Digitally enhancing tasting experiences

Abstract

Our experience of food and drink depends on more than merely the ingredients that have been combined in a dish or drink and the way in which it has been prepared. There is growing interest in the question of whether digital technologies/solutions can be used to enhance consumers’ multisensory tasting experiences. Projection mapping and sonic seasoning have been incorporated onto the menu in a number of world-leading restaurants for several years now. However, there has, as yet, been relatively little uptake of such digital technologies in the home environment. And while a wide (and growing) range of food and beverage brands have come out with sensory apps and sonic seasoning playlists in recent years, they do not tend to be present in the marketplace for very long. In fact, it would appear that the majority of augmented and virtual reality solutions have more relevance to the world of consumer/food science research than necessarily to enhancing the tasting experience for those in the home environment. Looking to the future, the widespread societal uptake of digitally-enhanced tasting experiences will likely only occur when such solutions provide an obvious, and demonstrable, benefit to the intended users.