Flavor and taste are words that evoke pleasure and well-being, which tell us about generally positive perceptions and experiences that our body allows and facilitates us on a daily basis. And they are words associated with the fact of feeding, of eating.
Eating and nourishing ourselves is essential for our survival, but the truth is that different elements have different compositions and chemical properties that both smell and taste are able to perceive. And we have organs with specific receptors for these properties, something that allows us to perceive various types of flavors.
Throughout this articles we are going to mention the main types of existing flavors.
Before commenting on the existence of different types of flavors, it is worth first analyzing what a flavor is and where it comes from. We call flavor the perception by the body of the chemical properties of an object or food which is linked to the sense of taste. Thus, flavor itself is the perception that this sense allows: just as sight allows us to see images and hearing allows us to capture sounds, in the case of taste we capture flavors.
Physiologically, the perception of flavor is due to the action of certain receptors called taste buds, which are found in the numerous papillae that are located mainly on our tongue (although there are also parts of the palate and pharynx).
These receivers They are activated when a substance with certain chemical properties reaches them which will generate a response that will later be transferred to the nervous pathways and after being processed will be identified with the flavor.
Although we generally associate flavor merely with pleasure, the truth is that being able to perceive them can mean the difference between life and death, being of vital importance for survival. And thanks to the sense of taste and the perception of the flavor of food, we can detect the chemical properties of what we eat and predict whether or not it may be negative for our survival or, on the contrary, favor it.
Types of flavors
As we mentioned previously, our sense of taste allows us to detect a certain variety of flavors. thanks to the receptors we have in our language (and part of the palate). Mainly and so far, five basic flavors have been found that our body is capable of capturing.
1. Sweet
The sweet flavor is one of the most basic and relevant for both humans and other species, being one of the first flavors to be perceived and one of those that most living beings tend to search for.
This flavor is generally associated with hydrocarbon compounds such as sugars, and it is generally considered that the majority of receptors for this flavor are found on the tip of the tongue.
Likewise, it is also one of the flavors that is most associated with smell, the perception of this flavor and its intensity being easily altered depending on the aroma of the food in question. Generally, at least in humans, it is usually one of the preferred flavors throughout life, especially in childhood and old age.
2. Salty
The second of the basic flavors is the so-called salty flavor. This is a reaction to the detection of sodium chloride and other salts in what we put in our mouths and which is essential since it helps us look for foods that help regulate the electrolyte balance of our body and maintain homeostasis.
In fact, there is the so-called appetite for salt linked to the search at a biological level to regulate this need. It usually begins to become increasingly relevant and sought after by human beings as we grow and mature, and its receptors They are located mainly on the bands at the tip of the tongue.
3. Acid
This flavor is generally linked to sourness, associated with spoiled food. This flavor comes from substances that are, as the flavor name indicates, acidic, and that could have some danger for the body. That is why it is generally unpleasant and avoided by most people, at least in the early stages of life.
However, they also contribute to regulating the pH of our body, its perception being linked to the electrical charge of the molecules that come into contact with their receptors (apparently their channels are sensitive to the proton concentration of their molecules).
It is present in foods as relevant as citrus fruits. Curiously, also seems to be linked to the sense of balance, the type of channel (OTOP1) being related to its perception also in the vestibular system. Its main receptors are found in the most posterior bands or sides of the tongue, close to the palate and pharynx.
This fourth basic flavor is also another of the most relevant and one of the first to be possessed, given that it has the particularity that It is mostly unpleasant for humans and usually warns us that we are faced with foods that are in poor condition or have toxic potential. However, many people like some foods that have this type of flavor, including drinks like coffee. It is generally generated by inorganic salts.
The perception of this flavor is important throughout life, and generally the foods we like come to do so. through a habituation process in that initially it is unpleasant to us. The majority of receptors for this flavor are located in the innermost part of the tongue, in its medial part.
5. Umami
The types of flavors recognized as such at a traditional level, and in fact the ones that most of us learn during formal education, are the four above. However, in recent years a new flavor has been discovered which even has specific receptors on the tongue.
We are talking about the umami flavor, whose translation would be approximately that of “tasty/delicious” and which today has entered the classification of basic flavors. The perception of this flavor is linked to the effect of glutamic acid or monosodium glutamate. It is found in a large number of products, including meats, sauces (it is often used as an enhancer, in fact) and cheeses. It is considered that the receptors for this flavor are distributed throughout the tongue, on its surface.
Two other proposed flavors and non-flavors
The flavors officially accepted as such are those mentioned above, although there are others. types of flavors proposed and that are in a state of research.
Starchy: the taste of starch and flour
Another possible taste that has been investigated at universities such as Oregon has not yet gone beyond being a theoretical assumption, with no specific receptor having been found at the moment (it is under investigation). This flavor is derived from the perception of glucose oligomers which can be detected even when sweet receptors are blocked.
This is starchy, a possible sense of taste linked to the perception of starch, starch and flour products such as bread, pasta or rice and that according to the experiments it would be perceived differently depending on the culture and the type of diet we use.
Fatty taste
Most of us will probably have noticed at some point the taste of fat in a piece of meat, being something that some people consider unpleasant while for others it is a pleasure.
And a few years ago it seems to have been found that at least human beings possess a receptor that detects the acids found in fats (although it is still under investigation since it is not known exactly how the information coming from them is processed).
This flavor would be a response to the detection of lipids in foods, which can be detected by itself (for example in fried foods) although it is generally linked to the perception of other flavors. Generally, on its own, it tends to appear similar to bitter. Curiously, it seems that those who are less able to detect it tend to be more prone to obesity.
A non-flavor: the spiciness and pleasure of pain
Although when we talk about flavors we generally think of the first four that we have mentioned (sweet, salty, sour and bitter), many people think about the possibility of considering spicy among them. And it is that Spicy food has been part of the gastronomy of a large number of cultures throughout history, it is not uncommon to hear about a food having a spicy flavor or taste.
However, the truth is that the existence of a spicy flavor is not considered as such, since the sensation of spiciness produced by a food is not a perception of the chemical properties that give a food its taste but, in fact, , is a perception between thermal and pain. Spicy does not have a specific receptor, but rather owes its perception to the release of capsaicin and other components, which cause the tongue receptors to raise their temperature in such a way that they generate a burning or itchy sensation, which we perceive as spicy.
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