Why is it that you love tomato juice on an airplane, but hate it
once you hit the ground? Well,
it’s not just your imagination; this change in taste happens to everyone and apparently,
there is now a science to this interesting fact.
Recent studies show that airplane noise is the culprit to your
liking certain foods only when flying. It appears that the noise affects the
way you taste, making certain foods or beverages stand out and minimizing
others. Robin Dando, the co-author of the study, conducted at Cornell University,
initiated the test because of all the complaints about
airplane food. Robin, a food scientist, explains that flavor is influenced by
the brain, but this is also related to the environment, and that the
environment can also have a profound effect on our brain and consequently on
our taste buds; so in essence other senses and environments can influence our
taste buds.
To prove the theory, he conducted a study involving 48 people and
the five basic types of taste. These involved sweet, sour, bitter, umami, and
salty flavors. Umami is the term given to flavors like soup, meats, cheeses and
tomatoes.
The volunteers in the study tasted everything in a quiet, almost
silent environment, and then again in another environment that mimicked the hum
of jet engines. The results showed
something quite interesting. It turns out that the noise that affected hearing
also affects taste buds, making the taste of umami more flavorful. And that’s
why when you fly, a beverage like tomato juice, a food product that you rarely
drink under normal circumstances, tastes so good.
The findings were so interesting to airlines and food producers
that Lufthansa, a buyer of more than 400,000 gallons of tomato juice per year,
has also ordered its own study.
On the Other Hand…
The study went on to conclude that this change in taste buds
also affected other foods, those that we tend to consume in huge quantities under
normal circumstances. These foods like chocolate, sodas and sweets just didn’t
have much of an appeal when flying. A soda just doesn’t taste as good on a
plane, and candy is not so appealing. The reason is because the sweet taste
buds are inhibited by the sound.
The results for salty and bitter tastes were not affected. These
taste buds remained the same. But these findings are enough to make researchers
want to continue to investigate how an airplane cabin environment could affect
taste buds, and these results may lead to breakthroughs in areas such as weight
loss and or weight gain.
Bottom Line
The study also implies that noise and the sense of hearing can
have an effect on other senses like taste. Dando suggests that there are further implications to this
study beyond the noise of an airplane. This can make things taste better or
worse depending on the environment.
As an example of this working we now experience some restaurants that
use special soundtracks for the serving of their food.