talks
Published on March 31, 2026   4 min

A selection of talks on Physiology & Anatomy

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The following session will cover senses, taste and the mouth, focusing on the basics of how taste functions as a sense, including the anatomy of the tongue and taste buds and the types of cells involved in detecting flavors. We will explain how the five basic tastes are sensed, the critical role of saliva and the interplay between taste, smell, and touch in creating the perception of flavor. The pathway from taste receptors to the brain will be outlined, along with how various factors influence taste perception. Finally, we will discuss common taste disorders, their causes, and why maintaining taste function is important for health and well being. Taste is a fundamental sense that helps us evaluate what we eat and drink, guiding decisions about nutrition and enjoyment. Tasting starts in the mouth, mainly on the tongue, but also involves the soft palate and parts of the pharynx. The tongue, covered with mucosa, features various types of papili that give mechanical roughness and house taste buds. Taste buds, especially abundant in certain papili contain sensory, supporting and regenerative cells essential for detecting flavor. Within each taste bud, sensory cells act as chemical detectors, responding to molecules from food dissolved in saliva. Connected to nerve fibers, these cells form the primary unit of taste detection. Humans identify five basic tastes sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Sweet and umami use specific G protein coupled receptors,

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Senses: taste and the mouth

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