It Looks Like Virtual Reality Can Make Your Cheese Taste Better

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It’s hard to imagine cheese tasting better than it already does, but it’s possible. Cornell University food scientists found that eating cheese in positive virtual reality (VR) surroundings tasted better than the same cheese being eaten in somewhat gloomy or grungy surroundings.

The study followed 50 panelists who wore VR headsets while they were given identical samples of blue cheese. The participants were virtually placed in two settings: a pleasant park bench and the Cornell cow barn. Both virtual settings had custom-recorded 360-degree videos.

The funny part is, the participants had no idea the cheese samples were identical and they rated the pungency of the cheese as more intense in the cow barn than on the park bench. According to a researcher involved in the study, we get sensory input from all of our surroundings. The fact that food can taste differently in different surroundings opens up a whole new world of taste testing and food product development.

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So what exactly does this mean for us? Virtual reality could potentially help food manufacturers decide what kinds of foods will work better for different audiences by simulating all kinds of environments in these sensory booths. Between smart kitchens, robot chefs and tooth Fitbits, there’s no telling where food and technology will be converging next.

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