5 different types of taste and how they keep us healthy and safe

Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)

Taste is one of our most important senses. It helps us decide if a food or drink is safe to eat.

The flavours we taste in food come from tiny special chemicals in them (see graphic). We can sense five main types of tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savoury.

The sense of taste was important for our ancestors because it helped them survive. Scientists believe we like sweet things because they are often high in carbohydrates. They provide our body with lots of energy.

We can sometimes taste sourness in spoiled food because it’s a sign the food might be unsafe to eat.

The salty taste in food often comes from table salt, also called sodium chloride. Our bodies need sodium to control water levels and ensure our muscles work well. It is thought that we can taste saltiness to make sure we get enough sodium.

The taste of bitterness comes from substances found in many poisonous plants. This helped our ancestors avoid getting sick from them.

Some scientists think we can taste savoury food, such as cheese, because it increases our appetite.