Cognitive and chemosensory influences on age-related changes in the ability to identify blended foods

Two experiments explored the effects of age, sex, and chemosensory function on the ability of blindfolded participants to identify a series of 12 blended foods. In the first experiment 40 persons aged 18 to 26 and 40 persons over 65 years of age attempted to identify the pureed foods using both taste and odor cues. Half the participants in each group were female, half were male. The average percentage correct on first attempt to identify was significantly higher in young than in old individuals. An Age X Sex interaction revealed a female superiority over men in the elderly group only. With feedback and practice, participants improved, but the age effect remained significant. In the second experiment, 20 young and 17 elderly women who had their nostrils occluded attempted the same identification task. When deprived of olfaction, the performance of young women fell to the same level as that of the old women on first exposure. The relative contributions of cognitive, gustatory, and olfactory/trigeminal factors to the age-related decline in chemosensory function are discussed.