Page 144 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2022

HEALTHY LIVING TANTALIZING
The Science Behind Flavor
story by Toye Kaufman
Picture an award winning, chef prepared meal being delivered to a choice table in a swanky restaurant, and perhaps a rich dessert and coffee to follow. This suggests a mouthwatering waiting period, as a loaf of bread and accompanying butter slowly disappears before the diners.
Finally, the main dish is placed before them, though they aren’t quite ready to swallow the first bite. The diners first take in their meals visually, attempting to discern the layers of flavors. During the entire event, the gourmet never gives thought to what is seamlessly happening in the miraculous human body to allow the morsels to be enjoyed by the palette.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, scientists know less about taste than they do about sight and hearing, far more complex senses. Taste buds are sensory organs that are found on the tongue and allow a person to experience tastes. The bumps on the tongue are called papillae, and most of them contain taste buds. Taste buds have extremely sensitive microscopic hairs called microvilli. Those tiny hairs send messages to the brain about how something tastes.
Robert Turnbull, who serves as an instructor of biological sciences on The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus, has recently been discussing this topic with his
class. He says, “Sensory structures on tastes buds that are located on the tongue send a signal to the brain, and you perceive the four primary taste sensations, salty, sweet, sour and bitter.” Umami, a savory taste, has also been added to the list.
The NIH website states that a person has about 10,000
taste buds, which are replaced about every two weeks. As an individual ages, some of those taste cells do not regenerate. Smoking is another factor in reducing the number of taste buds in the mouth.
Olfactory receptors inside the uppermost part of the nose contain special cells that help a person smell and send messages
to the brain. While chewing, the food releases chemicals that instantly travel up into the nose. These chemicals trigger the olfactory receptors inside the nose and work together with the taste buds to create the true flavor of food and drink. The human sensory system distinguishes about 100,000 different flavors.
Turnbull says, “There is
a cultural component to
what people like to eat.
Other cultures eat things
that Americans would not
even touch. Even within the United States, that is true.”
He adds, “What you grew up with is what you prefer to eat. Southerners prefer fried foods.”
144 | May 2022 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living