• Question: why does food taste different

    Asked by meg123 to Amy, Karen, Sarah, Vijay, Will on 18 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Sarah Martin

      Sarah Martin answered on 18 Jun 2012:

      Hi again meg123,

      we have different receptors on our tongue so we can taste the differences between foods. There are four types of taste receptors: (1) sweet, as produced by table sugar; (2) sour, as produced by vinegar; (3) salty, as produced by table salt; and (4) bitter, as produced by caffeine or quinine. All tastes are formed from a mixture of these basic elements!

      🙂 Sarah

    • Photo: Amy Birch

      Amy Birch answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Hi meg123,
      There is a fifth taste called ‘umami’ has also been discovered. It has been described as a ‘savoury, meaty’ taste and is caused by activation of specific taste receptors on the tongue called L-glutamate receptors. The food additive called MSG is the most common thing in food to bind to these receptors, and this is what makes takeaway chinese food so yummy!

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