How Certain Aromas Trick the Brain into Perceiving Taste

Recent research from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has shed new light on how our brain processes the sensory experience of taste, particularly the influence of aromas. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study explains why flavored beverages without sugar can still taste sweet, revealing the neurological mechanisms behind this phenomenon.

When we consume food or drinks, what we perceive as taste—often termed the 'flavor'—is actually a combination of taste and smell. Aromas from food reach the brain via the oral cavity, specifically through a process called retronasal odor, where smells travel from the mouth to the nose. The groundbreaking finding of this study is that the brain integrates these signals earlier than previously understood, specifically in the insula, the brain’s taste cortex. This area responds to aromas associated with taste as if they were actual tastes, even before the signals reach higher regions responsible for emotions and behavior.

Lead researcher Putu Agus Khorisantono explains, "The taste cortex reacts to aroma cues as if they are real tastes, which offers insight into why we often experience taste in the absence of actual flavor, such as in flavored waters." The study involved 25 healthy adults who were trained to recognize combined taste and smell profiles of sweet and savory flavors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers observed brain activity when participants were given tasteless aromas or tasteless tastes.

By analyzing the brain activity patterns, the team discovered that aromas perceived as sweet or savory activate the same parts of the taste cortex as genuine tastes, creating overlapping neural responses. This suggests that taste and smell are processed as a unified flavor experience rather than as separate sensory inputs. Senior researcher Janina Seubert states, "This mechanism could influence our food preferences and eating behaviors, as the brain creates a joint representation of flavor in the taste cortex."

The findings have potential implications for understanding dietary habits and could lead to new strategies for managing cravings and overeating. Future research aims to determine if similar neural patterns occur with external smells, such as orthonasal odors, which are perceived through the nose when smelling foods directly.

Putu Agus Khorisantono adds, "We are exploring whether walking past certain food aisles can change brain activation patterns in the taste cortex, affecting our food choices. This could significantly impact how we understand flavor perception and eating behavior."

This research underscores the complexity of flavor perception and highlights the pivotal role aromas play in shaping our taste experiences and dietary decisions.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-brain-reveals-aromas.html