Los corpúsculos gustativos y factores que afectan su función

Abstract

Taste is relevant because it has allowed us to discriminate between what is food and what is not, and even what can be toxic or dangerous when ingested. The search for new flavors is resent in history of mankind. Since ancient times, the spices provided new taste experiences to make meals more palatable or as a means of preserving food; the search for spices was a motivation to make voyages that led to the discovery of new lands and continents. More recently, a viral pandemic that damages the olfaction and taste senses made us to remember the relevance of the senses. Small structures, called taste buds, located in the papillae, of the tongue, are responsible of the sense of taste. There are four types of papillae that identify five tastes and one whose existence has not yet been fully proven. Taste alterations have different etiologies which will be commented on this review. Key words: ageusia, atmospheric pollution, taste, taste buds, tongue