Smell and Taste

Smell• Important for aiding with taste

– No smell, little taste

• Smell adapts

• Emotion– Limbic system– Smell as a trigger

Smell• Odors of substances are detected by

receptor neurons high in each nostril

– Olfactory nerve

– Complex

– Chemical sense

Smell• Emotional connections:

– Vanilla/Chocolate – calm, relaxed, happy– Peppermint, citrus, ginger – energizing– Fruity, woody – happy, stress reliever– Floral – cheery, better memory recall– Lavender – sleep, relax– Cinnamon - arousing

Smell• Seven primary odors in determining

scents– Camphoric (mothballs)– Musky (perfume)– Floral– Minty– Etheral (cleaning products)– Pungent (vinegar)– Putrid (rotten eggs)

Smell• Smell test

• Smell print

• Recall vinegar test

Taste• Four basic taste qualities:

– Sweet– Sour– Salty– Bitter

• Flavor of food involves odor, texture, temperature, and taste.

Taste• Taste buds

• Reproduce rapidly– Taste system is very resilient and it is very

rare to suffer complete permanent taste loss.

• Food/memory association?

Taste• Adaptation experiment

• Taste test and tongue map

• Smell and taste experiment