Research Proposal on olfaction and gestation.

Background When we perceive the flavor of a food, we actually perceive the result of the brain's analysis of signals from the taste system in the mouth, coupled with signals from the olfactory system in the nose. Taste is not separated from smell as we eat -- we only perceive flavor through a complex process of sensor fusion. Individuals live in one of three very distinct flavor worlds, defined by their sensitivity to a compound …

…concentrations for testing flavor perception. A logarithmic scale is also used for testing peppermint intensity responses against peppermint flavor perception. Significance It is predicted for both the flavor and smell experiments, "super tasters" will show a higher percentage of intensity response than "moderate tasters" and "non tasters" due to increased size of fungiform papillae on the tounge. On the logarithmic scales, "supertasters" will show higher intensity responses with increasing concentrations than "moderate" and "non tasters".