Taste is the gustatory perception. In simple word taste means what we experience while eating or drinking. Taste buds are responsible for detection sensation. An average person has around 2000 to 8000 taste buds. Taste bud are mostly found on upper part of tongue ,epiglottis , cheek and soft palate.
perception of taste sensation are:
1.sweet
2.salty
3.sour
4.bitter
5.Umami
And all other taste are the combination of mixed sensation.
figure: taste bud on tongue (credits:https://www.google.com.np/search?q=mouth+with+taste+bud+pic&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGg77lg6zYAhWLM48KHbLJA_AQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=GLL2MlEwxDR6hM:)
The sensation of taste is mostly region on tongue. Tip of the tongue is sensitive too sweet, edges to the salt and sour, rear is bitter.
Taste is also stimulated by temperature, food texture, aroma and the appearance of the food. But some of the sensation on tounge might not be due to taste buds like pain. They are due free nerve sensation.
Sensory supply are as follows:
1 .Taste fibers on the anterior 2/3rd travels in the chorda tympani. Chorda tympani is branch of facial nerve which originates from the taste buds and travels middle ear. The nerve pass through the middle ear to meets with vertical segments of the facial nerve in the mastoid process and reaches the posterior cranial fossa via auditory canal.
2.Taste fibers of posterior 1/3rd of the tongue and oropharynx travel in the gloss-pharyngeal nerve. Gloss-pharyngeal nerve reaches posterior cranial fossa via jugular foremen.
3.Both sets of the nerve goes from posterior cranial fossa. Then the fibers meet with tractus solitarius in the brain-stem.
plz comment if want 2 know about taste sensation and problem related to oral cavity.