Writing is a commonly solitary action that manifests itself through intrapersonal communication. This means that the writer will not have immediate feedback from the reader, will not be able to appreciate their non-verbal behavior, or listen to the comments they would make when reading it..
So, what do you think if to improve our interaction we do the following exercise together? The aim is that we build the bond of at least having had this last culinary experience.
This exercise requires you to open the temptation drawer. Yes, the one that I hope you have full of goodies. With the sandwich in your hands, in my case a piece of chocolate, you can proceed to slowly bring it to your mouth (during the journey you will have looked at it for a few seconds and you will have inhaled its aroma).
In an imperceptible way, while you do what I suggest, your brain is decoding its square shape, light-dark brown color, soft and melt texture, and its strong cocoa smell, associating it with a bitter sweet taste..
As it did? The brain identifies the characteristics perceived by the senses, synthesizing them into a concept. Then it is based on past experiences to decipher what flavor it would be..
As a next step, place the chocolate on your tongue and close your mouth as if you were going to chew, while you do this, the chocolate aroma will concentrate and rise through your nasal passages. This to make you notice that the taste is largely made up of the sense of smell as well.
Now let's start the first step of digestion: Chew the chocolate! Feel how your teeth undo the texture of the food, mixing it with the saliva. In the rhythmic dance that directs the chewing process, the muscles of your face will also intervene, which through certain movements will facilitate this process.
Likewise, notice how your tongue, apart from serving as a support base to place the piece of food, drives it so that it can be properly chewed.
During the whole chewing process, the food will have penetrated the taste buds through the tongue, palate, mucosa of the epiglottis, pharynx, larynx and throat.
It is from this moment where your brain will begin to analyze each of the organoleptic properties of your food (smells, taste, color, temperature, shape, texture, etc.), synthesizing them in a sensation.
"The knowledge we have of the world depends on the brain, which filters the information it receives, processes it and makes it conscious, in its own way", explains the psychobiologist Morgado (2012).
Simultaneously to the aforementioned, different socio-cultural and psychological processes will intervene in the perception of this sensation (taste memory, emotions, etc.), which will be detailed later.
Although it is true, each one gives a subjective interpretation of the perceived taste, there are generalizable biological conditions in all organisms that influence the perception of flavors.
Delving a little deeper into the biological issue, I proceed to quote López (2012), who mentions that:
“The chemical process of taste begins when a sapid molecule binds to a receptor or ion channel in the membrane of a taste bud. This phenomenon causes the electrical potential of the papilla to change and as a consequence of this change and a series of reactions, the papilla excites neurons, which in turn transmit this information to the brain ".
Initially, the Lingual Map Theory, which postulated that the taste buds were distributed in specific areas of the tongue, which would facilitate the perception of certain localized flavors (for example, only the tip of the tongue was tasted sweet).
Recent studies have invalidated that theory, as it has been shown that the taste buds are indistinctly distributed around the surface of the tongue.
It is important to mention that only those that are triggered by a chemical receptor on the tongue are considered as flavors. Given the above, López (2012) mentions that:
"Spicy, astringency or freshness should be discarded from the classification of flavors, which are actually tactile sensations, without a specific chemical receptor".
In the first classification, the flavors were included: sweet, sour, salty and sour, whose description I assume that we all have very clear.
In 1908, the Japanese physiologist Kikunae Ikeda, discovered the fifth flavor: "The Umami flavor" or "Tasty". Which he described as a meat or protein flavor. Umami is present in some algae, and is widely used in Asian seasoning, if you are curious to be clear about its flavor you can eat Parmesan cheese.
Is it just five flavors or is there a sixth flavor? You probably haven't heard of him "Greasy" taste, this is because its discovery is recent and quite controversial. In 2010, an investigation led by Keast at the University of Deakin (Australia), detected a receptor responsible for transmitting the fatty taste. That is, with this flavor we are able to identify foods high in fat.
The discovery of this "Sixth taste" motivated scientists from the University of Washington to investigate the cause-effect relationship of fatty taste in a group of obese people. The study showed that people with obesity had a significant tendency to perceive less fatty taste. Study published in the 2011 Journal of Lipid Research.
Finally, the intensity in which we perceive the flavors varies from one person to another, this is due to the perception threshold of flavors. This threshold is influenced by characteristics such as: age, culture, gender, habits, consumption of psychoactive substances, emotional state, among others..
To analyze this issue in depth, it must be borne in mind that one of the senses that is most developed when we are in the womb is the sense of taste.
Numerous studies have identified the development of the mouth and tongue from the sixth week of gestation. As well as functional taste buds and neurons at weeks fifteen and twenty-five, respectively.
Let us bear in mind that for approximately nine months, the newborn will have had to eat subject to the housewife's craving menu, experiencing different flavors through the amniotic fluid..
In conclusion, we have taste experiences prior to birth.
In the same way, it is important to consider that the first flavor that the baby tastes at birth, and the only one that will accompany it during its first months, is the sweet taste of breast milk (sweetness implicitly perceived in all respects).
A curious investigation, carried out in Denmark by the University of Copenhagen, evaluated the transfer of flavors from mother to baby, through breastfeeding. Finding that, although in different ranges of time, indeed the flavors digested by the mother are transmitted to breast milk.
Other studies showed that during the breastfeeding stage there is a relationship between the foods most frequently consumed by the mother, with the foods that the child will prefer to eat when he grows up, making him more inclined to choose them.
The importance of the baby consuming breast milk so you can generate these initial taste experiences.
Definitely, The perception of taste is an innate process, which in turn will be influenced by the learning experiences that the human being will have.
Every time they prepare homemade soup at home, I feel as if my day is going to improve, I feel conceited and I have a great sense of well-being, why? The flavors are also based on past experiences, And when I was a child, homemade soup was always the dish of convalescence, be it the flu, a severe stomach ache, or some illness that required a bland diet. So when I feel homesick and somewhat lacking in attention, I ask my Granny his magic soup or hopefully looking for his similar in the menu of some restaurant.
The narrative has an explanatory purpose, more than cathartic, since indeed, the taste is in the memory.
"The diet and preferences of one flavor and another have a physiological and psychological basis, it depends on our experiences", determines Dr. Carlos Tejero (2015).
Basically, flavor experiences leave our brains with morals, some of them followed by the reward component, so we will try to repeat them. On the other hand, there are experiences that will not be pleasant, for example the fact of trying a dish for the first time that later causes an upset stomach, will make you not want to eat it again..
Starting from this example, we can figure out how flavors are related to psychological - emotional aspects.
To delve into this topic, we need to analyze "Memory Capacity", which is described as a fascinating cognitive process, which used to acquire, store and retrieve information.
Building memories allows us to fulfill other processes, such as: perceiving, learning, reasoning, communicating, etc. In short, memory is related to all the processes that lead to the continuous formation of our identity: "Tell me what you remember and I will tell you who you are".
As we live, we are constantly trying new flavors. It is these specific episodes with each food, which will form in us experiences, which will be stored in our sensory memory.
"Sensory Memory is one that records sensations and allows us to recognize the physical characteristics of stimuli (images, sounds, smells, tastes and textures)." Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968).
Later, this information will be transferred to short or long term memory, as appropriate.
As we have already seen, the experiences begin when we are in the womb, and at birth they accumulate through breast milk. But it is the first years of life that will determine some preferences that will be maintained in adulthood.
Keep in mind that the sense of taste will depend on the memories that will be updated with each experience.
To reinforce the aforementioned, I proceed to quote Miranda (2011), who in her study on gustatory memory indicates that:
"Currently it is known that neurons, in the different areas of the taste pathway, are capable of modifying their chemical and electrical activity and their conformation, depending on the type of experience associated with taste".
Y, What happens if it is the first time you taste some food? Probably, before trying it, you associate it with some other food with similar characteristics (composition, appearance, etc.), and after that, when you try it, you will be able to validate your hypotheses about its flavor, creating a new concept that will be stored in your memory..
Let us bear in mind that not only does the taste of the food influence to generate a favorable or unfavorable reaction in the individual.
There is an additional ingredient that will affect the hedonic sensation: We are talking about your emotions!!
Let's take an example, if you are angry when trying a food, you will not have the same perception when trying the food, as if you are very happy ...
Recent research by Dando and Noel (2015) reveals how emotional state influences taste perception. This study shows how fans of a hockey team came to enjoy a taste that they did not like before only when their team won and they felt happy..
Continuing with the analysis of the aforementioned study, it was found that the sweet taste was associated with positive emotions caused by the favorable results of the match.
When the game had unfavorable results and negative emotions were produced, the bitter taste was perceived more intensely and the sweet taste lost intensity..
Another of the emotions most perceived by our society is stress, researchers conclude that people who perceive higher levels of stress will have a high tendency to prefer sweet foods.
This same study suggests that stress affects the perception of the taste of food. Experts point out that this is a consequence of the secretion of glucocorticoid hormones caused by stressful situations. Feng & Chamuris (2014).
Let's travel to the past, our previous experiences will be composed of emotions generated by the situation beyond the perceived taste for food. For example, if Esteban was told as a child: "If you behave badly, we will not give you the sublime chocolate of the weekend." With this premise, Esteban was given the message that sublime chocolate is a reward for some action, applying a positive reinforcement to it (since you get sweets for behaving well).
I conclude this section by mentioning that just as emotions influence the perception of the sense of taste, the taste of some foods will also influence our mood.
Atkinson, R. C. and. Shiffrin, R. M (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: advances in research and theory, Vol. 2 (pp. 89-195). New York: Academic Press.
Dando, R. & Noel, C. (2015). The effect of emotional state on taste perception. Appettite. Volume 95. Pages 89-95
Feng, D. & Chamuris, B. (2014). Expression and nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in type 2 taste receptor cells. PublMed.
Keast, R. (2010). The Conversation. [Post on a blog]. Recovered from: https://theconversation.com/profiles/russell-keast-4162
López, R. (2012). The six? Flavors. [Post on a blog]. Recovered from: http://gomollon.com/electrones/?p=1380
Miranda, M. (2011). The taste of memories: Formation of taste memory. University Digital Magazine. Vol. 12- 3
Morgado, I. (2012). How do we perceive the world ?: An exploration of the mind and the senses. Ariel Edition.
Rovati, D. (August 17, 2016). The sense of taste in the baby. [Post on a blog]. Recovered from: http://www.bebesymas.com/recien-nacido/el-sentido-del-gusto-en-el-bebe
Sáez, C. (August 2, 2016). The palate is in the brain. [Post on a blog]. Recovered from: http://www.lavanguardia.com/estilos-de-vida/20130118/54362032603/el-paladar-esta-en-el-cerebro.html
Tejero, C. (August 18, 2016). You like sweet, salty or very salty, this defines your personality. [Post on a blog]. Recovered from: http://www.laprensa.hn/vidasana/886867-410/te-gusta-lo-dulce-salado-o-muy-salado-esto-define-tu-personalidad
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