Tastes of salts and acids on circumvallate papillae and anterior tongue

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In a psychophysical study with human subjects, three chloride salts and three acids were tasted at two different isointense concentrations. Subjects profiled the taste sensations elicited when the stimuli were applied to small regions of the anterior tongue and to individual circumvallate papillae. The results extended earlier findings showing systematic differences in the responses to acids and salts as a function of the locus to which a stimulus is applied. All salts were perceived as predominantly salty on the anterior tongue, and as predominantly sour or bitter on circumvallate papillae, although there was a weak salty component in the response to lower concentrations of salt on circumvallate papillae. Acids were perceived as sour on circumvallate papillae, and as sour and salty on the anterior tongue. Cationic atomic weight was positively related to saltiness on both loci. However, while salts apparently stimulate both bitter and sour receptors on both the anterior tongue and circumvallate papillae, there was no systematic relationship between cationic atomic weight and the magnitude of the sour and bitter tastes elicited. It was concluded that the possibility of unequal distributions of receptor types between fungiform and circumvallate regions should be taken into account when interpreting the results of experiments using whole-mouth stimulation with salts and acids.