gustatie

Gustatie is the sense of taste and the act of tasting. In Romanian, gustatie denotes the perception of taste and the evaluation of food and drink. Taste begins when chemical compounds dissolved in saliva contact taste receptor cells within taste buds on the tongue and other areas of the oral cavity.

Taste buds are located on several papillae. Humans typically have thousands of taste buds; each bud contains taste receptor cells that respond to different tastants. The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). Receptors for sweet, bitter, and umami are GPCR-based; salty and sour involve ion channels. Signals are transmitted via cranial nerves VII (facial), IX (glossopharyngeal), and X (vagus) to the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem, then to the thalamus and the gustatory cortex in the insula and frontal operculum. Taste receptor cells renew roughly every 10–14 days.

Taste perception is influenced by retronasal olfaction, texture, temperature, and mouthfeel. Genetics, age, medications, health status, and smoking can alter taste sensitivity. Taste disorders include ageusia, hypogeusia, and dysgeusia.

In gastronomy and sensory science, gustation is central to flavor evaluation, food matching, and quality control. Tasting sessions, such as wine tasting, rely on trained senses and standardized methods. Some researchers acknowledge potential additional taste categories, such as fat or calcium, but these remain subjects of ongoing study.