The science of taste perception is all about how our tongues and brains work together to identify flavors. We usually think of five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (which is a savory flavor). But scientists recently discovered a sixth taste called “oleogustus,” which is the taste of fat. Not everyone perceives taste in exactly the same way—our taste buds and genetics can affect how we experience flavors. Some people might be more sensitive to bitter foods, while others might love them. Understanding these differences helps explain why we all have unique food preferences and why some tastes seem more intense to certain people. Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
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00:00You're checking out a new restaurant with your bestie.
00:03He enjoys all the food, but you just can't get over the fact that they put so much garlic
00:07in the main course.
00:09The chef swears that she only added a tiny bit, and no one else even noticed it.
00:14If that sounds familiar to you, congratulations, you're a supertaster!
00:19Probably not as cool as the other superheroes, but still a superpower you share with around
00:2325% of the planet's population.
00:27It's all simple.
00:28The more taste buds you have, the more intensely you feel tastes, especially bitter ones.
00:34You could have twice the amount of taste buds compared to the average number.
00:39Their habitat isn't limited to your tongue.
00:41They're also in the roof and walls of your mouth, throat, and esophagus.
00:46Those sensory cells renew themselves every week.
00:49I guess it happens around bedtime, when every bite of food feels extra good.
00:54If you want to check if you are indeed a supertaster, dab some blue food coloring at
00:59one spot on your tongue.
01:01If you can count more than 25 circles that remain pink in that area on your tongue, it
01:06means you have more papillae than most people.
01:09Blue dye doesn't stick to them.
01:13You probably know there are five main tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami
01:18– which is savory.
01:21But the scientists decided that this was not enough and offered to add a new taste
01:25to the list.
01:26Nothing too poetic – it's fat.
01:29That bad guy that makes you crave all things creamy, buttery, and bacon-like.
01:34Of course, fat doesn't taste so great to everyone when it's on its own, but it can
01:38seriously enhance other flavors.
01:41Studying fat as a separate taste could help scientists understand why it feels so good
01:46in what makes so many people overeat.
01:51For a sense to get the official title of a basic taste, it has to meet certain criteria.
01:56There must be a special receptor for it on the tongue.
01:59And there should also be different distinctive types of it.
02:03Human tongues do have receptors for fatty acids, and some people and animals can tell
02:07the difference between types of fat.
02:10But that knowledge wasn't enough for such a big statement, so they decided to run some
02:15tests.
02:17Volunteers got clips on their noses so they wouldn't be able to smell anything.
02:22Then researchers dropped milk containing different percentages of fat on their tongues.
02:27Skim milk didn't spark any reaction.
02:30The brain slightly responded to whole milk.
02:33Cream, which had the highest amount of fat, activated an instant reaction in the brain,
02:38just like sweet and salty tastes do.
02:41Sounds convincing enough to me, but things aren't so simple in the scientific world,
02:45so fat is still not an official sixth taste.
02:51Your taste buds aren't the only important player in the taste game.
02:54There are many chemicals that help your brain read the signals from your tongue in a certain
02:59way.
03:00Thousands of years of evolution have taught us humans to see sweet taste as good and bitter
03:06as bad, because most dangerous foods have that bitter taste.
03:10That's why our bitter taste receptors are so sensitive to make sure we don't eat the
03:15wrong thing.
03:18But genetics also plays a role in your dietary preferences.
03:21Before you're even born, you get used to a certain menu your mom enjoys.
03:25Plus, you don't share the same set of taste receptor genes with everyone else.
03:32It's especially versatile for bitter taste, and it affects your dietary choices.
03:37Each of the 25 bitter taste genes work to pick up a different group of chemicals.
03:42So things are more complicated than just, I dislike all bitter foods ever.
03:47You can love grapefruit and despise strong black coffee at the same time because of it.
03:54One of those genes is responsible for a certain flavor.
03:58Those who can't feel its taste are more likely to love spicy and fatty foods.
04:03Some people are taste blind and can't taste certain bitter things.
04:07To some of us, all tastes, including the sweet ones, seem sour, bitter, or metallic.
04:14All this affects our food choices.
04:17Studies have shown that if you're more sensitive to bitterness, you're more likely to eat
04:21fewer vegetables.
04:24There are some tastes no one wants to experience at all, like rotting meat.
04:29But it has to be done for scientific purposes to see the stages the product is going through
04:34as it gets worse and worse.
04:37Not to look for volunteers to taste foods like that, but still get an objective opinion.
04:42Scientists came up with an electronic tongue that would mimic human taste buds.
04:47This e-tongue can distinguish between tastes like sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, savory
04:53taste, and richness of food using sensory membranes.
04:57It's really objective because genetics or personal preferences don't affect the analysis
05:02it does.
05:05Have you ever brushed your teeth, then had orange juice, and didn't recognize its taste
05:09at all?
05:10That's just one example of how you can tweak your taste buds.
05:15The food you've just eaten can affect the flavor of the next course, sometimes for the
05:20better, sometimes for the worse.
05:22That's because your taste buds are sensitive to changes in their environment, and you change
05:28it with the components you put in your mouth.
05:31And one molecule can hit the right taste bud, and it will send a message to the brain
05:36to activate one of the taste sensations.
05:39It sounds simple, but scientists still aren't sure how exactly our tongues tell salty from
05:44sour and sweet from umami.
05:47There must be a lot of interaction going on between your brain and the taste buds to make
05:52that possible.
05:55Let's say you had an artichoke and then took a glass of plain water.
05:59You'll notice the liquid will taste somewhat sweet.
06:02That's because an artichoke contains a substance that catches onto your sweet receptors but
06:08doesn't activate them.
06:10When you wash it down with water, the molecules wake up and send a message to your brain,
06:15and you distinctively feel like you've eaten something sweet.
06:20The reason brushing your teeth makes orange juice taste weird is a detergent in your toothpaste
06:25that foams in the process.
06:27The big brains believe that this component plays with the membranes of your taste cells
06:32and adds a bitter taste to your favorite drink.
06:37Miracle fruit is the real champ when it comes to adding a weird taste to your snacks.
06:41The special substance in it sticks to your tongue and makes sour things taste sweet to
06:46you.
06:47Your tongue still recognizes the sour taste of food, but that component in miracle fruit
06:52is so strong it just drowns that signal.
06:58Probably the most debated taste on the internet is cilantro.
07:01To most people, it tastes like a mix of parsley and citrus.
07:06Chefs around the world happily add it to their meals, but to some folks it clearly tastes
07:10like soap, dirt, crushed bugs, or metal shavings.
07:16Not something you'd add to your pasta, right?
07:19Turns out it has to do with genetics.
07:22People who can't stand the taste of cilantro have a variation in one group of genes that
07:27makes them so sensitive to soapy-flavored components in cilantro leaves.
07:32The interesting part is that fewer people have this genetic modification in countries
07:37where cilantro is mostly popular, such as Central America and India.
07:42The highest number of cilantro skeptics live in East Asia, so it looks like it might have
07:48to do with geography and culture as well.
07:52How about some dessert?
07:53Don't worry.
07:54Even if you feel full from all the tastes you've already discovered, there's always
07:58room for a sweet afterparty.
08:01Scientists have officially proved it.
08:03When you're eating something, say soup or salad, you first get excited about its flavor.
08:09But at some point, you feel like you've had enough of that particular taste.
08:13When dessert comes into play, your brain literally gets excited.
08:17Did someone say a new flavor?
08:20That amazing taste of ice cream, cake, chocolate, or whatever you prefer makes the brain override
08:26satiety signals for pleasure.
08:29It craves excitement, and it will get it.
08:33That's it for today!
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