Why does salt make everything taste better? Why do humans like it?

Question

Why does salt make everything taste better? Why do humans like it?

In: 4614

Answer 1

Many of these answers are not really answering the question. Some are just plain wrong.

Taste is a neurological process involving the stimulation of certain nerves. In this case, specialised cells on our taste buds.

Many different types of nerve cells, or neurons, become activated or excited by chemicals or compounds when they come into contact with receptor sites on the neuron cell’s surface. This kicks off the message relay, passing a message from one neuron to the next, until it gets to the brain, where we process and experience the stimulus. The stronger the initial stimulation of the first neuron, the more likely the message will get pushed all the way to the brain and be noticed. If it’s too “quiet”, not enough of the food to taste, or it’s bland, we may not taste something if it never reaches the threshold.

So what does this have to do with salt? Some neuron cells have what are called gated channels on their surface. These gates ‘open or close’ more depending on how much of a certain substance comes into contact.

For example, sodium or salt, can cause these ion gated channels to open up really wide, and as a result, the cells fire messages a lot faster/stronger, and creates a stronger flavour message. The chain reaction of the flavour message that follows on to the brain is therefore much “louder”.

Put simply, Salt works as an amplifier for neurons in your taste buds, so it literally enhances the neurological sensation of flavour.

Mind you, salt also has it’s own flavour that we find desirable and pleasant. So it works on two levels. Increasing the reception of flavour in the food (not necessarily changing the foods flavour itself), plus it adds the salty goodness we also like (which many have pointed out we have an evolutionary desire and requirement for).

This is also one of the reasons why putting salt on a wound hurts like hell. It causes neurons to fire their messages much more strongly because the cells receptor channels are much more open.

Edit: I want to postface that this certainly is not the single answer to the question. I’m no expert. Salt does all kinds of things at molecular and physiological levels – but thank you for the award!