5.3.1

Taste Receptors & Olfactory Systems

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Taste Receptors and Olfactory Systems

We taste things using our tongues and noses.

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Tongue

  • Thousands of taste buds cover the surface of the human tongue.
  • This allows the human tongue to identify salty, sour, sweet, umami (savoury) and bitter flavours.
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Nose

  • The nose contains olfactory receptors which pick up smells.
  • These work alongside the taste buds to work out flavours.

Senses and Food Choice

We use our senses to decide what we want to eat.

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Sight

  • Attractive food is more appealing than unattractive food.
    • E.g. a colourful and beautifully presented roast looks more appealing than plain coloured mush.
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Taste

  • Things like cooking methods, seasoning and the freshness or quality of ingredients all affect how food tastes.
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Touch

  • Texture matters. The majority of people will prefer:
    • Aldente or firm spaghetti/pasta/rice to soft spaghetti/pasta/rice.
    • Crisp pizza bases to flimsy pizza bases.
    • Crisp and crunchy vegetables to soggy vegetables.
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Smell

  • If food smells good, we're more likely to want to eat it.
  • Cooking technique and seasoning choice will affect smell.

Jump to other topics

1Food Preparation Skills

2Food, Nutrition & Health

3Food Science

4Food Safety

5Food Choice

6Food Provenance

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