How Does Temperature Change the Taste of Food and Drink?

Ice cream tastes sweeter when consumed warm.

Many of the foods you love can taste dramatically different when consumed at a temperature you're not accustomed to. Some foods can become more bitter or sweet if served above the recommended temperature.

Function

Your taste buds contain microscopic channels that affect the way you perceive food at various temperatures. These channels are called TRPM5, and they react more intensely when food temperature is increased. When this occurs, it sends a message to your brain, and the inherent flavor of the food is heightened, according to Lorraine Heller for Food Navigator. Sweet foods can become too sweet, and bitter foods can become too bitter.

Significance

Food manufacturers can adjust a product's taste to reduce the negative tastes associated with foods when they reach a higher temperature. Foods can also receive an additive to alter the function of the TRPM5 channel, either enhancing or inhibiting it. This could be helpful, particularly with children who are sensitive to certain tastes like those of bitter foods.

Effects

When beer is consumed cold, it has a pleasant taste to those who enjoy it. However, most people who enjoy consuming beer find as the beverage gets warmer it becomes less appealing. This is because as its temperature increases it develops a more bitter taste. This is similar to ice cream--as it gets warmer, it becomes more sweet tasting, almost to an inedible extent for some.

References

• Food Navigator: Food temperature affects taste, reveal scientists
• Scientific American: How does the way food looks or its smell influence taste?