Which statement is true about gustation?

• A. Taste buds receptors last about a week or two, and we detect salty, sour, bitter, umami, and sweet.
• B. Taste buds never wear out and never renew.
• C. Only salty and sweet tastes exist.
• D. Pain receptors react to tastes broadly.

Answer: (A)

Gustation relies on taste buds that house receptor cells capable of detecting five basic tastes: salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami. These taste receptor cells have a limited lifespan—roughly one to two weeks—and are continually renewed from basal progenitor cells. This ongoing renewal keeps our sense of taste functional over time and after minor damage. So, the statement that taste receptor cells last about a week or two and that we detect salty, sour, bitter, umami, and sweet is accurate. The other ideas don’t fit because taste receptor cells do renew; there aren’t only two tastes; and pain receptors are not what detect tastes in a broad sense.