Final answer:
Each taste cell can detect only one type of taste molecule out of the five primary tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. Taste cells have specific receptors for their designated tastants and are replaced every 10 to 14 days. The perception of flavor is a combination of taste and smell senses.
Step-by-step explanation:
How many different taste molecules do taste cells each detect?Taste cells each detect only one type of taste molecule. There are five primary tastes in humans: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. A single taste bud contains 50-100 taste cells that can represent all these tastes. Each taste cell has specific receptors to detect its designated molecule. Receptor specificity is akin to a lock-and-key mechanism, where only the right tastant can activate its corresponding receptor.Taste transduction mechanisms differ according to the tastant's molecular composition. For example, salty tastants provide sodium ions that excite the taste neurons directly, sour tastants alter ion channels through the increase of hydrogen ion concentrations, and sweet, bitter, and umami tastants require G-protein coupled receptors to bind and thereby excite their respective neurons.
Taste cells undergo replacement every 10 to 14 days to maintain taste sensitivity. The receptors are located predominantly at the front and outer portion of the tongue but not in the middle where filiform papillae are. Together with olfaction, these taste receptors contribute to the perception of flavor, which can be diminished if nasal passages are congested, highlighting the intricate relationship between taste and smell.In humans, there are five primary tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. Each taste has its own receptor type that responds only to that taste. Taste cells are located within taste buds, which are found on three of the four types of papillae in the mouth.