# MSG receptor?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 27, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893 "2000-11-27T18:47:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tamulis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@tamulis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tamulis)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893/1 "2000-11-27T18:47:19Z")

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Back to a side note in the [bird eating chili](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mchili.html) report. In short, what MSG receptor? Where is it, on the tongue? Should I buy a can of MSG and try to find the receptors, and coincidentally, find out what MSG tastes like?

This may even merit a whole new “Ask Cecil” question.

Andrius

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893/2 "2000-11-27T20:37:49Z")

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There has already been a Mailbag article on the subject. It is [Besides sweet, sour, etc., is there a fifth taste sensation, “umami”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mumami.html)

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893/3 "2000-11-30T10:35:07Z")

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read the link, but where is the receptors. We know the front of the tung is sweet, the sides are salt and sour, and the back is bitter, so is the MSG tastebud right smack dab in the middle? maybe underneath?

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**Author:** ![gonz007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gonz007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonz007)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-receptor/42893/4 "2000-11-30T17:03:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by k2dave \*  
> \*\* We know the front of the tung is sweet, the sides are salt and sour, and the back is bitter, so is the MSG tastebud right smack dab in the middle? maybe underneath? \*\*

Ah yes…elementary school science rears its ugly head yet again. ALthough I’m sure this has been explained elsewhere, this view isn’t very accurate. There are taste buds throughout the entire oral cavity and all of them can detect all tastes; however, some are more sensitive to certain signals. So chuck that fifth grade text and keep up!

BTW you can take the square root of a negative number, some dinosaurs were warm blooded, and many insects can regulate body temperature!