Crossmodal correspondences and interactions between texture and taste perception

Abstract

In recent years, awareness of the influence of different modalities on taste perception has grown. Although previous research in crossmodal taste perception has touched upon the bipolar distinction between softness/smoothness and roughness/angularity, ambiguity largely remains surrounding other crossmodal correspondences between taste and other specific textures we regularly use to describe our food, such as crispy or crunchy. Sweetness has previously been found to be associated with soft textures but our current understanding does not exceed the basic distinction made between roughness and smoothness. Specifically, the role of texture in taste perception remains relatively understudied. The current study consisted of two parts. First, because of the lack of clarity concerning specific associations between basic tastes and textures, an online questionnaire served to assess whether consistent associations between texture words and taste words exist and how these arise intuitively. The second part consisted of a taste experiment with factorial combinations of four tastes and four textures. The results of the questionnaire study showed that consistent associations are made between soft and sweet and between crispy and salty at the conceptual level. The results of the taste experiment largely showed evidence in support of these findings at the perceptual level. In addition, the experiment allowed for a closer look into the complexity found regarding the association between sour and crunchy, and bitter and sandy.

The organization of semantic associations between senses in language

“…When discussing pitch, have already evaluated its correspondence with tastes. In addition, crossmodal correspondences literature shows a strong relationship between tastes and visual-haptic features, where sweetness is related to curved shapes (Velasco et al, 2016b), creaminess (Carvalho et al, 2017) and softness (Pistolas & Wagemans, 2023), whereas sourness/saltiness/bitterness are related to sharpness/angularity (Velasco et al, 2016a). In such relationships, some studies have demonstrated emotional mediation (Chuquichambi et al, 2024;Salgado Montejo et al, 2015;Velasco et al, 2015).…”