The 5 types of flavors, and where are their receptors on the tongue

Taste and taste are words that evoke pleasure and well-being, which tell us about generally positive perceptions and experiences that our body allows and facilitates us on a day-to-day basis. And they are words associated with eating, eating.

Eating and nourishing ourselves is fundamental for our survival, but the truth is that the different Elements have different compositions and chemical properties that both smell and taste are capable of perceive. And it is that we have organs with specific receptors for these properties, something that allows us to perceive different types of flavors.

Throughout this article we will mention the main types of existing flavors.

• Related article: "Sense of taste: its components and how it works"

The sense of taste and flavor

Before discussing the existence of different types of flavors, it is worth first analyzing what a flavor is and where it comes from. We call flavor the body's perception of the chemical properties of an object or food which is linked to the sense of taste. Thus, the flavor itself is the perception that allows this sense: just as sight allows us to see images and hearing to capture sounds, in the case of taste we capture flavors.

Physiologically, the perception of taste is due to the action of certain receptors called taste buds, which are found in the numerous papillae that are located mainly on our tongue (although there are also in part of the palate and the pharynx).

Said receivers they are activated when a substance with certain chemical properties reaches them, which will generate a response that will later be transferred to the nervous pathways and after being processed it will be identified with the flavor-

Although we generally associate taste merely with pleasure, the truth is that being able to perceive them can mean the difference between life and death, being of vital importance for the survival. And it is that thanks to the sense of taste and the perception of the taste of food we can detect the properties chemicals of what we eat and predict whether or not it may be negative for our survival or on the contrary the favors.

• You may be interested: "Eating psychology: definition and applications"

Types of flavors

As we have mentioned before, our sense of taste allows us to detect a certain variety of flavors. thanks to the receivers that we have in our language (and part of the palate). Mainly and so far, five basic flavors have been found that our body is capable of capturing.

1. Candy

The sweet taste is one of the most basic and relevant both for humans and for other species, being one of the first flavors to be perceived and one of the most commonly sought by most living beings.

This flavor is generally associated with hydrocarbon compounds such as sugars, and it is generally considered that the majority of receptors for this flavor are found on the tip of the tongue.

Likewise, it is also one of the flavors that are most associated with odor, the perception of this flavor and its intensity being easily altered depending on the aroma of the food in question. Generally, at least in humans it is usually one of the preferred flavors throughout life, especially in childhood and old age.

2. Salty

The second of the basic flavors is the so-called salty flavor. It is a reaction to the detection of sodium chloride and other salts in what we put in our mouth, and that is essential since it helps us to look for foods that help regulate the electrolyte balance of our body and maintain the homeostasis.

In fact, there is the so-called appetite for salt linked to the search at the biological level to regulate this need. It usually begins to become more and more relevant and sought after by the human being as we grow and mature, and its receptors are located mainly on the bands of the tip of the tongue.

3. Acid

This taste is generally linked to sourness, associated with spoiled food. This flavor comes from substances that are, as the flavor name indicates, acidic, and that could be dangerous for the body. That is why it is generally unpleasant and avoided for most people, at least in the early stages of life.

However, they also contribute to regulating the pH of our body, its perception being linked to the electrical charge of the molecules that come into contact with their receptors (apparently their channels being sensitive to the concentration of protons in their molecules).

It is present in such relevant foods as citrus. Curiously, too seems to be linked to the sense of balance, the type of channel (OTOP1) being related to its perception also in the vestibular system. Its main receptors are found in the most posterior lateral bands of the tongue, close to the palate and pharynx.

4. Bitter

This fourth basic flavor is also another of the most relevant and one of the first to be possessed, since it has the particularity that it is mostly unpleasant for the human being and it usually warns us about food in poor condition or with toxic potential. However, many people like some foods that taste like this, including drinks such as coffee. It is generally generated by inorganic salts.

The perception of this flavor is important throughout life, and generally the foods that we like get to do it through a process of habituation in that initially we find it unpleasant. Most receptors for this flavor are located in the innermost part of the tongue, in its medial part.

5. Umami

The types of flavors recognized as such traditionally, and indeed the ones most of us learn during formal education, are the four above. However, in recent years a new flavor has been discovered which even has specific receptors on the tongue.

We are talking about the umami flavor, whose translation would be roughly that of "tasty / delicious" and which today has entered the classification of basic flavors. The perception of this flavor is linked to the effect of glutamic acid or monosodium glutamate. It is found in a large number of products, including meats, sauces (often used as a booster, in fact), and cheeses. It is considered that the receptors of this flavor are distributed throughout the tongue, on its surface.

Two other proposed flavors and non-flavors

The flavors officially accepted as such are those mentioned above, although there are others types of flavors proposed and under investigation.

Starchy: the taste of starch and flour

Another possible taste that has been investigated in universities such as Oregon has not yet gone beyond being a theoretical assumption, not having found for the moment (is under investigation) a receptor specific. This flavor is derived from the perception of glucose oligomers, which can be detected even when candy receptors are blocked.

It is the starchy, a possible sense of taste linked to the perception of starch, starch and products derived from flour such as bread, pasta or rice, and that according to the experiments it would be perceived differently according to the culture and the type of diet we use.

Oily taste

Probably most of us will have noticed the taste of fat from a piece at some point. meat, being something that some people consider unpleasant while for others it is a pleasure.

And a few years ago it seems to have been found that at least the human being possesses a receptor that detects the acids of fats (Although it is still under investigation since it is not known exactly how the information from them is processed).

This taste would be a response to the detection of lipids in food, which can be detected by itself. same (for example fried) despite the fact that it is usually linked to the perception of others flavors. Usually by itself it usually manifests itself as bitter-like. Interestingly, it seems that those who are less able to detect it tend to be more prone to obesity.

A non-taste: the spiciness and the pleasure of pain

Although when we talk about flavors we generally think of the first four that we have mentioned (sweet, salty, sour and bitter), many people come to think of the possibility of considering among themselves the spicy. And is that spicy food has been part of the gastronomy of a large number of cultures Throughout history, it is not uncommon to hear that a food has a spicy taste or flavor.

However, the truth is that the existence of a spicy flavor is not considered as such, since the sensation of itching produced by a food does not It is a perception of the chemical properties that give a food taste but, in fact, it is a perception between thermal and pain. The spicy does not have a specific receptor, but owes its perception to the release of capsaicin and other components, which generate that the receptors of the tongue raise their temperature in such a way that they generate a burning or itching sensation, that what we perceive as spicy.

Bibliographic references:

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