- Humans have 10–20 million olfactory sensory neurones in our olfactory epithelium.
- The olfactory system has a kind of prefilter called the olfactory bulb.
- Taste buds are protected in tissue surrounding the sides of the papillae.
- Every taste bud has cells to detect each of the five tastes.
- The Labelled Lines Model describes how our taste physiology cell is hardwired all the way to the brain via axons that travel through three separate nerve pathways: the facial nerve, the glossopharyngeal nerve, and the vagus nerve.
- Gustatory hairs extend from epithelial cells in our taste buds.
- We have approximately 8,000 taste buds on our tongue, and each bud has 50–150 taste receptor (epithelial) cells attached to it.
- We can taste chemicals that our saliva dissolves and brings into contact with the gustatory hairs extending from each taste receptor cell.
- Every week our taste buds replace the epithelial cells.
- There is a risk of scalding you mouth with liquids above 71° C (160° F).
- Sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose are perceived to be at their sweetest at temperatures between 35–39° C (95–102° F).
- Aspirating (slurping) liquids increases the intensity of aromatic sensations due to an increase in non-equilibrium volatilisation.
- When we aspirate a liquid, it is thrown onto the back of the mouth and lands on the pharyngeal wall that opens up directly to the nasal cavity. This means it is unnecessary to swallow the liquid to achieve a full sensory impact.
- Aspirating liquid achieves a state of non-equilibrium volatilisation, which means the overall concentration of volatiles that reach the olfactory epithelium is higher than during normal swallowing.
Glossary
Aspirate To draw fluid from a vessel by suction
Expectorate To spit something out of your mouth
References (Sensory science) Part of the training process for a sensory scientist involves building up an awareness of a particular set of flavour references.