2 fuctions of the papillae of tongue

The top of the tongue is covered with tiny bumps called papillae Papillae give the tongue a rough surface so it can push food around while u chew. Papillae also contain the taste buds, which allow u to distinguish flavors. You were born with about 10,000 taste buds, but they begin to die as u get older; elderly people may have only 5,000.

Each taste bud is made up of cells which contain tiny, sensitive hairs called micro villi; they send messages to the brain, which interprets the signals & identifies the taste. Taste buds can recognize four distinct tastes: sweet, bitter, salty & sour. Some foods can make ur taste bud cells less sensitive, especially if they're cold. For example, frozen juice does not taste as sweet as the same juice in liquid form.