What is gustation?

Gustation is the sense of taste. It is one of the five senses that humans have, along with vision, hearing, smell, and touch. Gustation allows us to perceive the flavours of food and drink.

The sense of taste is located in the mouth and throat. There are taste buds on the tongue, the roof of the mouth, the insides of the cheeks, and the back of the throat. Each taste bud contains receptor cells that respond to different chemicals. When you eat or drink something, the chemicals in the food or drink dissolve in saliva and bind to the receptor cells. This binding triggers a signal that is sent to the brain, which interprets the signal as a particular flavour.

There are five basic tastes that humans can perceive: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Sweet tastes are associated with carbohydrates, sour tastes are associated with acids, salty tastes are associated with dissolved minerals, bitter tastes are associated with alkaloids, and umami tastes are associated with glutamates.

The sense of taste is important for survival. It allows us to choose foods that are nutritious and avoid foods that are poisonous. It also allows us to enjoy the flavours of food and drink.