Taste (Gustation)

• Taste buds
  • Sensory structures that detect stimuli
  • Oval structures and embedded in the epithelium of tongue and mouth.
  • Most taste buds are located in the epithelium of papillae, also on other areas of tongue,the palate and even the lips and throat especially in children.
  • Cells in the taste buds :
    • Receptor cells – these are modified epithelial cells. The taste cells are innervated by sensory neurons (primary gustatory afferent fibres) at its basal pole.
    • Basal replacement cells – small round cells present at the bottom of taste buds and it is nonsensory cell types.
    • Supporting cells

• Types of papillae
  • Small,raised area on the surface of tongue
  • Classify according to their shape
  • Three of them have taste buds
  • The most numerous papillae on the surface of tongue have no taste buds. They provide a rough surface,enable the tongue to manipulate food more easily.