Crescere mangiando quanto rigurgitato dai propri genitori è più facile se non si possiede il senso del gusto, come nel caso dei pinguini.
Uno studio pubblicato nella rivista scientifica Current Biology ha infatti dimostrato che questi animali sono incapaci di sentire il sapore amaro, quello dolce e l’umami*. Gli esperti devono ancora stabilire se sono in grado di recepire sapori salati e aciduli.
La facoltà delle papille gustative di captare i diversi gusti è dovuta alla presenza, sulla loro superficie, di proteine chiamate ricettori che, una volta individuato il sapore per il quale sono specializzate, mandano un segnale al cervello.
RedMM/mrj
*umami: parola di origine giapponese che significa “saporito” e indica il sapore di glutammato particolarmente presente in cibi come la carne, il formaggio e altri alimenti ricchi di proteine (da Wikipedia)
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