According to a study from Aarhus University in Denmark, sweet food is even sweeter when you drink coffee. Coffee fans with a preference for dark chocolate now have a scientific explanation for why the two are a good match. A new study from Aarhus University states that coffee makes you more sensitive to sweetness. The results of this study have been published in the scientific journal Foods.
In the study, 156 people had their sense of smell and taste-tested before and after drinking coffee. The researchers did not find changes in their sense of smell, but they found that the sense of taste was affected.
Alexander Wieck Fjældstad professor at Aarhus University, who was involved in carrying out the study, said that when people were tested after drinking coffee, they became more sensitive to sweetness and less sensitive to bitterness.
To prevent the possibility that caffeine in the coffee could be a factor, the researchers repeated the experiment using decaffeinated coffee, and they got the exact same results.
“It is probably some of the bitter substances in the coffee that create this effect,” stated professor Alexander Wieck Fjældstad. “This may explain why if you enjoy a piece of dark chocolate with your coffee, it’s taste is much milder, because the bitterness is minimized and the sweetness is enhanced,” added the professor. He also said that the study also clarifies a new aspect of our knowledge about our senses of taste and smell. We already know that our senses have an effect on each other, but it’s a surprise that our registration of sweetness and bitterness can be so easily influenced.
According to Mr. Fjældstad, the results may provide us with a better understanding of how our taste buds work. More research in this field could be significant for how we manage the way in which we use sugar and sweeteners as an alternative for food additives.
The professor explained that improved knowledge could potentially be utilized to reduce sugar and calories in food, which would be useful for many people, including those who are overweight and diabetes patients. The study is a comparative study in which trial participants act as their own controls.
