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Unit 1 The Science of Food
together to give foods their characteristic fl avors. Without seeing or
tasting a cake, you can identify it as chocolate because of its aroma.
The nose is capable of identifying thousands of odors. Some people
can identify odors better than others. Through training, however, most
people can improve their ability to recognize odors. As your ability
to identify odors improves, so will your ability to distinguish fl avors.
Babies are born preferring sweet tastes. However, they do not
seem to prefer one scent to another. Liking or disliking odors is
related to experiences. Odors people like are often connected to
home, holidays, and situations that make them feel secure. Odors
people dislike may remind them of unpleasant events.
A substance’s odor results from volatile particles coming in
contact with the olfactory nerves deep in the nose. Volatile substances
contain particles that evaporate or become gaseous quickly. These
gaslike particles stimulate the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is a
bundle of nerve fi bers. It is located at the base of the brain behind the
bridge of the nose. The brain learns to associate thousands of types
of nerve stimulation with specifi c foods or experiences.
Odors can use two pathways to reach the olfactory bulb. The fi rst
is through the nostrils. This is why you can almost taste an apple pie
baking in the oven. Small gaseous particles of the pie are released
into the air during baking. These gaseous particles trigger the sense
of smell, which contributes to your perception of fl avor.
The second pathway to the olfactory bulb is through the back of
the mouth. The nasal and oral passages are connected at the top of
the throat. Volatile, gaslike substances are pumped up into the nasal
cavity during the chewing process. When eating, take your time to
savor food by smelling it and chewing it thoroughly. This allows more
odors to reach the olfactory bulb. Like the tongue, the more the
olfactory bulb is stimulated, the
more intense the fl avor experience
will be. See 3-6.
The brain registers the fl avor of
a food as a combination of aromas
and sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and
savory tastes. The mind remembers
the combination of aromas and
tastes and then identifi es the food
based on experiences.
Texture
Texture is how a food
product feels to the fi ngers,
tongue, teeth, and palate (roof of
the mouth). Texture of foods is
evaluated in terms of chewiness,
graininess, brittleness, fi rmness,
and consistency.
BRAIN
TONGUE
olfactory bulb
olfactory nerve
olfactory receptors
nasal cavity
taste receptors
nerve from
front of tongue
nerve from
back of tongue
smell center
taste center
aromas from food
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher/Janet Ward
3-6 The sense of smell has a great impact on the sense of taste.