Adding vanilla to milk beverages tricks the brain into thinking that the beverage is sweeter. So, if you wanna cut down on added sugar, then add vanilla to your milkshake.

‘Adding vanilla to milk beverages tricks the brain into thinking that the beverage is sweeter. So, if you wanna cut down on added sugar, then add vanilla to your milkshake and stay healthy.’

"Reducing added sugar in products, just like reducing fat and salt, is the holy grail of food science," said Helene Hopfer, Assistant Professor of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University in the US. 




The idea that congruent or harmonious odors enhance certain tastes is not new, explained Hopfer.
In a blind taste test that provided new insights into taste enhancement by an aroma, participants -- who did not know vanilla had been added to the milk -- consistently indicated that samples with vanilla were significantly sweeter than their added sugar concentrations could explain.
"We maintain the sweetness perception by having this congruent odor -- this learned, associated odor -- basically trick the brain into thinking that there is still enough sweetness there," said Wang, now an associate scientist in product development with Leprino Foods Co. in Colorado, US.
The researchers believe that the study, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, offers people a workable option to reduce added sugar in their products and retain the sweetness consumers demand.
Advertisement
Source-IANS