Sense Organ: Tongue

Sense Organ: Tongue

1. Tongue

2. The tongue is the organ for the sense of taste. Your tongue is an elongated, pink, flexible muscle inside your mouth. It is covered with moist mucous membranes. On the surface of these mucous membranes are small, rounded bumps called papillae . The papillae help in grasping and manipulating food in the mouth.

3. Saliva is clear watery liquid that is produced in certain areas of the mouth. -It is also important in tasting food because it dissolves the food in the mouth and allows them to reach and be detected by the taste buds.

4. The surfaces of the papillae are covered with thousands of taste buds. Taste buds have tiny hairs called microvilli, which act as receptors and send signals to your brain about the taste of the food (stimuli) that you eat. Your brain then interprets these signals and tell you what the food tastes like.

5. Your tongue can recognize five (5) basic tastes: Sweet Sour Salty Bitter Umami (a meaty, savory taste)

6. Your nose also helps you identify the flavor of your food. Flavor is the overall characteristics (taste, smell and texture) of food or drink.

7. When you chew your food, the odor molecules from the food travel from the back of your mouth, up into your nasal cavity, and further up into the odor receptors. This process allows you to experience the full flavor of the food.

8. When you have a cold, the food that you eat tastes bland. The reason is that your nasal cavity is blocked and the odor molecules cannot get into the odor receptors. Although your tongue and nose are different organs, they are closely connected, and they work together to allow you to fully taste the different flavors of food.