2) Chemical substances in food dissolve in saliva
Substances form the food need to be dissolved and and a little bit degraded (by teeth and some of the enzymes in the mouth) in order to react chemically with taste receptors
1) Taste receptors are stimulated
Taste receptors are located in the oral cavity, usually on the tongue but also pharynx and the epiglottis (receptors are placed on taste buds within papilla on tongue)
3) Signals are sent to the thalamus by the facial nerve
From the ventral posterior medial nucleus in thalamus sensation is projected to the gustatory cortex
4)The gustatory cortex processes taste perception
The sensation of taste includes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami