Hi, students! Welcome back to Basic 2 Basic Science. In our previous lesson, we learned about The Sense of Smell – Nose. Today, we’re going to learn about the sense of taste.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify various substances based on how they taste.
Sense of Taste
What is the Sense of Taste?
Our sense of taste allows us to experience the flavors of food and drinks. It’s one of our five senses, along with sight, smell, touch, and hearing. The main organ responsible for taste is our tongue.
The Tongue
The tongue is a muscular organ located in our mouth. It helps us to chew, swallow, and speak. But most importantly, it helps us to taste! The tongue has tiny bumps called taste buds. These taste buds contain special cells that detect different tastes.
There are four main types of taste:
- Sweet: Sweet tastes are usually associated with sugars and other carbohydrates. Examples include candy, fruits, and desserts.
- Sour: Sour tastes are usually associated with acids. Examples include lemons, vinegar, and yogurt.
- Salty: Salty tastes are usually associated with salts. Examples include table salt, pretzels, and chips.
- Bitter: Bitter tastes are usually associated with alkaloids. Examples include coffee, dark chocolate, and some vegetables.
Different parts of the tongue are more sensitive to certain tastes. For example, the tip of the tongue is most sensitive to sweet tastes, while the back of the tongue is most sensitive to bitter tastes.
Evaluation Questions
Now that you’ve learned about the sense of taste, let’s see if you can answer these questions:
- What are the four basic tastes?
- How does taste help us identify different foods?
- What are taste buds? 4. Why is it important to have a sense of taste?
Conclusion
We learned that our tongue helps us taste different foods and that there are four main types of taste: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Remember, taste is an important sense that helps us enjoy our food and keep us safe. Don’t forget to check the comments section if you have any questions, and use the navigation to move to the next lesson. See you in the next lesson!
