Primate and Human Taste: Evolution and Perception

This source presents a comparative analysis of taste perception in primates, including humans, focusing on evolutionary influences. The authors examine taste thresholds and neural responses to various compounds, suggesting a fundamental dichotomy in primate taste systems that distinguishes between potentially beneficial substances like sugars and noxious compounds such as tannins and alkaloids. By comparing human psychophysical data with electrophysiological recordings from non-human primates, the study questions the traditional notion of separate "basic tastes." The research highlights the coevolution of primate taste preferences with angiosperms and their diverse chemical compositions, indicating that taste perception has been shaped by interactions with the environment and dietary adaptations over evolutionary time.