Gustatory system

The gustatory system is the sensory system for the sense of taste.

Function

The human body can be stimulated by certain things. This stimuli is measured by sensory receptors and the energy is converted to something our brain can understand. There are receptors in our tongue which can measure four main things.

Salt

This is the simplest receptor found in the mouth.

Sour

Sour tastes are usually received from acidic compounds.

Bitter

Bitter tastes are important, since poisons are usually bitter and therefore we need to know whether or not to spit a bitter food out. This is the most complicated receptor found in the mouth.

Sweet

Food which has a lot of carbohydrates such as glucose are sweet.