Final answer:
The sweet taste is the sensitivity of gustatory cells to the presence of glucose dissolved in the saliva. Sweet receptors, along with bitter and umami receptors, require a G-protein coupled receptor. Sucrose molecules bind to receptor proteins on taste receptors on the tongue, initiating a sequence of cellular signaling events that ultimately open ion channels, resulting in the depolarization of the receptor cell membrane.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sweet taste is the sensitivity of gustatory cells to the presence of glucose dissolved in the saliva. Sweet receptors, along with bitter and umami receptors, require a G-protein coupled receptor. In this pathway, sucrose molecules bind to receptor proteins on taste receptors on the tongue, initiating a sequence of cellular signaling events that ultimately open ion channels, resulting in the depolarization of the receptor cell membrane.