<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Anatomical terms of microanatomy (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> Taste buds contain the taste receptor cells, which are also known as gustatory cells . The taste receptors are located around the small structures known as papillae found on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper esophagus, the cheek, and epiglottis . These structures are involved in detecting the five elements of taste perception: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami . A popular myth assigns these different tastes to different regions of the tongue; in reality these tastes can be detected by any area of the tongue . Via small openings in the tongue epithelium, called taste pores, parts of the food dissolved in saliva come into contact with the taste receptors . These are located on top of the taste receptor cells that constitute the taste buds . The taste receptor cells send information detected by clusters of various receptors and ion channels to the gustatory areas of the brain via the seventh, ninth and tenth cranial nerves . </P> <P> On average, the human tongue has 2,000--8,000 taste buds . </P> <P> The taste buds on the tongue sit on raised protrusions of the tongue surface called papillae . There are three types of lingual papillae that contain taste buds present on the human tongue: </P>

How many taste buds on the human tongue