Food aroma study may help explain why meals taste bad in space
Scientists from RMIT University have led a world-first study on common food aromas that may help explain why astronauts report meals taste bland in space and struggle to eat their normal nutritional intake.
This research, which is published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, has broader implications for improving the diets of isolated people, including nursing home residents, by personalising aromas to enhance the flavour of their food. Previous research has shown that aroma plays a big role in the flavour of food.
Food aroma study may help explain why meals taste bad in space
Scientists from RMIT University have led a world-first study on common food aromas that may help explain why astronauts report meals taste bland in space and struggle to eat their normal nutritional intake.
The team in this study tested how people's perception of vanilla and almond extracts and lemon essential oil changed from normal environments on Earth to the confined setting of the International Space Station (ISS), which was simulated for participants with virtual reality goggles.
Co-lead researcher Dr Julia Low from the School of Science said vanilla and almond aromas were more intense in the ISS-simulated environment, while the lemon scent remained unchanged.
The team found a particular sweet chemical in the aromas of vanilla and almond, called benzaldehyde, could explain the change in perceptions, in addition to an individual’s sensitivity to the particular smell.
“A greater sense of loneliness and isolation may also play a role, and there are implications from this study around how isolated people smell and taste food,” Low said.
This is also the first study to involve a large sample size, with 54 adults, and capture the variation of individuals' personal experience of aromas and taste in isolated settings.
“One of the long-term aims of the research is to make better tailored foods for astronauts, as well as other people who are in isolated environments, to increase their nutritional intake closer to 100%,” Low said.
She said their findings that spatial perception played a significant role in how people smell aromas complemented results from other studies on the topic of astronauts’ eating experience in space, including the phenomenon of fluid shift. Journal Reference:
Grace Loke, Hirdesh Chand, Jayani Chandrapala, Ian Peake, Anne Besnard Chabot, Kevin Kantono, Gail Iles, Charles Brennan, Lisa Newman, Julia Low. Smell perception in virtual spacecraft? A ground‐based approach to sensory data collection. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 2024; DOI: 10.1111/ijfs.17306