gustatory stimulus

a chemical capable of activating taste cells. Gustatory stimuli include sugars (sweet), salts of sodium (salty) and heavier elements (bitter or rarely sweet), acids (sour), alkaloids (bitter), and monosodium glutamate (umami), among others. Also called sapid stimulus; taste stimulus.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

peptide

n. a short chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Peptides are usually identified by the number of amino acids in the chain. For example, dipeptides have two amino acids, tripeptides three, tetrapeptides four, and so on. See also polypeptide; protein.