taste bud, small organ located on the tongue in terrestrial vertebrates that functions in the perception of taste. In fish, taste buds occur on the lips, the flanks, and the caudal (tail) fins of some species and on the barbels of catfish. Taste receptor cells, with which incoming chemicals from food and other sources interact, occur on the tongue in groups of 50–150. Each of these groups forms a taste bud, which is grouped together with other taste buds into taste papillae. The taste buds are embedded in the epithelium of the tongue and make contact with the outside environment through ... (100 of 456 words)
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Circumvallate papillae, located on the surface of the back part of the tongue, contain taste buds (indicated by asterisks). Specialized hairlike structures (microvilli) located at the surface of taste buds in minute openings called taste pores (indicated by arrows) detect dissolved chemicals ingested in food, leading to the activation of receptor cells in the taste buds and the sensation of taste.
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The taste buds of the circumvallate papillae are made up of a taste pore with sensitive microvilli (hairlike structures) at the top. Inside the taste bud are taste receptor cells connected to nerve fibres.
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Taste buds on the human tongue exhibit sensitivity to specific tastes.