The flavor of food is one of the most complex and
powerful of all human sensations. If something does not
attract us visually, smell appealing or have the right
sound as we bite into it, we may reject it. As you chew,
food molecules ___1___
in your saliva and diffuse into your smell receptors.
Smell is unique because you can sniff odors outside the
body in the environment, and perceive odors inside the
body through the mouth. Both contribute to flavor. If
you lose your ability to smell, even temporarily from a
cold, the overall flavor and desire for food ___2___
. But before food even gets to your mouth, your eyes
have examined it and sent a message to your brain to
accept or reject what is on the plate. Though taste and
smell are important to ___3___
, our other three senses play a critical role, too.
Sight prepares us to enjoy or reject the food. Hearing
triggers memories of food experiences and enhances the
anticipation of the flavor to come. Meanwhile, the
feeling of food -- like ice cream melting on your
tongue, ___4___ our
rate of chewing and the delivery of molecules to the
taste buds.
We taste sour, sweet, bitter, salty, umami and fat.
All the taste sensors in your mouth are based on the
identification of molecules that are essential ___5___
life. Now you know this, the next time you comment that
the flavor of your soup is wonderful, or the taste of
your vegetables is awful, think about the extraordinary
chemistry that is going on to create your flavor
experience. |