Aftertaste, the lingering sensation we get after consuming food or drink, is a complex interplay of sensory experiences. It is not just the taste but a combination of olfactory and somatosensory inputs – smell, flavor, temperature, and texture that contribute to the phenomenon we recognize as taste. Contrary to the outdated belief in a tongue map with designated zones for different flavors, all taste buds on the tongue have the potential to perceive the five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Taste buds, comprising 50-150 gustatory cells, are the sensory receptors responsible for taste perception. They are distributed across the tongue within structures known as papillae, which come in three varieties: Fungiform Foliate Circumvallate These gustatory cells contain […]
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