Taste Buds

Collections of 50 to 150 taste cells closely packed into a structure that resembles the individual cloves of a bulb of garlic and that are located on some of the papillae of the tongue. At the top of the taste buds, the taste cells have small sacs (microvilli) that are grouped much like the opening of a pore. The taste substances must pass through these sacs to be identified by the taste receptors in the membranes of the taste cells.