6C taste Flashcards
Primary sensory organ for taste
Tongue
Reception
Saliva breaks down food into chemical molecules while chewing that can be tasted. Known as tastants.
Tastants
Sensory stimuli received during taste.
Sensory receptors for taste
Gustatory receptors (located within tastebuds).
Transduction
Chemical form of tastants is converted into electrochemical energy to be sent to the brain.
Transmission
Sensory data about tastants are sent to the brain as a neural impulse via the cranial nerve to the thalamus, then the Primary Gustatory Cortex.
Perception
Brain detects flavour then processes it using info from other senses such as colour, texture, smell.
Five taste
- Sweet
- Salty
- Bitter
- Sour
- Unami (savoury)
Influences on tast perception
- Age
- Genetics
Age
We gradually lose our taste buds + sense of smell age we age resulting in less sensitivity to taste.
Genetics
Causes us to be more sensitive of certain tastes.
Perceptual set
- Appearance
- Packaging
- Culture
- Past experience
Appearance
Food shape/colour differences can mean that people don’t feel as confident about the taste of a food.
Packaging
The familiarity of brands and logos can influences our choices and our perception of the flavours of foods.
Culture
Foods we have grown up with/familiar with are more likely to be enjoyed than foreign foods.
