A study commissioned by Lufthansa has shown that food loses about 30% of its flavor when it is tasted in flight. But how the environment of an air cabin suspended at the cruise altitude can influence ours perception of taste? Let’s find out how it works the perception of flavors and like the low pressurethe poor humidity and the background noise (up to 80-85 decibels) that we experience in flight can alter our olfactory and gustatory thresholds, leading us to prefer a Bloody Mary to a chalice of champagne.
How do we perceive food? The difference between taste and flavor
To understand how the flight environment can influence the perception of food, it is important to understand first how our sense of taste and difference with flavor works. When we introduce a food in our mouth, the taste molecules come free in saliva activating specific receptors present in gustatory papille, that allow us to perceive i Five primary tastes (sweet, salty, acid, bitter and umami). At the same time, through chewing, the food are also freed. volatile aromas. These, through the Retronasal streetscome to the nasal cavity, yes dissolve in the mucus and activate i olfactory receptorswhich allow us to perceive the aromatic notes of what we are eating.
It is only within specific areas of the brain that taste information is integrated with olfactory ones, generating the feeling we call taste. But it doesn’t end there! The flavor, in fact, is a real multisensory experiencewhich can also be influenced by the other senses, such as thehearing (the sound of food to chewing or environmental noise), the view (the appearance of the dish) or aspects related to touch (like the consistency and temperature of the food). But what happens at high altitude that can influence these processes?
Effects of pressure
To ensure safety and efficiency, planes fly at a distance from the soil called cruise altitudeequal to about 10 500 meters (so to speak, as much as 11 Burj Khalifa skyscrapers one above the other). At these heights, the concentration of molecules air decreases drastically, reducing the atmospheric pressure. These conditions would make the air irressable, which is why the plane cabins are pressurized (literally, air is pumped inside) with values equal to approximately 750–800 HPA (Hectopascal). In practice, these are the pressure levels that we experience in the high mountain at 1 950 – 2 450 meters above sea level.
At these reduced pressures, the amount of molecules present in a certain volume of air – including the odorous ones released by food – decreases significantly. Consequentially, less smelling stimuli reach our nosereducing the olfactory sensitivitywhich is fundamental in perception of flavor. To these pressures, also the concentration of oxygen in the air decreasescausing a state called hypoxia which, according to some studies, could influence the sensory functions and the perception of taste. However, not all tastes are influenced in the same way!
According to a study commissioned by Lufthansa, the most affected tastes are the savory and the Sweetperceived less intense than 10-30% and 15-20% respectively, while tastes harsh, bitter and the feeling of spicyInstead, they remain practically unchanged. That’s why the particularly spicy and tasty foods, typical of the oriental kitchens, are the most appreciated in flight! In addition, the low atmospheric pressure In the cabin it also affects the perception of champagne: the bubbles, instead of rapidly tracing towards the surface, tend to adhere to the walls of the glasscompromising the Visual and sensory liveliness of the drink and reducing their overall liking.
Effects of humidity
A flight trip is equivalent to a walk in the Sahara. At the cruise altitude, in fact, the rarefaction of the air, combined with the distance from the sources of terrestrial water and low temperatures, causes one drastic reduction in humidity (i.e. of the number of water particles in the air) up to 10%, less than any desert on earth! To make a comparison, just think that in our homes the humidity values are around 30%. As a result, in flight the mouth will be drier and the less humidified nasal routes. And since mucus and saliva are essential vehicles to transport the taste and olfactory molecules to their respective receptors, ours too perception of flavors will decreasemaking us perceive different foods than low altitudes.
Effects of noise
During a flight, the NOW OF THE MOTORS it can reach values equal to about 80-85 db (comparable to the intensity of the noise of a vacuum cleaner near us), generating a constant – and sometimes annoying – background noise that accompanies our travels. Some studies have shown that this type of noise is able to change the perception of taste, reducing sensitivity to the cake and increasing that of human (typical of foods such as tomatoes, anchovies, mushrooms and aged cheeses). This phenomenon could explain a unusual trend recorded by the flight companies, or greater consumption by passengers of tomato juice And Bloody Mary – Two drinks with high Umami content – which would be, according to the polls, a more pleasant flavor in flight.
Aware of these discoveries, some airlines have started to adapt their menus to the altered tastes at high altitude, introducing dishes rich in umami as sauces with tomato or cheese. In 2013, for example, during a flight from Perth to Adelaide, an Australian airline known to passengers Parmesan sandwichesone of the most foods rich in umami. However, the company had not considered that the characteristic aroma of the Parmesan is also due to the presence of ACido isovaleric and butrry acidcompounds responsible for the characteristic bad smell of sweaty socks and vomiting. The result? In a closed and air recirculation environment like the cabin of an airplane, these unpleasant smells are spread quickly arousing disgust among the passengers, some of whom even came to vomit during the flight and on the landing track.
