Chemical sense of smell and taste
components of the olfactory system
the olfactory system is one of the most basic and necessary senses. It is the system responsible for smell, which involves detecting and identifying the molecular particles in the air. This system is one of the most powerful systems, as it brings back memories and affects an individual’s mood or even behavior. The olfactory systems are a complex system which highly depends on the brain, the sensory organs and the nerves. The components of the olfactory system include the olfactory receptors, the olfactory sensory neurons, the olfactory bulb and the cortex. The olfactory receptors play a major role in the olfactory system as they detect the odor molecules. They are available in large numbers and are located at the back of the nasal cavity in mammals. In arthropods, these receptors are found in the antenna. The olfactory receptors are placed in a way that one end is projected outside the cell and the other end is inside the cell, hence conveying the message from outside into inside.
The olfactory sensory neurons act as messengers of the odorant. They are located in the nasal epithelium and their main function is to detect and to transmit the odorant information to the central nervous system. they form a connection with olfactory bulb and the olfactory receptors. The olfactory bulb is the neural structure in the forebrain of the vertebrates. Whose main function is to perceive and process smell. It transmits odorant vfrom the olfactory neurons to the rest of the brain. The cortex is the part of the cerebral cortex which receives information from the olfactory bulb and it organizes the sensory input. It is connected to the limbic system, which processes our emotions, survival instincts and also forms the memory. Through the cortex, one the smell is stored as memory or emotion.
Different people may have different taste experiences. some of the reasons for this include; the difference in the DNA sequence of their sweet receptors, making them either too sensitive to sweet items or lowly sensitive. Others may have receptors that are better tuned to the different flavors than others. people’s tastes are also different because of the difference in the capacity of people’s taste buds, which is determined by the structure and the capacity of the taste receptors. Also, taste experiences are different trigeminal sensitivity, which is the reaction to cold and hot substances such as mint and cinnamon.
Culture plays a vital role in the development of smell and taste. People’s culture is people’s way of life, which includes their tastes and smells. People’s culture affects their food choices and their attitudes towards food taste and preferences. Based on cultural beliefs, people choose what tastes or smells good or bad, hence affecting the people’s attitudes and perceptions towards the smell. Also, different cultures choose different food combinations, which in turn affect how they perceive taste and smell. With different mixtures of different flavors, the taste bud’s sensitivity. For example, the hunting and gathering communities prefer their food natural while those from cultures such as the Indians and the Chinese prefer heavily flavored food. Also, in Africa, the Maasai community prefer raw meat and animal milk while neighboring communities see this as disgusting