Final answer:
The receptor type involved in taste sensation is the b) chemoreceptor. These are responsible for detecting chemical substances and are key in perceiving the five primary tastes: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami, which are transduced by different mechanisms according to their molecular composition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of receptor involved in taste sensation is the chemoreceptor. These receptors are specialized for detecting chemical stimuli in our environment, which includes the tasting of food. It's important to differentiate between the types of sensory receptors mentioned. For instance, nociceptors are associated with pain sensation, photoreceptors respond to light for vision, and thermoreceptors detect changes in temperature. Taste sensation does not involve these receptors, but instead utilizes chemoreceptors that are activated by chemical substances dissolved in saliva within our mouth.
In humans, there are five primary tastes - salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami. Each taste corresponds to a specific type of chemoreceptor that is stimulated by a particular molecular component of the tastant. For instance, salty tastes involve sodium ions directly exciting the taste neurons, while sour tastes increase hydrogen ion concentration, thus depolarizing the neurons. Sweet, bitter, and umami tastes activate G-protein coupled receptors specific to their respective tastants. These intricate processes enable the complex sensation of taste, which is crucial for the enjoyment and discernment of food as well as nutritional well-being. So the answer is option b.