How Flavor Works : The Science of Taste and Aroma

Taste is the number one driving force in the decision to purchase a food product and food consumption is the most critical function for living organisms to obtain the energy and resources essential to their vitality. Flavor and aroma are therefore universally important concepts: intrinsic to human well-being and pleasure, and of huge significance for the multi-trillion dollar global food business. __How Flavor Works: the Science of Taste and Aroma__ offers a fascinating and accessible primer on the concepts of flavor science for all who have an interest in food and related topics. Professionals and students of food science and technology who do not already specialize in flavor science will find it a valuable reference on a topic crucial to how consumers perceive and enjoy food products. In this regard, it will also be of interest to product developers, marketers and food processors. Other readers with a professional (eg culinary and food service) or personal interest in food will also find the book interesting as it provides a user-friendly account of the mechanisms of flavor and aroma which will provide new insights into their craft. • How many smells are there? And how many molecules would it take to create every smell in nature, from roses to stinky feet?• Who was the bigger scent freak: the perfume-obsessed Richard Wagner or Emily Dickinson, with her creepy passion for flowers?• By scenting the air in stores, are retailers turning us into subliminally controlled shopping zombies?• Were Smell-O-Vision and AromaRama mere Hollywood fads or serious technologies?Everything about the sense of smell fascinates us, from its power to evoke memories to its ability to change our moods and influence our behavior. Yet because it is the least understood of the senses, myths abound. For example, contrary to popular belief, the human nose is almost as sensitive as the noses of many animals, including dogs; blind people do not have enhanced powers of smell; and perfumers excel at their jobs not because they have superior noses, but because they have perfected the art of thinking about scents.In this entertaining and enlightening journey through the world of aroma, olfaction expert Avery Gilbert illuminates the latest scientific discoveries and offers keen observations on modern culture: how a museum is preserving the smells of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row; why John Waters revived the “smellie” in Polyester; and what innovations are coming from artists like the Dutch “aroma jockey” known as Odo7. From brain-imaging laboratories to the high-stakes world of scent marketing, What the Nose Knows takes us on a tour of the strange and surprising realm of smell.From the Hardcover edition. How Flavor Works The Science of Taste and Aroma offers a fascinating and accessible insight into the concepts of flavor science for all who have an interest in food and related topics. Professionals and students of food science and technology who are not yet specialists in flavor science will find it a valuable reference on a topic crucial to how consumers perceive and enjoy food products. In this regard, it will also be of interest to product developers, and to those involved in the marketing and processing of food. Other readers with a professional (e.g., culinary and food services) or personal interest in food will also find the book interesting as it presents a user-friendly account of the mechanisms of flavor and aroma, which will provide new insights into their crafts. --Book Jacket Everything about the sense of smell fascinates us, from its power to evoke memories to its ability to change our moods and influence our behavior. Yet because it is the least understood of the senses, myths abound. For example, contrary to popular belief, the human nose is almost as sensitive as the noses of many animals, including dogs; blind people do not have enhanced powers of smell; and perfumers excel at their jobs not because they have superior noses, but because they have perfected the art of thinking about scents. In this entertaining and enlightening journey through the world of aroma, olfaction expert Avery Gilbert illuminates the latest scientific discoveries and offers keen observations on modern culture.--From publisher description Taste is the number one driving force in the decision to purchase a food product and food consumption is the most critical activity of living organisms in order-to obtain the energy and resources essential to their vitality. Flavor and aroma are therefore universally important concepts: intrinsic to human well-being and pleasure, and of huge significance for the multi-trillion dollar global food business Content: What is taste? -- The origin of taste: why do we feel taste? -- Taste is general science -- How do we smell odors? -- What creates smell? -- Technological advancements brought by the love of flavors -- Flavors influence us deeply -- Taste is regulated by flavor, and flavor is regulated by the brain -- The future of taste and aroma -- Ending remarks.