Taste Without the Olfactory Essay

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The ability to smell is mediated by special sensory cells in the nasal cavity of vertebrates. The Ability to taste is enhanced by the olfaction capacity to detect volatile chemicals through the process of chemoreception. Because of olfaction, taste and the activity of the trigeminal nerve, addition of flavour to foods and beverages is realizable. In this regard, the tongue can distinguish different tastes. The olfactory system is essential since it enables people to detect rotten or contaminated foods. The taste and smell receptors respond to chemical solutions (Ropper, 2005). In the event that the olfactory is removed, people are less likely to survive because the body’s taste system will have been significantly affected. This implication contradicts some analyses that indicate human beings can survive without the functionality of the system since they are not guided by the sense of smell like animals.

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The lack of olfactory causes one to lack appetite because of the inability to taste. During the smelling of food, molecules of the food enter the nasal system and dissolve in the olfactory membrane before stimulating the receptors cells in the olfactory epithelium. The smell reaches the mouth through the pharynx and initiates the saliva to dissolve it. In this regard, the taste receptors of the tongue are stimulated in anticipation of the food. This generates the appetite to eat. When food is administered in the mouth, the taste cells in the tongue determine the food’s properties. Notably, the whole mechanism of determining the food’s taste is facilitated by the presence of the olfactory system within the body.

In the mouth, the taste bud facilitates the tasting of food and beverages. This bud constitutes of three particular epithelial cells. These are the gustatory cells, basal cells and supporting cells. The cells are arranged to form a v-shaped row on the anterior and posterior parts of the tongue while others are on the tongue’s folds. Additionally, some are scattered randomly over the whole tongue’s surface. The tasting process is promoted by the saliva, which dissolves the tastings before penetrating through the taste cells. Later, the taste cells depolarize the taste and the taste type is transmitted to other recognisor nerves. Because of the basic taste sensation, we can derive the taste modalities mediated by certain chemical substances. These modalities include salt, bitter, sour, sweet and Umami flavours (Chiras, 1995). Each modality reflects the components of the food. The salt flavour reflects the availability of metal ions, bitter flavour reflects the availability of alkaloids and gustducin, sour flavour reflects the availability of hydrogen and sodium ions, sweet flavour reflects the availability of sugar and some amino acids and Umami flavour reflects the availability of Gustducin.

After analyzing the factors that influence our taste for food, there is a possibility that taste can be achieved without the olfactory system. This is because taste influences the way in which we appreciate food as either tasting good or bad to enhance its consumption. In the event that food properties are characterized by features that cannot be detected by the olfactory system like being cold or hot, the taste of the food only determines our appetite to eat it. Additionally, on occasions where the olfaction is blocked due to health problems or disorders, it is noted that it becomes challenging to identify different tastes since there is a reduction of the sensation to taste.

If the olfactory was removed, most of the functions associated with it that influence the smelling and tasting of food could be eliminated. Some of the key causes of the olfactory dysfunction include head traumas, sinus diseases like polyposis, age and other congenital causes. Diseases cause the blocking of the nasal cavity hence preventing the movement of odorant molecules to the olfactory epithelium. As a result, there is a prolonged loss of smell, which interferes with the taste mechanism of the body. In this regard, the functionality of the olfactory system declines over time with the progression of an individual’s age (Rouby, 2002). Moreover, this condition is illustrated by the lack of appetite by the individual. Repeatedly, the loss of smell is used as an indicator of neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders. In this regard, psychiatrists may look for the appropriate approach to facilitate the restoration of an individual’s appetite.

Life would be complicated if human beings did not have the olfactory because it works as a complement to the taste cells in enhancing appetite. Evidently, it has been observed that the crucial role of the olfactory in transmitting odour molecules in food stimulates other receptor cells to engage in the eating process. This implies that for one to have adequate appetite for the food available, his or her olfactory system must be in good condition. Similarly, the olfactory system controls the body’s reaction towards food. Notably, some few exemptions exist regarding the functionality of the olfactory such as in a case whereby one has a cold because the nasal cavity is affected. Nevertheless, the final appetite is accessed in the tongue as it determines the taste of the food and enhances the appetite initiated earlier by the olfactory system. This proves that survival without the olfactory is significantly difficult.

References

Chiras, D. D., & Hollenbeck, R. R. (1995). Human biology: health, homeostasis, and the environment (2. ed.). St. Paul: West Publishing.

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Ropper, A. H., Adams, R. D., Victor, M., & Brown, R. H. (2005). Adams and Victor’s principles of neurology (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical Pub. Division.

Rouby, C. (2002). Olfaction, taste, and cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Taste Without the Olfactory." April 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/taste-without-the-olfactory/.

1. IvyPanda. "Taste Without the Olfactory." April 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/taste-without-the-olfactory/.


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