Abstract
The term “sonic seasoning” refers to the deliberate pairing of sound/music with taste/flavour in order to enhance, or modify, the multisensory tasting experience. Although the recognition that people experience a multitude of crossmodal correspondences between stimuli in the auditory and chemical senses originally emerged from the psychophysics laboratory, the last decade has seen an explosion of interest in the use and application of sonic seasoning research findings, in a range of multisensory experiential events and online offerings. These marketing-led activations have included a variety of different approaches, from curating pre-composed music selections that have the appropriate sonic qualities (such as pitch or timbre), to the composition of bespoke music/soundscapes that match the specific taste/flavour of particular food or beverage products. Moreover, given that our experience of flavour often changes over time and frequently contains multiple distinct elements, there is also scope to more closely match the sonic seasoning to the temporal evolution of the various components (or notes) of the flavour experience. We review a number of case studies of the use of sonic seasoning, highlighting some of the challenges and opportunities associated with the various approaches, and consider the intriguing interplay between physical and digital (online) experiences. Taken together, the various examples reviewed here help to illustrate the growing commercial relevance of sonic seasoning research.
Highlights
The term “sonic seasoning” refers to the deliberate matching, or pairing, of sound/music with taste/flavour in order to enhance, or modify, the multisensory tasting experience (Spence, 2011b, 2013, 2016, 2017; see Sedacca, 20161)
Given that multisensory flavour experiences typically evolve over time and often contain multiple distinct elements, there is an opportunity for researchers and brands to match the sonic seasoning to the temporal evolution of the various elements in the tasting experience
In considering the flavour profile of Propel, Wang and Keller focused on two distinct elements in the taste experience of the drink: the presence of electrolytes, which contribute to a flavour experience of “saltiness,” and the use of fruit flavours, resulting in an experience of “sweetness.” While the auditory crossmodal correspondences with sweet tastes have been well-established and appear to be reasonably robust (Wang et al, 2015), salty sonic seasoning has been somewhat harder to establish convincingly
Summary
The term “sonic seasoning” refers to the deliberate matching, or pairing, of sound/music with taste/flavour in order to enhance, or modify, the multisensory tasting experience (Spence, 2011b, 2013, 2016, 2017; see Sedacca, 20161). . .] Just as the sonant complexity is doubled, the gustatory effects of ripe fruit on toasted vanilla explode on the palate and the appreciation of both is taken to an entirely new level” (quoted in Sachse-Wienert, 2012) Such extraordinary multisensory tasting experiences (see Spence, 2020b, for a number of other examples) helps to address the concerns of the occasional naysayers (often, it has to be said, wine experts), who have, until recently, been sceptical that sonic seasoning was anything more than a harmless novelty (Hunt, 2015), or that it would stand up to scientific scrutiny There has been increasing interest from modernist chefs (e.g., Marinetti, 1932/2014; Spence et al, 2011; Spence and Youssef, 2016; Youssef et al, 2019; see Leonor et al, 2018), and even an airline, in matching nature sounds to the food they serve (see4; Silva, 2019). In addition, the growing awareness of the potentially positive influence of sonic factors over tasting experiences has taken place in the context of an increased understanding of, and complaints about, the deleterious effects of background noise on multisensory tasting experiences (e.g., Spence, 2015b; Bravo-Moncayo et al, 2020; Freeman, 2021; see Spence, 2014, for a review)
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