Tag: tongue : the organ of taste

• The taste receptors are located around the small structures known as papillae found on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper oesophagus, the cheek, and epiglottis.
• The cranial nerves innervate these sites and carry taste information to the brain.
• Hence Cranial nerves carry taste information from Tongue, Palate and Epiglottis.
• So, the correct answer is 'All the above'.

• The sense of taste is stimulated when nutrients or other chemical compounds activate specialized receptor cells within the oral cavity.
•  Taste helps us decide what to eat and influences how efficiently we digest these foods. 
• They would have used their sense of taste to identify nutritious food items. Hence,  the function of taste receptors is to Enhance the diet.

• Tongue consist of taste buds. Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.  
• The sensation of taste includes five established basic flavours: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami. Hence, Flavours can be detected with the combination of the 5 taste perceptions (salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami).
So, the correct answer is 'Flavours'.

• A taste receptor is a type of receptor which facilitates the sensation of taste. These receptors are of four types.
•  When food or other substances enter the mouth, molecules interact with saliva and are bound to taste receptors in the oral cavity and other locations. Hence, Taste receptors help in the sensation of taste.

There are small elevated cells in the tongue which are called as the taste buds. There are the receptor or the neurosensory cells in these taste buds. There are about 5-15 neurosensory cells in each taste bud. There are cilia-like structures on one end and there are nerve fibres which extend from the other end to the brain. There are taste buds for the detection of different type of taste like sweet, sour, bitter, etc.

The eight muscles of the human tongue are classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. The four intrinsic muscles act to change the shape of the tongue and are not attached to any bone. The four extrinsic muscles act to change the position of the tongue and are anchored to bone. Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Taste buds are the taste receptors that are present on the surface of tongue in small projections called as papillae. Saliva of mouth dissolves the food and turns it into liquid or small solid molecules suspended in liquid. The liquid food enters the small pores of taste buds and stimulates the taste receptors to release chemicals and generate a nerve impulse. Since only liquid food can enter the small openings or pores of taste buds, taste buds can detect the substances present in the liquid state.