Question

In humans, there are five primary tastes, and each taste has only one corresponding type of what?

Answer 1

receptor

In humans, there are five primary tastes, and each taste has only one corresponding type of receptor. Thus, like olfaction, each receptor is specific to its stimulus  tastant . Transduction of the five tastes happens through different mechanisms that reflect the molecular composition of the tastant. A salty tastant  containing NaCl  provides the sodium ions  Na+  that enter the taste neurons and excite them directly. Sour tastants are acids and belong to the thermoreceptor protein family. Binding of an acid or other sour-tasting molecule triggers a change in the ion channel and these increase hydrogen ion  H+ .