Danielle Reed, a former colleague of Rawson at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, expressed gratitude for the way our taste perception works. If it weren't for the function of taste, we might find ourselves tasting unpleasant substances like bile and pancreatic enzymes, which would be quite undesirable.

Taste receptors in the intestines are believed to play crucial roles beyond merely identifying flavors. They are thought to initiate hormonal reactions to certain molecules, such as sugars and salts, and also trigger defensive mechanisms like vomiting or diarrhea in response to bitter and potentially harmful substances.