Blog #1 - What would happen to you if you ate a whole bunch of protons? Would it be safe?

Hello world! This is my first ever blog and I am very excited about writing this post. 

To understand what would happen if you ate a whole bunch of protons, let us first see and understand the structure of a human tongue.

Papillae of a human tongue

A tongue consists of thousands of papillae or projections. There are various types of papillae.

Various types of papillae

Around each of these papillae are hundreds of small structures which are called as taste buds. These taste buds are only few cells big and are responsible for taste perception.

An Image of 2 overlapping Mammalian Tongue Papillae taken with an SEM. The pink projections are bacteria. The tiny, purple colored, finger-like projections are the microvilli of the taste buds.

Taste buds on a Papilla

Cross Section of a Taste Bud

Now let us look at one of these microvilli. 

Phospholipid Bilayer of a Microvillus

A microvillus is made of phospholipid bilayer and has pores of various shapes which are responsible for taste. On this phospholipid bilayer, there are also some specifically shaped molecules, present partly inside and partly outside. When a protein is present in the food, and it fits into the molecule (like a lock and a key), several changes take place at the base of the taste bud and a signal is sent to the brain that this taste is "umami".

Protein-Detecting Molecule on Phospholipid Bilayer of a Microvillus

Protein Attached to the Protein-Detecting Molecule on Phospholipid Bilayer of a Microvillus

The pores on the phospholipid bilayer are channels for ions - mainly sodium ions and hydrogen ions. When salt is dissolved in saliva (more particularly the water in the saliva), it dissociates into sodium ions and chlorine ions. Now, these sodium ions (and nothing else) pass through these pores (which are called sodium ion channels if sodium ions pass through them). As the sodium ion concentration increases, a number of chemical reactions occur and a signal is passed to the brain through the nerve cells and this taste is recognized as saltiness.

An ion channel

A similar thing occurs in the hydrogen ion channels too. When an acid dissociates in water, it gives hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions. When the concentration of hydrogen ions increases in the cell, the brain detects it as a sour taste. 

Conclusion

So, when you eat a whole bunch of protons, you will feel a sour taste. We have eaten many sour foods and there have been no side effects or any sickness. So, it is perfectly safe to eat a bunch of protons.