For our first exercise we examined taste. Specifically, we mapped out bitter, sour, sweet, salty, and umami flavors, and tried the flavors with and without our noses plugged both before and after brushing our teeth.
The taste map provided did not seem accurate. Sour and salty tastes could be detected with the front of the tongue, and bitter seemed to cover a much larger area.
Flavors, as a whole, were much weaker with my nose plugged, although all still had a distinct flavor. The tonic water had barely any flavor, and was maybe a little sweet (as an aside, I can't stand brussel sprouts).
After brushing my teeth, I noticed some differences, and the group confirmed my observation. The soy sauce seemed to only have a salty flavor, as opposed to salt and umami, and the orange juice tasted more bitter. The coffee seemed not to have a flavor, and nor did the tonic water. Finally, the lemon seemed more sour. As proteins more in the membrane are effected less by toothpaste, it makes sense that sweet and umami flavors are less pronounced, although I was surprised that this, in turns, makes sour and salty flavors more pronounced. Mysteriously, bitter flavors also seemed to be less strong after tooth-brushing, and this seems to contradict my hypothesis.
In the second part of the experiment, we had to identify different flavors with a blindfold on. None of our group members were able to correctly identify the various fruit spreads with our noses plugged, although we had a 100% success rate with our noses unplugged. However, one group member was able to identify applesauce with his nose plugged due to its texture. I also correctly identified a spoonful of garlic with my nose plugged. At first I couldn't really taste anything, but when the garlic got to the back of my mouth I suddenly realized what I was eating. Texture played a large role in the enjoyment (or lack thereof) of the food. The garlic, for example, I found quite disgusting when I was blindfolded (although just fine when I could see it). The various fruit spreads all had textures I did not enjoy.
For our third activity, we taste-tested several types of potato chips. The chips had unique enough textures that they could be correctly identified, even when holding a different flavor under the testers' nose.
Next, we examined desensitization of smell in regards to garlic consumed. I had a sample of garlic spread, and could smell the garlic for quite some time (in fact, I still can, an hour and a half later). The other group members could also smell the garlic on my breath, although their perception of the intensity dropped more quickly than mine did. After they tried garlic, they could no longer smell my garlic breath.
For the fifth part of the experiment, we examined desensitization to salt taste. After dissolving 1.02 grams of salt in 10 ounces of water, I diluted the solution to half its original strength, and continued this until I could no longer taste the salt. After the third dilution I could no longer taste the salt (this corresponds to about 1/8th of a gram of salt in 10 ounces of water).
For the final part of the experiment we smelled many different compounds. Although there were a few scents I could not place, I was surprised at how many scents I was able to identify rather easily.
The two forms of caravone smell different because the atoms in the molecule are arranged differently, and thus they bind to different receptors in the nose. However, the identical part of the molecule can bind the same receptor, and thus the two forms smell similar to one another.
Based on the molecular structures provided, molecules with conjugated double bonds seem to be easily detected by the nose.
I sniffed vanillin until I couldn't smell it any more. After about four sniffs I could barely detect it. With napthalene I was able to keep sniffing for a couple minutes and the strength of the smell did not seem to have abated at all. I hypothesize that scents that our bodies deem dangerous can be detected for a longer period of time.
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