today taste experiments/projects. today taste experiments/projects
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Today Taste Experiments/projectsTRANSCRIPT
Today• Taste• Experiments/projects
Bumps on your tongue are NOT taste buds
Most common typeNO taste buds
Taste buds
Taste buds
Few. At the back of tongueTaste buds
Papillae• Increase surface area of tongue•Makes tasting ‘easier’
Taste Buds•Chemo receptors ‘down inside’ papillae• Some also produce saliva
Taste Buds
Taste• Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami(amino
acids, proteins)•Receptor proteins on/in taste buds are coded
for via genes•Mutations (and gene duplications) happen• You get variation among and between
individuals and groups
Taste• Sweet – your body needs sugar•Umami – protein (proteins can also taste
sweet)• Salt – need salts (Na+, K+, etc.)• Sour – “bad” or ‘rotting’ food - acid•Bitter – poison, “bad” food• Fat usually tastes “sweet”
Taste•What you can taste has evolved within
groups/species•Cats – can’t taste sweet•No cat can – lion, tiger, house cat, etc.•Appears to have happened at least different
times
Taste• Pandas – NO umami• They eat bamboo•No/little protein – no need to taste it•Most birds can’t taste sweet•One group (hummingbirds) regained ability
Taste•Dolphins – No bitter OR umami receptors•But mostly meat diet…• Swallow meals whole – no need to ‘taste’
Taste•Humans – Some can taste bitter better than
others•Helps avoid alkaloids/poisons•Also helps avoid foods that interrupt thyroid
function• “We” can produce up to 25 different bitter
receptors (25 different genes)•Dogs – 16•Rats- 37!
Taste•Humans – Some can taste bitter better than
others• Variation within populations• PTC – Phenylthiocarbamide• You either taste it, or you don’t
Taste•Humans – Some can taste bitter better than
others• Variation within populations• PTC – Phenylthiocarbamide• You either taste it, or you don’t•Do YOU taste it?
Taste•How about ‘spicy’ foods?
Homework•Quiz on how taste and smell work tomorrow?