Human taste-perception: brain computer interface (BCI) and its application as an engineering tool for taste-driven sensory studies

Abstract

Sensory satisfaction is the key to consumer acceptance which also decides the success of any food products in the market. Though different sensory parameters like appearance, odor, and texture are considered for deciding the overall acceptability of food, taste plays a major role. As sensory panels cannot be a true representation of consumer’s taste perception, industries focus on market surveys. In reality, consumers taste perception varies according to the product cost, brand, and their age and health condition. The process of food tasting starts from tongue, where different taste receptors respond to various taste stimuli and pass the signals to the cortex of the brain region. These signals cause the electric current to flow through the brain neural networks and increase oxygen-containing blood utilization in specific brain areas. Using non-invasive gadgets such as electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, functional MRI, and brain computer interface (BCI) technique, these signals can be sensed and decoded into useful sensory data. This review explains the taste recognition pathways of different taste stimuli and the basic steps involved in BCI techniques for detecting and discriminating them. In addition, it also explores the BCI-related taste-driven sensory studies and the limiting factors associated with them to emerge as a future sensory method.