The psychophysical relationships between color and flavor

Psychophysics has become a well-defined discipline in science and is undergoing a period of transition from the theoretical and academic to the applied. Certainly the use of magnitude estimation in flavor evaluation is becoming more accepted, and concurrently the food research area is utilizing the colorimetric techniques which are available. However, there has been virtually no investigation carried out on the quantitative relationships which exist between color and flavor in a psychophysical sense. Intuitively, many researchers state the qualitative effect of color on flavor, but the quantification of these techniques is practically nonexistent. This paper will attempt to summarize the psychophysical techniques which are available for such studies, as well as discuss the importance of these studies. Great controversy exists concerning the need for colorants in food. If color does indeed affect flavor quantitatively, it will affect intake and, therefore, final nutritional status of the public in a quantitative manner. This controversy should be resolved in the light of fact, not intuition.