Abstract
Many studies have reported that subjective taste intensity is enhanced by odors which are congruent, for example a sweet taste and a vanilla odor. Some reports have suggested that subjective taste is more strongly enhanced by retronasal than by orthonasal odors; others have suggested that taste enhancements by both odor routes are identical. Differences between the two routes include the direction of airflow accompanying breath. Thus, it is possible that the order of gustatory and olfactory stimuli when breathing through either route while drinking is a determining factor for taste-odor integration. To reveal the natural relationship between taste intensity enhancement by odors and breath, synchronization of odor stimulation with the breath is necessary. Here, we examined whether the enhancement of a sweet taste is induced by a vanilla odor presented in various combinations of odor routes, immediately before and immediately after drinking. The results showed that a retronasal odor after drinking enhanced taste, but an orthonasal odor before drinking did not. The retronasal odor before drinking and the orthonasal odor after drinking did not enhance the sweet taste. These results show that congruency with the natural order of stimulus and kinetic sensation is a determining factor for odor-induced taste enhancement.
Highlights
When we eat or drink, we experience food and beverage through our so-called sense of taste, and through smell and other inputs[1]
In order to clarify whether or not the relationship between natural breath and taste intensity enhancement by odors is the determining factor for odor-induced taste enhancement, in a second experiment (Experiment 2), we examined whether a retronasal odor presented before drinking and an orthonasal odor presented after drinking enhance taste intensity
In Experiment 1, we found that a retronasal vanilla odor presented after drinking enhanced a sweet taste, but that an orthonasal vanilla odor presented before drinking did not
Summary
When we eat or drink, we experience food and beverage through our so-called sense of taste, and through smell and other inputs[1]. The intensity of tastes such as sweetness, bitterness and saltiness as weaker than usual[12] This phenomenon occurs because airflow with odor molecules from the mouth to the nose is disrupted and blocks flavor perception. Associations between a strawberry odor and sweetness[13, 14], caramel and sweetness[15], waterchestnut and sweetness[16], ethyl hexanoate (sweet smelling) and sweetness[17], dried bonito stock and umami[18], and soy sauce and saltiness[14] have been reported In these studies, the odor stimuli were mixed in a drink containing gustatory stimuli. Strawberry, caramel and vanilla odors tend to enhance the sweetness of a sucrose solution[15, 19]
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