THE STUDY OF HOW THE NOSE AFFECTS THE TASTE OF FOOD. Maddie Mizelle. Cary Academy ABSTRACT

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1 THE STUDY OF HOW THE NOSE AFFECTS THE TASTE OF FOOD Maddie Mizelle Cary Academy ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine whether holding the nose effects the ability to taste. The nose and the tongue are connected. The process of the experiment was for volunteers to taste jelly beans while holding their noses and while not holding their noses. This was to see if holding the nose affected taste. The results show that holding the nose affects taste because the nose and tongue are connected. The ph of cherry and lemon flavored Jelly Bellies is about the same, and the olfactory receptor (in the nose) and the microvilli (on the tongue) worked together to produce flavors. INTRODUTION A nose has two holes called nostrils. Between the nostrils is the septum. The septum is formed by small compacted bones high in the nose close to the skull. The septum is also formed by cartilage at the tip of the nose. Connected to the back of the throat is the nasal cavity. The top of the mouth divides the nasal cavity from the inside of the mouth.

2 Whenever air is breathed in from the nose, the air goes to the nasal passage, then to the nasal cavity. Then it goes to the lungs through the trachea. Every time air is inhaled, it goes through the nose. This is the same for every time air is exhaled. In the inside of the nose, there is the mucus membrane which creates snot (mucus). Mucus is made when air is warmed up and dampened. Mucus is like a filter because it catches unwanted particles. The mucus catches small particles, and the hair along the nose catches larger particles. The mucus and hair in the nose protect the lungs from being disturbed. When particles are captured in either the hair or mucus, it triggers the sneezing reflex. There are also smaller hairs called cilia deeper in the nose. Cilia hairs are helpers to mucus. Smells are simply moving molecules in the air called odorants. An average person detects 4,000 different smells. Someone with a keen sense of smell can detect 10,000 smells. 70% of the time people think something is a taste when it is actually a smell. The nose is a large reason for the ability to taste. The nose is also connected to the respiratory system. Figure 1. This picture is showing the parts of the nose and the mouth. There are thousands of papillae on the top of the tongue. When papillae are clumped together they are called taste buds. They are mostly on the tongue. There are microscopic hairs on taste buds called microvilli. Messages are sent to the brain from the microvilli. Smoking affects the number of taste buds someone can have. The nose also is a big help to the ability to taste. The olfactory receptors, like microvilli, send

3 messages to the brain. They work together to produce flavors. Having a cold does affect the ability to taste. The mucus from a cold can block the chemicals from the olfactory receptor. Therefore there would be fewer tastes because the olfactory is unable to send messages to the brain. After two weeks, the 10,000 taste buds a person has are replaced. Babies have more taste buds and can taste better than adults. High taste levels wear away when people get older. Some elderly might have only 5,000 functioning taste buds. The tip of the tongue detects sweet and salty tastes, the far back detects bitter tastes, and the sides of the tongue detect sour tastes. There are mushroom shaped papillae on the front of the tongue, and on the sides, they are shaped like leaves. The two senses, smell and taste, meet in the brain. Figure 2. This diagram is showing the parts of the tongue. Bryce Saba s experiment was to see how the ability to smell could be affected. A person ate food and then attempted to identify an item by smell. When one had not eaten, the average number identified was 5. While eating chocolate, a person correctly guessed an average of 4.3. While chewing cinnamon gum, only 3.3 scents were recognized. This was also the same when eating Mentos. Eating while smelling affected the correct amount guessed because the brain was focused on two different scents (the food being

4 eaten and the scent smelled). The hypothesis for the Jelly Belly experiment is that the nose does affect the ability to taste. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials used for this experiment were: cherry Jelly Bellies, lime Jelly Bellies, lemon Jelly Bellies, orange Jelly Bellies, volunteers, orange paper, yellow paper, an acid probe, a beaker, and a computer. In the first experiment, a Jelly Belly was placed in the palm of a volunteer s hand (volunteer s eyes were closed). The Jelly Belly was then consumed while holding the nose. The volunteers guessed the flavor, and the answers were recorded. This process was repeated with a total of four volunteers. Each volunteer ate four different jelly beans. Then, it was done the same way without holding the nose. In the second experiment, the same process was done, but the volunteers consumed two jelly beans at a time. In the third experiment, the volunteer was given a piece of orange paper to look at. An orange or yellow Jelly Belly was given to the volunteer to consume. The flavor was guessed while looking at the orange paper (not holding the nose or closing the eyes). The volunteer did not look at the Jelly Belly but was focusing on the paper. This process was repeated with a piece of yellow paper. In the fourth experiment, eight beakers were filled with 10mL of water each. The acidity level of the water was measured. One beaker got one cherry Jelly Belly, one beaker got two cherry Jelly Bellies, one beaker got three Jelly Bellies, and one beaker got four

5 % correctly identified cherry Jelly Bellies. This was the same with lime Jelly Bellies in four other beakers. The Jelly Bellies sat in the water for 15min. The acid probe was placed in the first beaker and the acidity level was recorded. The beaker was rinsed in between every measuring. This process was repeated with all eight beakers. RESULTS & DISCUSSION The results of the first experiment showed that your nose does affect the ability to taste. When the nose was held, the olfactory receptors were blocked off. The olfactory receptors and the microvilli worked together on producing flavors. They are like two parts of a whole. When one is blocked, it is harder to identify the taste Nose plugged Condition Nose unplugged Figure 3. Determining how well volunteers can identify flavors of jelly beans with their noses plugged and unplugged. In the second experiment, the results still showed that holding the nose effects the ability to taste.

6 % correct % correctly identified Nose plugged Condition Nose unplugged Figure 4. Determining how well volunteers can identify the flavors of two jelly beans at a time with their noses plugged and unplugged. The results showed that while looking at yellow paper, the volunteers were able to guess the favors (lemon or orange) more often than while looking at orange paper. Yellow paper may trigger the brain to think about more flavors Orange Paper Color paper Yellow Paper orange lemon Figure 5. This graph shows the flavors identified while looking at colored paper.

7 ph The results in this experiment show that cherry and lime Jelly Bellies have about the same ph. This says that the Jelly Bellies are made with the same ingredients, but different flavors are added cherry lime # of Jelly Bellies Figure 6. This graph shows the ph of different Jelly Bellies. CONCLUSION The results show that when holding the nose, it affects the taste. This data supports the hypothesis (the hypothesis was correct). It is good to know how the senses work together. It would be interesting to do a following up experiment with volunteers that have a cold or some illness.

8 CITATIONS "About Taste:from Tongue and Nose to Brain." The Taste Science Laboratory. Web. 15 Feb < Carter, Rita. The Human Brain Book. New York: DK Pub., Print. Cracknell, James. Body Science. London: Dorling Kindersley, Print. Saba, Bryce THE STUDY OF SMELLS RECOGNIZED WHEN EATING DIFFERENT FOODS Cary Academy February 15, 2012 "What Are Taste Buds?" KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Web. 15 Feb < "What Are The Major Parts Of The Nose?." Monkeyshines On Health & Science (1997): 15. Middle Search Plus. Web. 22 Feb "Your Nose." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Web. 15 Feb <