The Science of Taste & Flavour

Have you ever wondered if taste and flavour is the same thing? Well we could say it is two sides of the same coin. But, taste or flavour enhances the experience of every bite that we take.

Yes, there is a difference between taste and flavour. Taste is something which happens only inside our mouth Taste has an inseparable tie to how our mouth and tongue are associated with food and drinks. The taste buds on our tongue are responsible for different taste profiles; some basic tastes are sweet, salty, bitter, sour and Umami.

This might conjure an image of the tongue with its taste zones, we all picked up in school; however we’re here to tell you that what you learnt is a huge misconception. The whole tongue measures every facet of taste…the receptors are evenly distributed. Ion receptors pick up salt and sour tastes, whereas G-protein-couple receptors pick up bitterness, sweetness and umami. Some even say there is a sixth sense…fat protein!

Now if taste gives the basics; flavour adds the complete picture. Flavour is the sum of experiences like temperature, texture, expectation, and aroma that combine with taste; to give a full-bodied experience of what you’re consuming. Mouth-feel gives a sensation of the texture of the food product. Flavour is something which our brain judges about the overall experience of aroma, taste and texture. Flavour is a combination of gustatory and olfactory systems.

Take for example a Strawberry Milkshake. Taste receptors will tell you it’s sweet. Taste is experienced on the tongue and the soft palette of the mouth. The sensation of enjoying a flavour is not just about taste. it is the connection to the aroma of the food in conjunction with taste, and the feel of the food in the mouth and the aroma of the food as the nose smells it by sniffing or through the nasal passage. Flavour is the fulfilling experience of taste and aroma together. The smell receptors send a signal to the brain about the aroma of the substance you have eaten. Aroma can travel through the nostrils or through the back of the mouth along a passage known as the nasopharynx, retronasal olfaction. Smelling food before eating it and allowing the aroma to enter the nose through the nostrils or sniffing is referred to as orthonasal olfaction and contributes to flavour sensations as the brain will identify with familiar food smells. Flavour also takes texture of food into account as the mouth reacts to soft or textured food sensations.

Is enjoying food is such a complicated subject based on smell, texture, taste, temperature, sight and a whole lot of other factor; can preparing it be any easier? Surprisingly it can be. Well at least in the B2B segment. Companies that rely on consistency need to hit that perfect taste and flavour profile. And they need to achieve this across the world at any given time…a tall order for a chef!

Take an airline catering company that must provide thousands of meals a day that cater to every palate of every country. Or a potato chip company with trademark flavours or even a toothpaste brand. They all demand consistency in taste that can be customised and delivered easily.

Here’s where the science really kicks in.

Ingredient Solution Companies like Kancor have been in the business of making customers drool for close to half a decade now. The company’s TastyKan business vertical, looks at emulating ethnic cuisines from across the world with purely natural extracts of spice and other ingredients; to create
concentrated Multi-spice liquid blends. These MSLs are fully customisable and deliver consistent taste based on client’s preferences.

So, if Tandoori is the flavour profile needed for a brand of chips, TastyKan is the combination of spice extract/ oleoresins and essential oils to form a customised blend or as multi-spice liquid block that can be powdered or delivered in liquid form to flavour the chips.

What this essentially means is that TastyKan can make everything from soups, sauces, curries marinades, batter mixes for meat poultry seafood, not to mention sweet and savoury snacks; taste authentically original and 100% natural too. This is a boon for companies that deal with large scale food and beverage orders. And a prime example of how science really does make food taste delicious!