Final answer:
The human tongue has fungiform, foliate, and vallate papillae that contain taste buds. These papillae are involved in gustation, allowing us to sense the flavors of food and drink.
Step-by-step explanation:
The types of papillae on the human tongue that contain taste buds include fungiform, foliate, and vallate papillae. Fungiform papillae are mushroom-shaped and found across a large area of the tongue, especially towards the back. Foliate papillae are characterized by leaf-like parallel folds located on the edges and back of the tongue and contain about 1,300 taste buds.
Vallate papillae, also known as circumvallate papillae, appear in an inverted "V" shape at the back of the tongue, each encircled by a groove housing approximately 250 taste buds. These structures are essential for gustation, a process where gustatory receptor cells within the taste buds react to chemicals in ingested food and stimulate sensory neurons connected to the facial and glossopharyngeal nerves.