Effects of Rotary Motion on Taste and Odor Ratings: Implications for Space Travel

摘要

Astronauts have reported that food eaten in space tastes different or bland. This experiment was designed to investigate the possible role of the motion component of space travel as a contributor to taste and/or odor preference shifts. Two subjects from the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory were used to examine the effects of motion in a rotating room on taste and odor ratings. Solutions of NaCl, sucrose, citric acid, and quinine sulfate for taste tests and 10 food odorants for odor tests were rated on both intensity and pleasantness qualities before and after time spent in a rotating room. There was an effect of this motion in one subject whose ratings differed significantly on post-rotation tests. This fact lends support to the idea that motion may be a part of the reported taste changes in space. Keywords: Spinning(Motion), Astronauts, Space missions, Space flight, Space rations, Taste, Odor, Motion, Rotation, Food consumption, Acceptance tests. (kt)