Researchers Reveal Why Taste Differs from Person to Person

Amy Taylor December 10, 2012

Maybe you love adding thick tomato sauce in any dish while others don’t. Maybe you like putting sugar and milk in your coffee while your partner wants pure, black coffee. Maybe your parents are addicted to curries while you despise even the smell of it. It’s a fact that we all have different food choices. But the question is – why?

Genetic variants affect our food taste

The reason why our taste of food varies is partly genetic, scientists reveal. If you hate sprouts and couldn’t bare the sour taste of lemon, you are considered a ‘supertaster’, which according to research, affects 25% of the British population. This means you have twice as many taste buds in your tongue than other people. As a result, you become more sensitive particularly to bitter tastes.

Do you love hot or cold chocolate? Did you know some people have taste buds that react based on the temperature of the food? Weird, but scientists call them ‘thermal tasters’.

According to Barry Smith, professor of philosophy and director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses at the University of London, we use all our senses whenever we taste food. How salty, sweet, or bitter food is affected by how many receptors on the tongue is firing at the same time, he said.

So when you eat, say for example, an ice cream, you smell it, feel its texture (whether it’s smooth, thick, or rough) and its temperature.

All our senses affect our taste of food

Among our major senses, it is the sense of smell that plays the biggest role in determining food preference, suggests Charles Spence, professor at the department of experimental psychology in Oxford University.

He said a big aroma gives a big hit to the flavour of the food. No wonder why many restaurants invest on making their menus appealing to the nose. According to Prof Spence, the signals fired by our taste bud are carried to the orbitofrontal cortex – a region located in the middle of the forehead which processes the sense of taste.

Other than the sense of smell, the colour of the food also contributes to one’s food preference. In one of his experiments, Prof Spence found that red-coloured food increases the perception of sweetness. Even the colour of the plate has an impact too.

Do you know why crisps are very appealing to many people even if they are considered unhealthy? It’s because even sounds affect the taste of food. Crispiness or crunch is associated with freshness, said Prof Spence.

Scientists suggest knowing how senses interact with each other can help solve the problem of high-sodium content in many processed products. This will benefit young and old, as well as the picky eaters. For instance, preparing foods in a way that all the senses react positively can make vegetable dishes more appealing to the children who are usually more sensitive to bitter taste.

Dear Readers,

Can you think of ways on how to turn healthy foods like fruits and vegetables into likeable and more appetising meals?

Share your comments below.

Source of this article:

Why taste is all in the senses