Hearing and Taste in Food Flavor Perception

Among studies on multisensory integration or cross-modal correspondence, hearing was considered a “separate” sense when it came to perceptions of or preferences for certain foods. However, at a certain point, sensory studies delved deeper into the topic and found that, yes, this sense could indeed determine certain preferences, and what’s more, it could even directly influence pleasure and emotional well-being during meals or tastings.

Researchers from the Department of Physiology, the Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, and some collaborators analyzed studies with this objective and reported that there are differences when addressing aspects related to sounds intrinsic to food or sounds originating from the environment (SPENCE et al., 2014; SPENCE, 2015a; SPENCE, 2015b).

Food itself emits noises during chewing, and this fact can generate sensory descriptors for textural characteristics, which vary in terms ranging from the first bite, chewing, mouthfeel, and even swallowing. It’s impossible not to notice the viscosity of a yogurt or a fruit smoothie (descriptors: fluid or thick when swallowed), the carbonation sound of sparkling wines or soft drinks (descriptors: bubbles, fizzy, tingling, sparkling), the body of a wine or coffee (descriptors: watery, full-bodied), the sensation of the surface or mouth coating felt when tasting creamy cheeses or sauces (descriptors: smooth, soft, sticky, thin, syrupy), or even the hardness or crunchiness, determined by the force of biting and/or chewing a carrot, potato chips, etc. (DUTCOSKY, 2013). Hmm… we’re already salivating, aren’t we?!

Regarding ambient sounds, some hypotheses have been suggested, mainly related to menus that might be served during air travel, which have constant ambient noise, as well as other factors, such as cabin pressurization (SPENCE et al., 2014).

The authors noted that WOODS et al. (2011) (apud. SPENCE et al., 2014) demonstrated that the perception of sweet and salty tastes was reduced when evaluators were subjected to louder noise. However, the other basic tastes and aromas were not analyzed, and therefore, they also reported other possible hypotheses: 1. Interaction between basic tastes and, mutually, whether one taste would suppress another, such as whether umami can be suppressed when combined with other basic tastes, or, at the same time, whether it can enhance the perception of sweet and salty tastes under these conditions; 2. The reduction in the contribution of volatile compounds to flavor perception in low-pressure cabins, the presence of dry air, or even the thrill of flying (which includes delight or fear) could also reduce the perception of basic tastes; 3. Background noise could also affect the perception of other flavors.

Along with the hypotheses listed, one of the most curious factors mentioned was why some airlines served tomato juice during flights. They found that the perception of umami taste may not be affected by noise and low pressure, which led them to adopt ingredients such as tomato-based products, Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and others on their menus.

This fact is still under study, but it may possibly align with other research, as it has already been proven that the fifth basic taste has special properties that involve more intense and prolonged perceptions of the overall flavor of food, increased saliva production, and enhancing or improving the sensation of other basic tastes that can be affected by changes in noise.

Therefore, we recommend playing good music during delicious meals so that the pleasures complement the multisensory experience! Enjoy your meal!