Why Does Airplane Food Taste Different? These Factors Affect You Mid Air Meal Experience – News18
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There are scientific reasons behind why does your in-flight meal taste bland. Read on to find out more.
Low cabin humidity reduces aroma and taste perception.
Food and beverages are often served on airplanes, especially on those that take long journeys. But when dining on board, passengers constantly complain that the food is unappealing or tastes bland. While most people blame it on the airlines, there are various other reasons for this. Sometimes specific environmental qualities influence our experience of flavor as well. Some time back, the German airline Lufthansa conducted a study and discovered that when you are above 35,000 feet, your taste receptors’ sensitivity to sweet and salty meals decreases by approximately 30%.
They mentioned that at 30,000 feet, the humidity in the cabin drops dramatically to 20% or less, leaving the air exceedingly dry. Our ability to sense aroma is reduced as well as taste bud sensitivity under dry conditions, influencing our perception of flavour. This contributes to the bland taste of meals in an aeroplane’s cabin. In response, in-flight meal caterers would naturally endeavour to improve the flavour of the food they served in midair. Moreover, there can be other external factors as well-
Mass Production- Aeroplane meals are not created for diners only on a single plane but for thousands of consumers all at once. Mass-produced food frequently compromises flavour and quality.
Over-salted- Airlines frequently increase the sugar and salt levels of their meals to make them more appetizing. Unfortunately, this typically has the adverse effect, as it contributes to dehydration, making things taste worse again.
Poor quality ingredients- Airlines want to make as much money as possible and often some companies tend to save money on food. As a result, meals are frequently made with the most inexpensive components, making them less enjoyable. Of course, cheap ingredients frequently affect the taste, whether in the air or on the ground.
Reheated Food- All airline meals are cooked on the ground. The meals you eat on board are cooked, packed, and refrigerated before they even reach your plane. Before being served they are reheated. Therefore the taste of the food is quite different from a freshly cooked meal.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
