Taste receptors

Taste receptors are attached to the taste buds of the mucous membrane of the tongue. The taste receptor is represented by taste cells equipped with microvilli, through which taste substances dissolved in saliva reach their taste pores.

We distinguish four basic qualities of taste: sweet (on the tip of the tongue), salty (on the tip and sides of the tongue at the front), sour (on the sides of the tongue at the back), bitter (at the root of the tongue). Umami is the fifth taste in addition to the four basic tastes. The name is derived from Japanese (umai, tasty, delicate in Czech). A specific taste receptor for umami taste - mGluR4 - was discovered in 2000 and perceives glutamic acid or its salts (glutamates) contained in food.



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