TAU CAF DFST MRLG 2nd Sem.

SY2020-2021

Lesson 2.2 The Sensory System

The receptor neurons in each sensory system (visual, auditory, olfactory) deals with different kinds of
energy – electromagnetic, mechanical or chemical. When assessing flavor qualities, mouthfeel as a
measure of texture becomes the starting point for evaluation followed by taste and smell. However, the
final acceptance of the commodity would also be affected by appearance factors like color, size, shape,
etc. The apparent interconnection among sensory characteristics show them to appear as a continuum
of sensory attributes.

EYES

Light is focused onto the retina by the cornea. In the retina a team of five types of cells called the
photoreceptors, bipolar cells, horizontal cells, amacrine cells and ganglion cells extract visual information,
transform it to neural signals, and then send it to the brain via optic nerve.

Photoreceptors are divided into two subtypes, rods and cones, named for their shapes. Rod cells are
generally used for night vision since these cells are very sensitive to changes in contrast even at low light
level, but are imprecise in detecting position and are insensitive to color. Cones are high precision cells
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 TAU CAF DFST MRLG 2nd Sem. SY2020-2021

that are specialized to detect red, green or blue light. Bipolar cells extract information about form and
motion from an image. The ganglion cells at the front of the retina are the final relay station in the eye.
They pass signals to the brain via optic nerve.

The iris contracts or relaxes to compensate for changes in lighting conditions and the pupils dilates and
constricts to control the amount of light which enters the eye. The lens can squeeze tight into a ball or be
stretched flat, allowing one to shift the focus between near and far objects.

NOSE

One perceives odor in the following manner: signals from the olfactory cells in the nose reach the olfactory
area of the cortex after the single relay in the olfactory bulb. The olfactory cortex, in turn, connects directly
with a key structure called the hypothalamus, which controls sexual and maternal behavior.

KINESTHETICS
Kinesthesis is defined as the “sense whose end organs lies in the muscles, tendons, and joints and is
stimulated by bodily tensions”. In the applied sense, the word kinesthetic would imply feel and touch
sensations experienced through the finger and mouth. This includes attributes like texture and viscosity
or consistency. This attributes may also belong to both appearance factors and the sense of touch because
even without touching or feeling an object, a perception of its textural properties may be formed based
mainly on past experiences.

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“This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of University pursuant to PART IV: The Law on Copyright of Republic Act (RA) 8293 or the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines”.
The University does not authorize you to reproduce or communicate this material. The Material may contain works that are subject to copyright protection under RA 8293.Any reproduction and/or communication of the material by
you may be subject to copyright infringement and the copyright owners have the right to take legal action against such infringement. Do n ot remove this notice.” -MRLG
 TAU CAF DFST MRLG 2nd Sem. SY2020-2021

Sensation starts with the activation of a sensory receptor, such as the thermoreceptor in the skin sensing
the temperature of the water. The sensory receptor in the skin initiates an electrical signal that travels
along a sensory axon within a nerve into the spinal cord, where it synapses with a neuron in the gray
matter of the spinal cord. At the synapse the temperature information represented in that electrical signal
is passed to the next neuron by a chemical signal (the neurotransmitter) that diffuses across the small gap
of the synapse and initiates a new electrical signal. That signal travels through the sensory pathway to the
brain, synapsing in the thalamus, and finally the cerebral cortex where conscious perception of the water
temperature occurs. Following integration of that information with other cognitive processes and sensory
information, the brain sends a command back down to the spinal cord to initiate a motor response by
controlling a skeletal muscle. The motor pathway is composed of two cells, the upper motor neuron and
the lower motor neuron. The upper motor neuron has its cell body in the cerebral cortex and synapses
with the lower motor neuron in the gray matter of the spinal cord. The axon of the lower motor neuron
extends into the periphery where it synapses with a skeletal muscle fiber at a neuromuscular junction.

EARS

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Sound is the perception of humans by vibrations in some physical medium, usually air. These physical
vibrations of the air are evidenced by alternating rarefactions and compressions. Sound is created by
mechanical force which in turn create fluctuations in air pressure. This is funneled by the outer ear, or
pinna, into the ear canal. The shape of the outer ear and the ear canal filters sound, amplifying some
frequencies and diminishing others. At the end of the ear canal, the sound causes movement of the
eardrum, which is connected to three small bones: malleus, incus, and stapes. The stapes or “stirrup”
jiggles a flexible layer of tissue at the base of the cochlea. This pressure sends waves rippling along the
basilar membrane, stimulating some of its hair cells. Bundled on these hairs cells are tiny projections called
cilia. These cells send out rapid-fire code of electrical signals about the frequency, intensity, and duration
of a sound. The impulses then travel to the brain following the auditory pathway.

TONGUE

The receptors of taste are called taste buds, most of which are located on the tongue. However, regions
responsive to taste are also found on the palate, in the pharynx and larynx, on the tonsils and epiglottis
and in some people at least on the mucosa of the lips and cheeks, the underside of the tongue, and in the

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“This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of University pursuant to PART IV: The Law on Copyright of Republic Act (RA) 8293 or the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines”.
The University does not authorize you to reproduce or communicate this material. The Material may contain works that are subject to copyright protection under RA 8293.Any reproduction and/or communication of the material by
you may be subject to copyright infringement and the copyright owners have the right to take legal action against such infringement. Do n ot remove this notice.” -MRLG
 TAU CAF DFST MRLG 2nd Sem. SY2020-2021

floor of the mouth. The area of greatest responsiveness is on the upper surface of the tongue, at its tip,
sides and rear surface.

Taste, or gustation, is a sense that develops through the interaction of dissolved molecules with taste
buds. . The surface of the tongue, along with the rest of the oral cavity, is lined by a stratified squamous
epithelium. In the surface of the tongue are raised bumps, called papilla, that contain the taste buds.
There are three types of papilla, based on their appearance: vallate, foliate, and fungiform. The number
of taste buds within papillae varies, with each bud containing several specialized taste cells (gustatory
receptor cells) for the transduction of taste stimuli. These receptor cells release neurotransmitters when
certain chemicals in ingested substances (such as food) are carried to their surface in saliva.
Neurotransmitter from the gustatory cells can activate the sensory neurons in the facial and
glossopharyngeal cranial nerves.

Once the taste cells are activated by molecules liberated from the things we ingest, they release
neurotransmitters onto the dendrites of sensory neurons. These neurons are part of the facial and
glossopharyngeal cranial nerves, as well as a component within the vagus nerve dedicated to the gag
reflex. The facial nerve connects to taste buds in the anterior third of the tongue. The glossopharyngeal
nerve connects to taste buds in the posterior two thirds of the tongue. The vagus nerve connects to taste
buds in the extreme posterior of the tongue, verging on the pharynx, which are more sensitive to noxious
stimuli like bitterness.

Axons from the three cranial nerves carrying taste information travel to the medulla. From there much of
the information is carried to the thalamus and then routed to the primary gustatory cortex, located near
the inferior margin of the post-central gyrus. It is the primary gustatory cortex that is responsible for our
sensations of taste. And, although this region receives significant input from taste buds, it is likely that it
also receives information about the smell and texture of food, all contributing to our overall taste
experience. The nuclei in the medulla also send projections to the hypothalamus and amygdalae, which
are involved in autonomic reflexes such as gagging and salivation.

Taste Map: The Primary Taste Sensations

There are five different taste sensations that are currently recognized. The Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter and
lastly the Umami taste.
Sweet. The sweet taste is the sensitivity of taste cells to the presence of glucose dissolved in the saliva.
Molecules that are similar in structure to glucose will have a similar effect on the sensation of
sweetness.

Salty. This is simply the sense of Sodium concentration in the saliva. As the Sodium (Na +) concentration
becomes high outside the taste cells, a strong concentration gradient drives their diffusion into the cells.
This depolarizes the cells, leading them to release neurotransmitter.

Sour. This taste is transduced similar to that of salty, except that it is a response to the Hydrogen ion (H+)
concentration released from acidic substances (those with low pH), instead of a response to Na+. For

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“This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of University pursuant to PART IV: The Law on Copyright of Republic Act (RA) 8293 or the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines”.
The University does not authorize you to reproduce or communicate this material. The Material may contain works that are subject to copyright protection under RA 8293.Any reproduction and/or communication of the material by
you may be subject to copyright infringement and the copyright owners have the right to take legal action against such infringement. Do n ot remove this notice.” -MRLG
 TAU CAF DFST MRLG 2nd Sem. SY2020-2021

example, orange juice, which contains citric acid, will taste sour because it has a pH value of about 3. Of
course, it is often sweetened so that the sour taste is masked. As the concentration of the hydrogen ions
increases because of ingesting acidic compounds, the depolarization of specific taste cells increases.

Bitter. Bitter taste can be stimulated by a large number of molecules collectively known as alkaloids.
Alkaloids are essentially the opposite of acids, they contain basic (in the sense of pH) nitrogen atoms
within their structures. Most alkaloids originate from plant sources, with common examples being hops
(in beer), tannins (in wine), tea, aspirin, and similar molecules. When enough alkaloids are contained in a
substance it can stimulate the gag reflex. This is a protective mechanism because alkaloids are often
produced by plants as a toxin to deter infectious microorganisms and plant eating animals. Such
molecules may be toxic to animals as well, so we tend to avoid eating bitter foods. When we do eat
bitter foods, they are often combined with a sweet component to make them more palatable (cream
and sugar in coffee, for example).

Umami. The taste known as umami is often referred to as the savory taste. The umami taste was
recognized by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 but was not officially recognized as scientific
term until 1985. The name "umami" comes from Japanese word "umai", which means "delicious".
Umami is a distinct taste of glutamates. Glutamates pay an important part in biosynthesis of certain
proteins that can be found in many food products such as fermented or smoked fish, vegetables,
mushrooms, cured meat or meat broths. Like sweet and bitter, it is based on the activation of G-protein
coupled receptors, in this case by amino acids, especially glutamine. Thus, umami might be considered
the taste of proteins, and is most associated with meat containing dishes.

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“This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of University pursuant to PART IV: The Law on Copyright of Republic Act (RA) 8293 or the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines”.
The University does not authorize you to reproduce or communicate this material. The Material may contain works that are subject to copyright protection under RA 8293.Any reproduction and/or communication of the material by
you may be subject to copyright infringement and the copyright owners have the right to take legal action against such infringement. Do n ot remove this notice.” -MRLG