PART A -I
As molecules reach taste receptors on the microvilli, action-potentials generated through voltage-gated channels will initiate, leading to the excitation of nerve fibres. From there, responses will be carried to the brainstem and be further processed within the brain. The information will eventually translate into taste qualities such as sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Furthermore, each taste quality is specified according to the molecule that binds to the receptor.
Salt taste occurs in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl ) along with the binding of specific minerals. It is speculated that a sodium channel acts as a receptor for salt. However, researchers are still unsure about the specific receptors that lead to the taste …show more content…
However, glutamate alone does not provide a pleasant taste, which is characteristic of umami (McCabe and Rolls, 2007). The taste enhancing quality of umami itself is attributed to the presence of purine 5 '-ribonucleotides, found in decaying meats and other tissues. T1R1 and T1R3 (G-protein channels) taste receptors are also believed to be responsible for the umami taste (Shigemura et al., 2009). However, the perception of umami taste may be due to a result from the combination of both taste and smell (McCabe and Rolls, …show more content…
In terms of odour perception, smell has a more sophisticated process in perception than taste, as there are hundreds of odour receptors (Bakalar, 2012). Thus, the combinations of mixing different tastes and odours can be limitless. (Bakalar, 2012). However, when humans wish to experience a vast variety of flavours, both taste and odour receptors need to be activated, rather than just exclusively one of the two (Bakalar, 2012). In order for us to perceive flavour accurately, both taste and odour processes converge in the anterior insula of the cortex (Bakalar,
As molecules reach taste receptors on the microvilli, action-potentials generated through voltage-gated channels will initiate, leading to the excitation of nerve fibres. From there, responses will be carried to the brainstem and be further processed within the brain. The information will eventually translate into taste qualities such as sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Furthermore, each taste quality is specified according to the molecule that binds to the receptor.
Salt taste occurs in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl ) along with the binding of specific minerals. It is speculated that a sodium channel acts as a receptor for salt. However, researchers are still unsure about the specific receptors that lead to the taste …show more content…
However, glutamate alone does not provide a pleasant taste, which is characteristic of umami (McCabe and Rolls, 2007). The taste enhancing quality of umami itself is attributed to the presence of purine 5 '-ribonucleotides, found in decaying meats and other tissues. T1R1 and T1R3 (G-protein channels) taste receptors are also believed to be responsible for the umami taste (Shigemura et al., 2009). However, the perception of umami taste may be due to a result from the combination of both taste and smell (McCabe and Rolls, …show more content…
In terms of odour perception, smell has a more sophisticated process in perception than taste, as there are hundreds of odour receptors (Bakalar, 2012). Thus, the combinations of mixing different tastes and odours can be limitless. (Bakalar, 2012). However, when humans wish to experience a vast variety of flavours, both taste and odour receptors need to be activated, rather than just exclusively one of the two (Bakalar, 2012). In order for us to perceive flavour accurately, both taste and odour processes converge in the anterior insula of the cortex (Bakalar,