Human Flavor Perception

The general theme of this research is to understand the basic sensory mechanisms that underlie human flavor perception and the role of sensory perception in ingestive behavior. The perception of flavor consists of taste, retronasal odor, and somatosensation. Unfortunately, these components are not easily separated from one another, making it difficult to understand how they interact with each other in mixtures and more importantly, how they merge to form the perception of food “flavor”. In addition, despite the obvious role of oral sensory perception in establishing food preference and selection, little is known about how its various components contribute to hedonic responses to foods.

The long term goals of this research are thus to investigate 1) the sensory mechanisms of taste-odor interactions, 2) the perceptual and/or functional factors that are related to such interactions, 3) how each flavor component affects hedonic responses to foods, and 4) how individual differences in oro-nasal sensitivity play a role in food preference and choice.

Publications

  • Pullicin AJ, Kim H, Brinkman MC, Buehler SS, Clark PI, Lim J. Impacts of nicotine and flavoring on the sensory perception of E-cigarette aerosol. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 22: 806-813, 2020.
  • Flaherty TJ, Lim J. Individual differences in retronasal odor responsiveness: effects of aging and concurrent taste. Chemosensory Perception, 10; 91-103, 2017
  • Lim J. Oral referral. In Piqueras-Fiszman, B & Spence C. (Eds.) Multisensory flavor perception: from fundamental neuroscience through to the marketplace. Elsevier. 2016.
  • Linscott TD, Lim J. Retronasal odor enhancement by salty and umami tastes. Food Quality and Preference, 48: 1-10, 2016.
  • Kim H, Lim J, Buehler SS, Brinkman MC, Johnson NM, Wilson L, Cross KS. Role of sweet and other flavors in liking and disliking of electronic cigarettes. Tobacco Control, 25: ii55-ii61, 2016.
  • Lim J, Fujimaru T, Linscott T. The role of congruency in taste-odor interactions. Food Quality and Preference, 34: 5-13, 2014.
  • Fujimaru T, Lim J. Effects of stimulus intensity on odor enhancement by taste. Chemosensory Perception, 6: 1-7, 2013.
  • Lim J, Padmanabhan A. Retronasal olfaction in vegetable liking and disliking. Chemical Senses, 38: 45-55, 2013.
  • Lim J, Johnson M. The role of congruency in retronasal odor referral to the mouth. Chemical Senses, 37: 515-522, 2012.
  • Green BG, Nachtigal D, Hammond S, Lim J. Enhancement of retronasal odors by taste. Chemical Senses, 37: 77-86, 2012.
  • Lim J, Johnson M. Potential mechanisms of retronasal odor referral to the mouth. Chemical Senses, 36: 283-289, 2011.
  • Green BG, Lim J, Oosterhoff F, Blacher K, Nachtigal D. Taste mixture interactions: suppression, additivity, and the predominance of sweetness. Physiology and Behavior, 101: 731-737, 2010.
  • Lim J, Urban L, Green BG. Measures of individual differences in taste and oral somatosensory perception. Chemical Senses, 33: 493-501, 2008.