What Types Of Energy Conversion Go On In The Tongue?
Like the eye and the ear, the tongue acts as an electrical transducer. It converts chemical energy into electrical energy. When we eat food, the chemicals that make up the various different types of food come into contact with the surface of the tongue which contains taste receptors, or taste buds. These are specialised receptor cells that are affected by different chemicals. There are four many zones of receptors – some that detect bitter tastes, some that detect sweetness, some that pick up salty flavours and some that detect sour, or acid tastes. The impact of the chemicals in food causes membrane changes in the cells that are contained in the taste buds and this sets up an action potential which is transferred to the nerves that lead from the tongue to the brain. Chemical energy is converted to electrical energy. When the electrical impulses reach the brain, they are processed and we perceive the different tastes.
