TASTE AND SMELL

THE SENSE OF TASTE

Stimuli soluble chemicals which are solubilised

during chewing
Receptors taste buds in mouth
Perception taste, flavour

Taste/flavor is a combination of taste, smell, touch,

temperature. Strictly speaking taste involves only
those sensations mediated by gustatory nerve
fibers and these sensations have different basic
qualities

FOUR BASIC TASTES

The sense of taste (gustation) have been isolated in

laboratory experiments to show these four qualities

Sweet

Sour

Bitter

Salty

Recently researchers have found a fifth taste quality called

umami that is associated with monosodium glutamate.

SOURNESS
This is the simplest taste as only acids produce
sourness and as the H+ ions increases the
sourness increases.
However, organic acids are more acidic than
expected
sourness of aliphatic organic acids relates to chain
length.
some amino acids are sweet(aspartame).
picric acid is bitter.
sugar may enhance or depress sourness.
sourness is also affected by pH and acid.
presence of buffer affects sourness.

SWEETNESS
The common substances that produce sweet
taste are the sugars and other hydroxyl
compounds such as alcohols and glycols. Other
substances such as Lead salts, amino acids,
proteins, non nutritive sweeteners (cyclamates,
saccharin, aspartame) also taste sweet.

SALTINESS
Many crystalline water-soluble salts yield a
salty taste, but only sodium chloride gives a
pure salty taste.

BITTERNESS
Many chemically different compounds have a bitter taste
however bitterness is mainly associated with alkaloids
such as caffeine, strychnine, nicotine and quinine. It was
thought that bitterness was an indication of danger.
However many alkaloids are used as drugs eg.codeine
and many other bitter substances are harmless
eg.glycosides, esters, aldehydes, tannins in wine and tea.

UMAMI
It is the taste that has been associated with substances that
contain glutamate. MSG is well known as a flavor enhancer
and can cause adverse reactions in some sensitive
individuals. Many foods contain naturally high levels of
glutamate.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How do smell and taste work?
What is the nature of energy transduction?
What are some important anatomical structures involved

in smell and taste?

What causes loss of smell and taste?
What are common smell and taste disorders?
What are the four basic tastes?
What are the differences between smell, taste, and flavor?
What are the similarities between smell and taste?

HOW TASTING WORKS

TASTE STIMULI
Taster response requires an aqueous solution of the
substance to contact the taste buds. Therefore, saliva
secretions are important in terms of ensuring contact
between the product and the taste buds. The tongue is
important as it brings the food into contact with the taste
buds and also provides a mixing action which enables or
even distribution of food about the taste buds as well as
preventing the development of concentration gradients.

TASTE RECEPTORS
The receptors for taste are the taste buds and these are
mounted on papillae. The area of greatest response is the top
of the tongue, other areas in the mouth and throat.
Taste buds are mainly located at the tip, sides and rear of the
tongue. There is little response in the centre of the tongue.

Different areas of the tongue are most responsive to different

sensations.
Tip-sweet
Sides-salty, sour
Rear bitter
The taste cells constantly degenerate and regenerate, their life
cycle is 10 days and they are easily destroyed by heat.
A basic taste is one for which specific taste buds have been
identified as being physiologically responsible for the particular
taste sensation.

HOW TASTING WORKS

Taste sensory cells (found in taste buds): Odor and

food molecules activate membrane receptors Taste
signals go to the limbic system and cerebral cortex
Patterns of nerve activity encode taste sensations
Sensory processing allows us to interpret flavors

Genes determine the kinds of taste receptors we

have, and experiences shape our perceptions

Taste disorders may be genetic, or may result from

illness or injury

Taste preference: infants have heightened taste sensitivity

while elders have decreased ability to taste

Sensory interaction: taste receptors easily damaged by

alcohol, smoke, acids, or hot foods but gustatory receptors are

frequently replaced
Supertasters are those ppl with taste buds for bitter flavors,

experiences sense of taste with far greater intensity.

Nontasters: person unable to taste the chemical

phenylthiocarbamide

Sensations of flavor and aroma often work together, especially

during eating

TASTE THRESHOLDS AND

SENSITIVITY:
Absolute threshold and recognition threshold will vary

between individuals. Most people can detect taste within

0.2 to 0.6 seconds and therefore if there is no response
within this time the level is sub-threshold.
Salt - 0.3 sec vision 0.02 sec
Sweet - 0.4 sec Hearing 0.01 sec
Sour - 0.5 sec Touch 0.005 sec Bitter 1.0 sec
Reaction times also relate to retention times for example

bitterness has the longest reaction time (1.0 sec) and the
sensation lingers considerably after tasting.

THE SENSE OF SMELL

Stimuli volatile chemicals

Receptors olfactory cells in the nose
Perception smell, odour, aroma.

Smell is one of the four primate senses. The human nose is

capable of detecting thousands of different odour
substances. Smell is detected both before and during eating.
Smell is an important aspect of flavour. There are 20x106
olfactory receptors but only about 1000 taste receptors.
Odour description requires the development of an
odour/memory. This is the basis of flavour/odour memory
development by graders. Individuals vary a great deal in
their sensitivity to different odour/aroma.

OLFACTORY INTENSITY
Human nose is about 10- 100 times more sensitive to
odours than any physico chemical analysis eg. Gas
chromatography. It has been demonstrated that human
nose is capable of detecting ethyl mercaptan of a
concentration of 0.01mg/230 m3 of air, which is equivalent
to about 8 molecule/ receptor.

OLFACTORY THRESHOLD
Detection threshold is the concentration where smell is
detected. Recognition threshold is the concentration where
the smell is recognized.
Olfactory interactions
Nature of the response may change with concentration eg.
Perfumes.
Interaction of odours are
Additive increase intensity
Suppressive decrease intensity
Blending when new odour unrelated to originals

OLFACTORY ADAPTATIONS:
Initial sensation may be strong but weakens and makes
identification difficult. This is due to adaptation of olfactory
receptors.
In testing we therefore need to allow for this by
Taking first impression of odour
Waiting between tests to allow receptors to recover.

HOW SMELL WORKS

 Smell: chemical sense detected by sensory cells called

chemoreceptors.
odorant stimulates chemoreceptors in the nose that detect

smellthey pass on electrical impulses to the brainbrain interprets

patterns in electrical activity as specific odors and olfactory sensation
becomes perception -- something we can recognize as smell
The olfactory bulb in the brain, which sorts sensation into perception,

is part of the limbic system. This link to brain's emotional center links
smell to memories, feelings, and emotions
can bring on a flood of memories, influence people's moods and

even affect their work performance.

Used as a form of communication: chemical signals released by

organisms to communicate with other members of their species

(pheromones)
Scent Marketing: sellers use scents to set a mood and sell their

product. Similar to Aromatherapy, which is the use of selected

fragrances in lotions and inhalants to affect mood and promote health

SENSORY PROCESSES (NATURE OF

ENERGY TRANSDUCTION)
(Energy transduction) Olfactory:
1. Odors reach the receptor (Receptor in this case is the nose)
2. Odor molecule reaches receptor proteins associated with
specialized hairs in the nose.
3. The nerves that are associated with smell send information
about the stimulus to the brains olfactory bulbs.
(Specialized pathways) The fact that olfaction is not relayed
through the thalamus and instead goes directly to the olfactory
bulbs suggests that the olfactory sense is more evolved that
other sensations.

Important anatomical structures and specialized

pathways in the brain (taste)
Taste sensory cells are found in taste buds
Papillae: cluster of small mucous-membrane projections. All over

their surfaces are taste buds: made up of taste sensory cells

Taste buds are taste pores: where food and drink molecules

come in fitting into membrane receptors located on small fingerlike protrusions called microvilli at the tops of taste sensory cells
Microvilli: tiny hair-like folds in the plasma membrane that

extend from the surface of many absorptive or sensory cells.

Increase surface area of the cells.
Taste signals go to the limbic system and cerebral cortex
Limbic System: hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdala
Emotional tastes (pleasant, nostalgic, etc.) and memory function
Cerebral Cortex

A taste sensory cell and

the five types of taste
receptors. Flavor
molecules fit into
receptors on the microvilli
at the top of the cell,
causing electrical changes
that release transmitter
onto the nerve ending at
the bottom of the cell.
The nerve carries taste
messages to the brain.

TASTE SIGNALS IN THE LIMBIC SYSTEM AND

CEREBRAL CORTEX

IMPORTANT ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES AND

SPECIALIZED PATHWAYS IN THE BRAIN (SMELL)

Olfactory Epithileum: Mucus in the nose

Olfactory Cilia: Nose Hair

Receptors for smell

Hair like structures in the upper portions of the nasal passages, constantly
being replaced

Olfactory Bulb

Neural impulses are routed through here and then sent to Olfactory
Cortex

Temporal Lobe

Stimuli are volatile chemical substances that can evaporate and be carried
in the air, Mucus dissolves these stimuli

Olfactory cortex is in the temporal lobe

Smell is the only sensory input not routed through Thalamus

WHAT CAUSES A LOSS OF SMELL AND

TASTE?
Age
Genetics
Tobacco smoking
Respiratory infections, sinus cavities, etc.

COMMON SENSORY DISORDERS

Taste
Phantom Taste Perception: Most common, its a lingering, often

unpleasant taste even though you have nothing in your mouth.

Hypogeusia: reduced ability to taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty,
and umami
Ageusia: inability to detect any tastes (rare)
Dysgeusia: a foul, salty, rancid, or metallic taste sensation will
persist in the mouth.
Most often, people are experiencing a loss of smell as opposed
to a loss of taste.
Smell
Hyposmia: reduced ability to detect odors.
Anosmia: inability to detect odors at all.
People who experience smell disorders either have a loss in
their ability to smell or changes in the way they perceive odors.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TASTE,

SMELL, AND FLAVOR
Taste (gustation)

Smell (olfaction)

Chemical

Olfactory receptor cells

respond to odors and aromas

Interaction between our

chemical senses

Sense of taste depends upon

sense of smell

Four (or five) flavors: sweet,

sour, salt, bitter, umami

Chemical, simply five pieces

of information

Flavor

Flavor=taste+smell,
combination of senses

Taste identification is impaired

without smell

Mental construct that doesnt

exist outside of our mind,
infinite

SIMILARITIES/CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN TASTE AND SMELL
The complicated process of smelling and tasting begins when

molecules released by the substances around us stimulate

special nerve cells in the nose, mouth, or throat. These cells
transmit messages to the brain, where specific smells or
tastes are identified.
Both olfaction (smell) and gustation (taste) depend upon a

dissolved sample of chemical compound fitting into a

receptor cell, like a key fits into a lock.
Many flavors are recognized through the sense of smell.
Taste and smell cells are the only cells in the nervous system

that are replaced when they become old or damaged.