Did your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight? If so, that might be a symptom of COVID-19. This medical thought is inspired by the song “Does Your Chewing Gum Lost Its Flavor“, released into the world in 1959. UPDATE: Investigator Mason Porter alerts us to the existence of an earlier (1924) version […]
“Statistics show that half the world population chews pens, markers and pencils.” If one happens to be in that 50%, then why not put the habit to good use? For example by using pens or pencils (or other writing instruments) with interchangeable flavoured caps? Or even ones with, say, dental whitening agents? In either case […]
What may be an advance in the understanding of ice cream sticks’ aroma influence emerges from a reading of a now-almost-two-decades-old study. First, for anyone not familiar with ice cream sticks, here is an image of some generic ice cream sticks: “The Impact of Wood Ice Cream Sticks’ Origin on the Aroma of Exposed Ice […]
If you have ever eaten a ‘Gummy Candy’ from Meiji Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, in apple, grape, orange, [European] pear, pineapple, or strawberry flavours, it may have taken you a few seconds to recognise which one you were eating. If so, you are not alone. A 2018 study published in the journal Perception sought to […]
Electricity can add spice, so to speak, to taste. That is the implication of this new research study about electrified chopsticks, an electrified soup bowl, and other electrified eating utensils: “Augmented Flavours: Modulation of Flavour Experiences Through Electric Taste Augmentation,” Nimesha Ranasinghe, David Tolley, Thi Ngoc Tram, Nguyen, Liangkun Yan, Barry Chew [pictured here], and […]
Ig Nobel Prize winner Charles Spence, of Oxford University, has published a new study that reviews much of the research about the flavor of food. The study is: “Eating with our ears: assessing the importance of the sounds of consumption on our perception and enjoyment of multisensory flavour experiences,” Charles Spence, Flavour, vol. 4, no. […]
A flavorant from the butt of beavers underwent a safety assessment: “Safety Assessment of Castoreum Extract as a Food Ingredient,” Ge0rge A. Burdock [pictured here], International Journal of Toxicology, vol. 26, no. 1, 2007, pp. 51-55. The author, of the Burdock Group, Washington, DC, explains: “Castoreum extract (CAS NO. 8023–83–4; FEMA NO. 2261) is a […]
I’m going to be on NPR’s Science Friday program again today, discussing odd experiments and discoveries about flavor. This will be the final segment in Hour 2 of the program. Listen on an NPR station, or online. For more info about the effects of sound and color on what people believe they are tasting: Professor Charles Spence of Oxford […]
Maryn McKenna found a mysterious (to outsiders, anyway) long list of recalled foods that contain food flavorings made by a single company.