All Flashcards
How can understanding taste preferences help in marketing?
Knowing that babies prefer sweet and salty can guide product development for baby food.
Give a real-world example of umami.
Broth, gravies, soups, soy sauce.
How is smell used in mother-infant bonding?
Familiar scents trigger instant brain responses, facilitating bonding.
How do chemical senses act as warning signs?
Detecting spoiled food (taste) or danger (smell of smoke).
How can cultural differences affect the perception of taste and smell?
Different cultures have different cuisines and flavor profiles, leading to variations in taste and smell preferences.
How can the knowledge of smell and memory associations be used in therapy?
Specific smells can be used to trigger and explore memories in a therapeutic setting.
How do the chemical senses contribute to survival?
They help us navigate our environment, make safe choices, and detect potential threats.
How does the interaction of taste and smell affect the dining experience?
The combination of taste and smell enhances the overall flavor and enjoyment of food.
How can the decline in taste and smell affect older adults?
It can lead to decreased appetite, malnutrition, and reduced quality of life.
How can the understanding of taste receptors be applied in the food industry?
It can be used to create new flavors and enhance existing ones, making food more appealing.
What is gustation?
The sense of taste.
What is olfaction?
The sense of smell.
What are fungiform papillae?
The bumps on the tongue where taste buds are embedded.
What is umami?
A savory or meaty taste; one of the five basic tastes.
What is the olfactory bulb?
A brain structure that receives information from smell receptor cells.
What is flavor?
A combination of taste and smell.
What is the limbic system?
A set of brain structures involved in emotion and memory.
What is the thalamus?
A brain structure that relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex.
What is a chemical sense?
A sense that detects molecules of substances, like taste and smell.
What is the role of saliva in taste?
Substances must dissolve in saliva to be tasted.
What is the evolutionary significance of taste preferences?
Sweet/salty = safe; bitter/sour = potentially harmful, guiding food choices.
How does smell relate to memory?
Smell has direct pathways to the amygdala and hippocampus, triggering strong memories.
Why is flavor more than just taste?
The sense of smell plays a huge role in how we perceive what we eat; taste + smell = flavor.
How do expectations influence taste?
What you expect to taste can change how you experience it, demonstrating subjectivity.
How does sensitivity to taste and smell change with age?
Sensitivity to both taste and smell decreases with age.
Describe how the sense of smell bypasses the thalamus.
Smell is unique because its neural pathway goes directly to the limbic system, bypassing the thalamus.
What is the role of the limbic system in olfaction?
The limbic system (amygdala and hippocampus) receives direct input from the olfactory bulb, linking smell to emotion and memory.
Explain the concept of individual variation in taste.
The number of taste buds varies among individuals, affecting taste intensity and preferences.
What is the purpose of the chemical senses?
They act as warning systems (spoiled food, danger) and enhance our experiences.
How do multiple receptors create a wide range of smells?
Similar to color vision, combinations of olfactory receptors allow us to perceive a wide range of smells.