Food is composed of components that give mixed sensations called taste. It is perceived by the taste buds, tiny wart-like bumps, present on the tongue. A person has around three thousand taste buds. The taste buds have numerous sensory cells that are renewed once a week. The four major taste sensations are sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Different parts of the tongue make out different sensations. Taste of a food-item is experienced when the food is chewed and saliva is mixed with it. The more the chewing is, the better the perception of taste. This is because in solution form, the taste atoms move freely. No taste is pure. There is always a mixed sensation, for example, sweet and sour, sour and bitter, etc.
What is Taste of Food?
