Unlocking The Secrets Of Aroma Flavors

Aroma and flavor are two distinct concepts that are often confused with each other. Aroma refers specifically to our sense of smell, which occurs when small particles known as odorants enter the nose and bind to smell receptors, sending signals to the brain. Flavor, on the other hand, is the result of a combination of taste and aroma. While taste happens in the mouth, where taste buds on the tongue interact with food and drink, flavor is the overall impression of a food or beverage, created by the convergence of taste, aroma, and other factors like texture or mouthfeel.

Aroma and flavour are not the same as taste

While related, aroma, flavour, and taste are not the same.

Taste refers to the senses inside our mouths, including our tongues. Our tongues have two kinds of receptors. One receptor type is for taste, called 'taste buds', which can be found all over our tongues. Taste focuses primarily on sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Mouthfeel, or the texture of food, is sensed by free nerve endings all over the inside of our mouths and tongues.

Aroma, on the other hand, occurs inside our noses and relates specifically to our sense of smell. Odours are tiny volatilized compounds that float in the air and our noses have receptors to identify them. When we smell liquids, we can do so in two ways: through our nostrils or through the back of our throat and into our 'retronasal' cavity.

Flavour is when taste and aroma converge. It is the overall impression of a food or beverage, the combination of both aromatics, taste, and mouthfeel. Our brains synthesize aromas, taste, and texture into an overall flavour experience.

While taste happens only inside our mouths, aroma can be experienced in conjunction with taste through retronasal olfaction, where odorants travel from the mouth into the nose through the nasopharynx.

Although taste is a major component of flavour, aroma also plays a huge role, with some research claiming it accounts for up to 80% of how we perceive flavour, compared to 20% for taste.

Odour/aroma is linked to volatile compounds

Odour, or aroma, is linked to volatile compounds. Volatile compounds are a group of molecules that give rise to odour and aroma. They are perceived through the smell sensory organs of the nasal cavity, and can evoke associations and emotions before the food is even tasted. This is because the information from these receptors is directed to the hippocampus and amygdala, the key regions of the brain involved in learning and memory.

Volatile compounds are responsible for the aroma of food and may be influenced by processing, storage, harvesting, or animal feeding. They require a dedicated analytical approach for identification and monitoring.

Volatile compounds are also emitted from the human body, and the components usually reflect an individual's metabolic condition. Contracting an infectious or metabolic disease often results in a change in body odour.

Volatile compounds are small, with molecular weights of less than 300 Daltons, and are readily dispersed in the air due to their high vapour pressure. They can be inorganic or organic in structure.

Organic volatile compounds fall into several categories, including esters, terpenes, amines, aromatics, aldehydes, alcohols, thiols, ketones, and lactones.

Volatile compounds are identified through gas chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and a GC-MS-olfactometer.

Aroma enhances the enjoyment of beverages

Aroma plays a crucial role in enhancing our enjoyment of beverages. While taste refers solely to the senses in our mouths, including the sweet, salty, bitter, and sour flavours detected by our tongues, aroma occurs inside our noses and relates specifically to our sense of smell.

The combination of taste and aroma creates flavour. Aroma molecules can be added to beverages to provide a "whisper of flavour" without the need for flavour additives, creating a healthy and fun drinking experience. This is especially beneficial for those seeking a healthier alternative to flavoured water, as pure water is free of added ingredients. By using aroma molecules, consumers can enjoy a subtle hint of flavour without any harmful additives.

The science behind this lies in the fact that our olfactory nerve in the nose can identify numerous flavour notes, especially in highly aromatic natural foods. The sense of smell is powerful and can trigger the sensation of taste, as evidenced by Pavlov's classical conditioning experiments. Suggestive images, such as those on beverage labels, can also stimulate the optic nerve and contribute to the overall taste sensation.

The release of aroma from a beverage occurs during and after consumption. Studies have shown that during swallowing, a portion of the buccal gas phase is transferred to the throat and then to the nasal passages, resulting in a sharp pulse of aroma. The persistence of the aroma effect is influenced by the concentration of volatile compounds in the beverage.

By understanding the role of aroma in enhancing our drinking experience, we can explore new ways to enjoy beverages and create unique flavour profiles that cater to our senses of taste and smell.

Aroma and flavour are linked to emotion and memory

Aroma and flavour are inextricably linked to emotion and memory. The sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses for evoking memories and emotions. This is due to the brain's anatomy: the olfactory bulb, located at the front of the brain, sends information to other areas for processing. Odours travel directly to the limbic system, including the amygdala and hippocampus, regions associated with emotion and memory.

The connection between aroma and emotion is so strong that certain scents can instantly transport us back in time and evoke vivid memories. For instance, the aroma of coffee is often linked to starting the day and can energise us. The smell of food, such as Mom's apple pie or vanilla ice cream, can trigger rich and detailed memories of specific moments in our lives. Similarly, the aroma of chocolate cake coupled with the smell of blown-out candles can bring back childhood birthday memories.

The link between aroma, flavour, and memory is not limited to pleasant experiences. Certain smells can also evoke negative emotions and memories. For example, the smell of eggs might remind someone of unpleasant childhood experiences, despite their intriguing chemical properties.

The sense of smell is unique in that it cannot be intentionally deactivated. We can avoid visual or auditory stimuli by closing our eyes or covering our ears, but a persistent smell cannot be ignored. This quality makes it a powerful tool for influencing our attitudes and behaviours.

The connection between aroma, flavour, and memory goes beyond the sense of smell. When we eat, molecules in the food travel retro-nasally to the nasal epithelium, meaning that flavour is also largely determined by smell. This is why, when we pinch our noses while eating something like vanilla or chocolate ice cream, we can only taste sweetness and lose the distinct flavours.

The power of aroma and flavour to evoke emotions and memories has been recognised and utilised in various fields. For example, in the movie industry, techniques like AromaRama and Smell-O-Vision were introduced to infuse movie theatres with appropriate odours, enhancing the viewers' experience. In marketing, scent branding has become popular, with hotels pumping signature scents into rooms and lobbies to create a memorable impression on customers.

In conclusion, aroma and flavour are intimately linked to emotion and memory due to the brain's anatomy and the unique qualities of the sense of smell. This connection has the power to influence our behaviours, evoke vivid memories, and create emotional responses, making it a valuable tool in various industries.

Aroma and flavour are linked to consumer acceptance

Aroma and flavour are indeed linked to consumer acceptance. Flavour is a combination of taste and aroma, with the former referring to the senses inside our mouth and the latter occurring inside our noses.

Flavour describes the perception from tastes and aromas perceived during in-mouth manipulation of a food item. Aroma, on the other hand, is a substance that causes the reaction of receptors in the nose. Aroma compounds are usually a complex mixture of different organic chemical compounds, with flavour being used either as a single compound or as a mixture, such as essential oils.

The taste component of flavour is positively correlated with sugars (sweet taste), organic acids (sour taste), phenolic compounds (bitter taste), tannins and capsaicinoids (chemical feelings), while the aroma component is linked to volatile compounds such as esters, terpenes, alcohols, and aldehydes.

The effects of flavour compounds are not limited to the sensorial properties of food products. For example, essential oils exhibit some medical and therapeutic effects depending on their chemical compositions. Some pure compounds have also been found to be a promising alternative to commercial antimicrobial agents.

The food industry's main concern regarding food aroma is the preservation of flavour compounds during food processing and storage. Conditions such as high temperatures, the presence of oxygen or light, and high humidity can cause degradation and loss of aroma compounds. Encapsulation of food flavours is thus often used to improve flavour stability and handling, better safety of encapsulated aroma, and the possibility for controlled release.

Coffee is a good example of a product where aroma compounds are linked to consumer acceptance. Coffee's aroma is one of its most prominent quality attributes, and it is estimated that around 1000 volatile compounds have been recognised in roasted and ground coffee. Coffee is also one of the most consumed beverages globally, with its unique aroma and distinct flavour due to the complexity of its compounds.

In conclusion, aroma and flavour are linked to consumer acceptance, with the former being a decisive factor for beverages, and the latter being the key determinant of a product's acceptance and commercial success.

Frequently asked questions