Blasu Corff Cymru

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-Our senses constantly gather

-information about our environment.

-The senses connect us

-to our surroundings.

-I'm Dr Anwen Rees,

-a Physiology lecturer...

-..at Cardiff Metropolitan

-University.

-I'm Dr Katie Hemer, a Bioarchaeology

-specialist at Sheffield University.

-We will look at the way the brain

-uses information...

-..to create

-a unique picture of the world.

-We will look at familiar

-and unfamiliar senses...

-..and how they collaborate.

-And how to trick them.

-Hiya! A double cone -

-one strawberry and one mint, please.

-Thank you.

-I'm eating two flavours of ice cream

-at the moment - strawberry and mint.

-How do I tell the difference

-between them?

-Why do I prefer the mint

-to the strawberry?

-How do I taste ice cream

-in the first place?

-There are around 10,000 taste buds

-on the tongue.

-Most of them are located around

-small structures called papillae.

-The five elements

-of taste perception are...

-..sweet, bitter,

-salty, sour and umami.

-These evolved for important reasons.

-We need calories from sweet sugars

-and minerals from salt in our diet.

-Sour foods

-are likely to be putrid...

-..and bitter foods can be poisonous.

-Umami is the taste of amino acids.

-We need these to create proteins.

-Umami was discovered in Japan

-around 100 years ago.

-Umami is enjoyable...

-..and it's present in foods such as

-tomatoes, soy sauce and mushrooms.

-There may be taste buds for fat

-and even for metal.

-In the future, there may be six,

-seven or more basic tastes.

-Cardiff Metropolitan University's

-Food Industry Centre...

-..specializes in testing taste.

-Elen Evans has prepared tests

-to assess my taste buds.

-Today, we'll look

-at how we taste things.

-We'll carry out a few experiments

-to evaluate your taste buds.

-Let's see if you can identify

-all five basic tastes...

-..bitter, salty,

-sour, sweet and umami.

-That isn't nice!

-It tastes like water which has been

-in the car for weeks!

-I think that's bitter.

-Lemon - sour.

-That must be umami.

-It reminds me of Chinese food.

-Sweet.

-A mouthful of salt!

-You can identify

-all five of the basic tastes.

-Some people can't identify

-the bitter taste.

-Some people can't taste saltiness.

-These booths are used for tasting

-food under laboratory conditions.

-There are 12 samples of one of

-the basic tastes selected for you.

-Tell me when you can taste something

-different and identify the taste.

-This will test my taste threshold...

-..the point where we first taste

-one of the basic tastes.

-That's water.

-There's something in that water

-but I can't identify it.

-Number seven.

-It's getting stronger

-but I don't know what it is.

-Got it! It's salty.

-I tasted the salt in that.

-Correct. They contain salt.

-I could taste something

-in number six...

-..but I couldn't identify it

-until number ten.

-We introduced salt at number four

-but it was a small percentage.

-Only supertasters

-could taste salt in number four.

-We'd expect the average person

-to be able to taste the salt...

-..from nine onwards.

-My threshold could be different

-for different tastes.

-This varies from person to person.

-Some are more sensitive than others

-and they're known as supertasters.

-I want each one of you

-to take a small piece of paper.

-When you're ready,

-place it on your tongue...

-..and hold it there

-for around 15 seconds.

-There's a chemical called PTC

-on the paper.

-Some people can't taste it, but

-others say it has a strong taste.

-Those who find it strong

-are likely to be supertasters.

-Remove it.

-How does it taste?

-It isn't sweet or sour.

-There was no taste.

-What can you taste?

-What can you taste?

-

-Nothing.

-Can you taste something?

-Can you taste something?

-

-Yes. It's horrible.

-How strong is the taste,

-on a scale of one to ten?

-Ten.

-Yuck!

-It isn't nice at all!

-It isn't nice at all!

-

-No?

-Describe the taste.

-A very unpleasant taste.

-It's hard to describe it.

-Sour.

-Yes - it's bitter.

-Is it bitter?

-Is it bitter?

-

-Yes.

-It seems likely that you

-have more taste buds than her.

-The ability to taste it is genetic.

-If we don't have a specific gene...

-..we can't taste PTC

-and other bitter things.

-I want to know what you could taste.

-I want to know what you could taste.

-

-It's revolting!

-I want to find out

-whether or not I'm a supertaster.

-Supertasters have more taste buds

-on the tips of their tongues...

-..than the average person.

-To count the taste buds,

-I must first dry my tongue.

-Next, I'll put some blue

-food colouring on my tongue.

-The blue colours the tongue but not

-the papillae, where taste buds lie.

-This makes them more visible.

-I must count the papillae

-within the circle.

-Most taste buds

-are on the papillae...

-..so the more I have, the more

-sensitive to taste I should be.

-I counted around 15,

-which means I'm about average.

-If I were a supertaster, I'd have

-upwards of 30 in that tiny circle.

-Around 25% of the population

-are supertasters.

-Supertasters tend to avoid strong

-tastes like broccoli and coffee.

-In addition to our genes...

-..our upbringing

-also affects our sense of taste.

-An increasing number of people

-opt for baby-led weaning.

-I'm here to meet Catrin and her

-daughter, seven-month old Lili...

-..to find out more.

-Rather than use puree

-and spoon-feed the baby...

-..I offer her real food

-which is suitable for her.

-She chooses what to eat.

-She looks at it, she picks it up

-and she tastes it.

-She sometimes spits it out

-or throws it on the floor!

-That's how she'll learn about food.

-She sees the food

-and she picks it up.

-She chooses what to eat

-but she doesn't know it's food.

-She puts everything in her mouth!

-In time, she'll learn

-that food fills her up...

-..and she'll recognize the taste

-of broccoli or whatever she eats.

-That's how she'll progress

-from milk to solids.

-Sight is important too.

-She sees different foods

-and different colours.

-I just choose food

-which is suitable for her.

-Here, we have some vegetables.

-The colours of vegetables

-are generally bright.

-I make sure

-she eats a balanced diet...

-..and a varied diet too.

-The texture of the food is as

-important as the taste of the food.

-Yes, she's learning

-all about different textures.

-Broccoli is totally different

-from mashed potato.

-She tastes a huge variety of food

-and she enjoys it.

-So I see!

-Would you like some more broccoli?

-It's obvious Lili likes broccoli.

-What does she dislike?

-She likes strawberries

-but she's not keen on parsnips.

-We'll keep trying

-in case it changes!

-The hope for the future

-is that Lili won't refuse any food.

-Yes, that's our hope.

-We give her a balanced diet.

-She has a chance to try

-different tastes, so we'll see.

-Babies will put anything

-in their mouths.

-Things change

-once they become mobile.

-Cookibods was established

-by Helen Pritchard and Sian Quinn...

-..to give children

-aged between three and eight...

-..an opportunity to cook

-and to learn about new foods.

-Today, the children

-will cook chicken curry.

-First, the children

-taste the ingredients.

-They're new to some of them.

-It tastes spicy.

-Sian and I started Cookibods

-from a shared belief.

-We're passionate

-about our own children eating well.

-Does it make your nose tingle?

-I come to Cookibods

-because I like cooking.

-I like trying new food

-because it's tasty.

-Once we start to walk

-and explore our world...

-..we become fussier

-about what we put in our mouths.

-She's a fussy eater.

-If food is the wrong colour,

-she won't even try it.

-She's very fussy, definitely.

-This is a natural instinct to

-stop us eating something dangerous.

-Nia's fussy,

-so this is a great opportunity...

-..to encourage her

-to taste new things.

-Our aim is to keep trying new things

-and to develop her taste buds.

-Research suggests that children

-who taste a variety of food...

-..grow up to be less fussy eaters.

-Tasting food with parents

-is also important.

-Children that first came

-to the sessions were fussy.

-They didn't want to try new foods.

-The more foods

-we introduced them to...

-..the more likely they are

-to try food...

-..especially

-when they've cooked it themselves.

-Will you help Mami and Dadi

-cook at home?

-Will you help put the chicken in

-the oven tonight and taste it again?

-No.

-You won't taste it.

-You'll just cook it!

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-What's the difference

-between taste and flavour?

-Our sense of taste is complicated

-and relies on several other senses.

-Three quarters of what we taste

-comes from our sense of smell.

-As we chew food, chemicals

-come into contact with taste buds...

-..sending a message to the brain.

-Other chemicals

-travel into the nose...

-..where they come into contact

-with receptors.

-This sends

-another message to the brain.

-Messages about the look, temperature

-and texture of food are also sent.

-We don't like lumpy gravy

-and warm ice cream isn't good.

-The brain analyses messages from

-the tongue, nose, mouth and eyes...

-..to work out

-the true flavour of food.

-Scientists still don't know

-exactly how it does this...

-..but it's worth all that effort!

-Put that on your nose.

-Hold out your hand

-and close your eyes.

-I'll give you a sweet...

-..and I want you to eat it.

-How does it taste?

-How does it taste?

-

-There's hardly any taste at all.

-It's sweet

-but there's no flavour there.

-It's sweet and slightly citrusy.

-Strawberry.

-Orangey.

-Orangey.

-

-It tastes like orange to you.

-Take off the peg.

-Oh, wow!

-How does it taste now?

-Ooh! It tastes like strawberry.

-Wow!

-It tastes like blackcurrant.

-Orange.

-The taste has changed completely.

-It tastes like lemon.

-I'm not sure.

-It could be apple.

-It shows how important your nose is

-to your sense of taste.

-Yes. Wow!

-That's really interesting.

-I'll steal that idea from you!

-The nose is important to our sense

-of taste, but what about the eyes?

-I'm back in the tasting booths

-in Cardiff.

-Elen Evans

-has designed an experiment for me.

-Let's look at how what we see

-affects how things taste to us.

-There are three samples

-of ice cream here for you to taste.

-Place them in your preferred order.

-Food researchers know

-that food's appearance...

-..influences our enjoyment of it.

-That's my least favourite.

-I'm not sure about the other two.

-Although I'm not aware of it...

-..the colour of the ice cream

-affects its taste.

-That's number two

-and this is number one.

-I'll change the colour of the light

-in the booth.

-Under the red light,

-the ice creams look the same...

-..so the way they look

-shouldn't affect their taste at all.

-They look the same

-and they taste the same.

-Number one and number two.

-Did the result alter

-after changing the light?

-No, not on this occasion.

-The result was the same

-when you tasted in natural light...

-..and in red light.

-Did you find it more difficult

-to analyse the taste in red light?

-Yes - it was much harder

-to tell the difference between them.

-However, my least favourite

-ice cream tasted the same.

-The other two were very similar

-under the red light.

-People sometimes say things taste

-much sweeter under the red light.

-We think food with strong colour

-is high in sugar and fat.

-We often eat more with our eyes

-than with our actual sense of taste.

-It's more difficult to analyse

-which taste you preferred...

-..under the red light.

-What about the other senses?

-I'm about to take part

-in a unique experiment.

-It's a lovely day here in London.

-The sun is shining, it's bustling

-and I'm here to drink wine.

-All in the name of science,

-of course!

-This is the largest multisensory

-experiment of its type in the world.

-The hope is that 3,000 people will

-participate in it over three days.

-It's based on the research

-of Professor Charles Spence...

-..at Oxford University.

-We've done lots of experiments

-looking at the effects of colour.

-When we change the colour of food

-and drink, it will change the taste.

-It may change the sweetness and the

-flavour you think you're tasting.

-If you change the colour of the

-environment, will it do the same?

-Things can taste different,

-depending on where we taste them.

-The wine we enjoyed on holiday

-may not taste as nice back home.

-The researchers are looking

-at how what we see, hear and feel...

-..affects the taste

-of what we drink.

-The wine is served

-in black glasses...

-..so that the colour of the wine

-doesn't influence the results.

-The fact you know it's the same

-black glass you're holding...

-..is likely to make the effect

-smaller than you'd see...

-..if you go from bar to bar

-or from holiday to home.

-You know it's the same drink

-because it never left your hands...

-..but if you can show

-the taste and the flavour changes...

-..that's a powerful thing

-to people who come through.

-It hints at how atmosphere,

-music, light and temperature...

-..would impact on your experience.

-That's really bitter.

-I'm giving marks

-on how the wine tastes.

-It tastes better now

-than it did in the white light.

-It isn't as strong as before.

-I must look at the wall...

-..then give the wine marks

-for taste and intensity.

-The light changes

-from white to green to red.

-It tastes better than it did...

-..in the green light

-and the white light.

-Music is played in the room.

-"Sweet" music is played

-in the red light...

-..and "sour" music

-is played in the green light.

-Does what we hear

-also affect the taste of the wine?

-It's nicer in red light.

-I've finished the experiment.

-To be honest, I don't like red wine,

-but it was very interesting.

-In the white light, the wine

-was sour, bitter and horrible!

-It was pretty similar

-in the green light!

-But under the red light,

-the wine was sweet and smooth.

-It was quite nice.

-I don't think the music

-had any effect on me.

-Research shows the wine

-tastes fresher and less intense...

-..with a combination of green light

-and "sour" music.

-People preferred the wine

-in red light with "sweet" music.

-This research

-can help restaurant designers...

-..to create a more enjoyable

-ambience for customers.

-Taste is anything but simple.

-It's a multisensory experience.

-It combines chemical information

-from the tongue and nose...

-..the texture and temperature

-of the food...

-..what we see, where we eat

-and even what we hear at the time.

-Thankfully, the brain analyses

-the information automatically.

-Next week, Katie tests her eyes...

-..and Anwen looks at her brain.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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