How senses affect food choice Nutrition ALS: Standards 7 and 11

5 senses: Sensory reception or sensory perception Taste: Gustation - the detection and identification by the sensory system of dissolved chemicals placed in contact with some part of an animal Sight: Photoreception - physiological process of distinguishing, usually by the eye, the shapes and colors of objects Smell: Olfaction - the detection and identification by sensory organs of airborne chemicals Touch / Texture: Tactile - the detection and identification of the world through physical contact Sound: response of an organism’s aural mechanism, the ear, to a specific form of energy change, or sound waves

How taste affects food choice Sum of all sensory stimulation 5,000 – 10,000 taste buds on your tongue Taste buds are replaced every 2 weeks Each taste bud has 50-100 taste receptors Sweet = associated with pleasure Salty = detects Sodium Sour = detects Acidity Bitter = associate with unpleasant

How sight affects food choice Sight is your first impression of the food Food is judged by appearance, off colors send messages to our brain that the taste should be off too Color is added to fresh and processed foods to make them more appealing Color intensity = Flavor intensity Color affects meal appeal and taste perception Food that looks better is perceived to taste better

How smell affects food choice You can determine a food by smell alone 80% of what you taste is actually smell Smell is the perception of chemicals in the air or in the food Flavor is affected by food and environmental odors Chemicals in foods are detected by your taste buds (receptors) Odorants are detected by sensory neurons in the mucous membranes of the nose Axons of sensory cells make their way to the brain which stimulate neural responses The neurons create an odor map in the brain which creates perception of flavor Losing your sense of smell will greatly reduce flavor perception and can lead to poor appetite and health

How the sense of sound affects food choice People use sound mainly to tell the freshness of food Crunchy texture = more appealing Sounds can change our perception of how food will taste Flat soda Sounds make us want certain foods Popcorn popping or certain commercials (kit-kat) Sounds make our mouths water, producing saliva, starting the digestive process Playing regional music in a restaurant makes the food taste more authentic Outside sounds influence our perception of food Smacking food = gross Ocean sounds = seafood seems saltier High pitched music = sweeter/softer Low brass music = bitter/crunchier

How texture affects food choice Taste perception is altered by the softness of the food Crunchy = healthier Crunchy = saltier Softer = less healthy Softer = less salty Perceived freshness is also affected by texture Mushy = not fresh Crisp/Crunchy = fresh

Fresh produce rainbow slogan poster project Create a catchy slogan highlighting the importance of a variety of colors of fresh produce in your diet. Find pictures in magazines to cut out and put on a poster with your slogan Poster Project Prize…. 10 points added to your lowest grade!