Food Science 1: Flavor

Flavor: How our body’s perceive food through taste, smell, and chemthesis.

Gustation: Taste, how our taste buds perceive food

Olfaction: Smell, how our nose perceives flavor

Chemesthesis: Chemical Touch, why things taste hot or cool

Taste Bud: Barrel-shaped structures on the tongue with many sensory cells

Papilla: Small protrusions on the tongue containing taste buds

Umami: A taste that is meaty or savory

Olfactory epithelium: in our nose where taste happens, covered in specialized cells detecting different tastes

Olfactory bulb: Part in the brain where olfactory signals are sent

Thalamus: Smells processed by this, it directs conscious attention to sensory events

Menthol: A chemical touch, cool and minty

Capsaicin: A chemical touch, hot and spicy

Aguesia: Loss of ability to form tastes

Anosmia: Loss of ability to perceive aromas

Hyposmia: Reduction of ability to perceive aromas

Phantosmia: Perceiving aromas that aren’t present

Parosmia: Perceiving aromas differently

Dopamine: The neurotransmitter in the brain released when sugar or fat is consumed, brain’s reward system

Bliss point: Salt, sugar, and fat combination that food scientists and manufacturers use to make foods “cravable” and addictive for the consumer.

Chemesthesis: menthol, capsaicin, carbon dioxide, polyphenols, metal ions