Final answer:
Taste receptors are located on lingual papillae and are responsible for the perception of taste. These papillae, differentiated into types like circumvallate, foliate, and fungiform, contain taste buds with gustatory receptor cells. These cells activate sensory neurons, sending taste information to the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The taste receptors are found mainly on the lingual papillae and contain the sensory receptors for taste. These lingual papillae, including circumvallate, foliate, filiform, and fungiform, are covered in stratified squamous epithelium and contain structures for gustatory transduction, which is the process of converting the chemical stimuli from foods into a neural signal. The taste buds, housed in these papillae, contain specialized gustatory receptor cells that are activated by chemicals dissolved in the saliva. They can activate sensory neurons, which are part of the facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagus cranial nerves, to relay the taste information to the brain.
Different types of papillae are predominant in different regions of the tongue. For instance, the fungiform papillae, typically found on the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, each contain one to eight taste buds, while the large circumvallate papillae, located at the back of the tongue in an inverted 'V' shape, contain up to 250 taste buds each. Foliate papillae, resembling leaf-like folds at the sides and back of the tongue, have around 1,300 taste buds within their folds.
Taste receptors are sensitive to different taste modalities such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. The complexity of tastes we experience is a result of the combination of these basic taste modalities and the olfactory information that accompanies the act of eating.