How many taste buds do humans have?
The average adult has anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 taste buds. We lose taste buds as we age, which means that children have more taste buds than adults. Sizes and numbers of taste buds vary from person to person.
These differences mean that, although everyone detects the same five tastes, perceptions and experiences of these tastes vary.
How big is a taste bud?
Taste buds come in different sizes. On average, they have a diameter of about one-thirtieth of a millimeter and a length of one-sixteenth of a millimeter.
Where are taste buds located?
Taste buds primarily cover your tongue. To a lesser extent, you also have taste buds on the roof of your mouth and in your throat. The taste buds on your tongue are housed inside visible bumps called papillae. There are three types of papillae that contain taste buds:
- Fungiform: Located on the sides and tip of your tongue. They contain approximately 1,600 taste buds.
- Circumvallate: Located on the back of your tongue. They contain approximately 250 taste buds.
- Foliate: Located on the back portion of your tongue, on each side. There are about 20 of these papillae, and they contain several hundred taste buds each.
It’s a common misconception that your tongue contains taste zones, or specific regions devoted to just one taste. Instead, taste buds that detect sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami are scattered throughout your tongue. Some parts of your tongue are a bit more sensitive to certain tastes.
For example, taste buds on the back of your tongue are especially sensitive to bitter tastes. This is likely an evolutionary feature. Toxic substances often contain compounds your taste buds register as bitter and unpleasant. Identifying something as unpleasant (and potentially hazardous) before you swallow can save your life.
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What do taste buds look like?
Imagine a collection of cells arranged like a peeled orange or rosebud. At the top of the rosebud, a slight opening called a taste pore allows food and drinks to come into contact with the cells inside that detect taste.
What is the structure of a taste bud?
A taste bud is a collection of cells grouped inside the bumps on your tongue called papillae. A taste bud includes:
- Taste receptor cells: Each taste bud has between 50 to 150 taste receptor cells. These cells contain receptors that extend upward inside the taste pore. These extensions are taste hairs called microvilli. The microvilli come into contact with the chemicals in the food and drink you consume. Taste receptor cells connect to nerves that transmit taste signals to your brain. Your brain registers the chemical that came into contact with the receptor as sweet, salty, etc.
- Basal cells: These cells are stem cells that eventually become taste receptor cells. Your body replaces taste receptor cells approximately every 10 days.
- Supporting cells (sustentacular cells): These cells are scattered throughout your taste buds alongside taste receptor cells. Although they’re in your taste buds, they can’t detect taste.
How often do taste buds change?
Basal cells develop into new taste receptor cells every week or two (10 days on average). Our taste buds decrease as we age, which means that your perception of taste changes at different stages of life. The foods you love as an adult may differ from those you love as a child. Similarly, taste perception changes as you transition through adulthood.
