A Sixth Sense of Taste

By now, we've all heard that umami — or savory — is the fifth taste among salty, sweet, bitter and sour. But could the sixth taste be…fizzy?

A new study entitled “The Taste of Carbonation” has been published in the journal Science by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their colleagues from the University of California, San Diego.

The scientists say there is a taste receptor for carbonation, and that it's perceived in a similar way to sour flavors. This explains the tingly sensation of fizzy drinks, according to the study.