Colour Enhances Taste

Is there a relationship between color and taste?

We look at two studies that have a bearing on this question.

A study reported in the Journal of Sensory Studies in 2012 found that food is perceived differently depending on the characteristics of the container.

Betina Piqueras-Fiszman from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) and Charles Spence from the University of Oxford (UK) conducted an experiment with 57 participants who were asked to evaluate samples of hot chocolate served in four different kinds of plastic cup. The cups were all the same size but with different external colors: white, cream, red and orange with white on the inside. They found that the participants rated hot chocolate in an orange or cream colored cup to taste better than in a white or red one.

Perception of the sweetness, rather than the flavor of the cocoa, and also the aroma (smell) where much less influenced by the color of the cup, although participants found the the chocolate to be slightly sweeter and more aromatic in a cream colored cup.

According to Betina Piqueras-Fiszman:

"The color of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma. There is no fixed rule stating that flavor and aroma are enhanced in a cup of a certain color or shade. In reality this varies depending on the type of food, but the truth is that, as this effect occurs, more attention should be paid to the color of the container as it has more potential than one could imagine."

Their article also summarized previous studies that also confirmed the effect of containers on sensory characteristics of food or drink. For example, the flavor of lemon in yellow tins was preferred to that of soft drinks presented in a cold color such as blue. Drinks in pink containers were viewed as being more sugary. Strawberry mousse presented on a white plate seemed sweeter than on a black plate. Coffee in brown packaging was associated with a stronger flavor and aroma.

The researchers explain:

"Perceptual discrimination is fundamental to rational choice in many product categories yet rarely examined in consumer research. The present research investigates discrimination as it pertains to consumers' ability to identify difference - or the lack thereof - among gustatory stimuli.

"It seems unlikely that our consumers deliberately eschewed taste for color as a basis for discrimination. Moreover, our consumers succumbed to the influence of color but were less influenced by the powerful lure of brand and price information."