Taste and Smell: The Chemical Senses

• Gustation (Taste) -They tell us that some food may be potentially dangerous (bitter and sour), what food is good (sweet) and what contains minerals (salt). Evidence is becoming strong for a fifth quality, umami, the taste conferred by, for example, the monosodium glutamate (MSG) used in some Eastern cooking (for example in soy sauce)
• Olfaction (smell) - Olfaction is especially important for our food selection. Much of the flavor of a food is really
• Individual Differences

  • Odor sensitivity declines with age
  • Women detect odors more readily than men, at all ages and in all cultures that researchers have tested.
• Olfactory Receptors - neurons responsible for smell