Neural Processing at the Speed of Smell

AbstractOlfaction is typically described as behaviorally slow, suggesting neural processes on the order of hundreds of milliseconds to seconds as candidate mechanisms in the creation of olfactory percepts. Whereas a recent study challenged this view in suggesting that a single sniff was sufficient for optimal olfactory discrimination, a study by Abraham et al. in this issue of Neuron sets out to negate the challenge by demonstrating increased processing time for discrimination of similar versus dissimilar stimuli. Here we reconcile both studies, which in our view together support the notion of a speed-accuracy tradeoff in olfactory discriminations that are made within about 200 ms. These findings are discussed in light of the challenges related to defining olfactory perceptual similarity in nonhuman animals

Multi-sensory media experiences

The way we experience the world is based on our five senses, which allow us unique and often surprising sensations of our environment. Interactive technologies are mainly stimulating our senses of vision and hearing, partly our sense of touch, and the sense of taste and smell are widely under-exploited. There is however a growing international interest of the film, video, and game industries in more immersive viewing and gaming experiences. In the 20th century there was a demand for a controllable way to describe colours that initiated intense research on the descriptions of colours and substantially contributed to advances in computer graphics, image processing, photography and cinematography. Similarly, the 21st century now demands an investigation of touch, taste, and smell as sensory interaction modalities to enhance media experiences

Up the nose of the beholder? Aesthetic perception in olfaction as a decision-making process

Is the sense of smell a source of aesthetic perception? Traditional philosophical aesthetics has centered on vision and audition but eliminated smell for its subjective and inherently affective character. This article dismantles the myth that olfaction is an unsophisticated sense. It makes a case for olfactory aesthetics by integrating recent insights in neuroscience with traditional expertise about flavor and fragrance assessment in perfumery and wine tasting. My analysis concerns the importance of observational refinement in aesthetic experience. I argue that the active engagement with stimulus features in perceptual processing shapes the phenomenological content, so much so that the perceptual structure of trained smelling varies significantly from naive smelling. In a second step, I interpret the processes that determine such perceptual refinement in the context of neural decision-making processes, and I end with a positive outlook on how research in neuroscience can be used to benefit philosophical aesthetics

The Olfactory Nervous System Of Terrestrial And Aquatic Vertebrates

Animals in their natural milieu are surrounded by odors. These odors are rich source of information, and are perceived by sophisticated olfactory systems, that have evolved over time. The sense of smell helps species to localize prey, evade predators, explore food and recognize viable mates. In humans, memoirs, thoughts, emotions, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel. This suggests that olfactory processing is imperative and may differ fundamentally from processing in other sensory modalities. The molecular age in olfaction initiated in 1991 with the significant discovery of a large, multigene family of olfactory receptors in rat by Linda Buck and Richard Axel (Buck and Axel, 1991). The first cloned olfactory receptors consisted of a diverse repertoire of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) with seven-trans membrane topology, and they were sparsely expressed in the olfactory epithelium. This Nobel Prize worthy pioneering discovery, together with availability of modern techniques and numerous completely sequenced genomes opened the way to characterize the gene families of olfactory receptors through exhaustive computational data mining in different species genome as well as by in vitro biology. In this review, I will explain about the two main model organism of olfactory perceptions, zebrafish and mouse

Up the nose of the beholder? Aesthetic perception in olfaction as a decision-making process

Is the sense of smell a source of aesthetic perception? Traditional philosophical aesthetics has centered on vision and audition but eliminated smell for its subjective and inherently affective character. This article dismantles the myth that olfaction is an unsophisticated sense. It makes a case for olfactory aesthetics by integrating recent insights in neuroscience with traditional expertise about flavor and fragrance assessment in perfumery and wine tasting. My analysis concerns the importance of observational refinement in aesthetic experience. I argue that the active engagement with stimulus features in perceptual processing shapes the phenomenological content, so much so that the perceptual structure of trained smelling varies significantly from naive smelling. In a second step, I interpret the processes that determine such perceptual refinement in the context of neural decision-making processes, and I end with a positive outlook on how research in neuroscience can be used to benefit philosophical aesthetics

Scientific Substantiation of the Methodology of Preparation of Quince Japanese for Analysis and Investigation of Consumer Properties of the Products of Its Recycling

The aim of the study is a scientific substantiation of the methodology of quince Japanese for analyzing and investigating consumer properties of its recycling products. The new way of sample preparation allows to reduce costs for estimation of the raw material quality. Obtained semi-products give a possibility to widen the assortment of frozen products, based on domestic raw materials.Fruits of quince Japanese, planted in the Poltava region, Ukraine, were chosen as a research object. For getting a representing sample, quince specimens were subjected to the offered sample preparation. It included inspection, processing and further cyclic freezing and centrifuging. As a result of the threefold cycle of freezing-centrifuging, solid and liquid phases were obtained.The obtained liquid part of quince Japanese is a homogenous liquid, without suspended particles, with a brightly expressed taste and smell, not stratified at storage. These changes are explained by redistribution of dry substances and moisture in studied samples.As a result of cyclic freezing-centrifuging of the research object, two new semi-products were obtained – solid and liquid phases.Within the scientific study there were determined organoleptic parameters of the obtained semi-products before freezing and after 270 days of low-temperature storage. The consistence, taste, smell and color of products are ones of their main consumption properties.According to the results of point estimation of organoleptic properties of the obtained semi-products, it has been established, that during 270 days of low-temperature storage these parameters didn\u27t change and stayed at the high level.The studies demonstrated freezing advantages in the aspect of reaching high organoleptic parameters of products after freezing and defrost that provides high-quality products in the process of low-temperature storage

Standardization Of Egg Randang Recipes In Nagari Mungka, Payakumbuh City

The purpose of this study is to standardize the recipe for egg randang in Nagari Mungka,Payakumbuh City which includes the use of ingredients, spices, tools, processing techniques and analyzing quality in terms of shape,color,smell,texture and taste. This research is motivated by differences in the use of basic spices,processing techniques and the dosage of ingredients in the processing of egg randang so that the resulting quality is different. This type of research is a mixed method (combination of qualitative and quantitative research). Sources of qualitative data obtained from 10 people who are expert in making randang eggs and sources of quantitative data obtained from 10 trained panelists of community who know about egg randang and the 5 panelists limited culinary art of Padang State University. Based on the research results, it is find that the standard recipe for egg randang includes the main ingredients,spices,tools,processing techniques and quality. The organoleptic test of the standard recipe for egg randang resulted is shape of egg randang (quite parallelogram), color of egg randang dadak (blackish brown),color of egg randang (brownish yellow),smell (fragrant randang),texture of egg randang dadak (quite dry),texture of egg randang (quite crisp and quite brittle),and (savory) taste. Keyword: Standardization,Egg Randang,Mungk

Interaction Among Gustation, Olfaction, and Vision in Flavor Identification

Even though the senses of taste, smell, and sight are distinct, there is a significant overlap among them in our perceptions of objects that helps us understand and differentiate the world. Everyone has experienced, when his or her nose gets congested, that his or her sense of taste changes as well. Many individuals do not equally understand the top-down processing with taste when someone sees objects they are about to eat. In the replicated study by our principle investigator, a random convenience sample of young adults (n=162) were recruited and tested to determine if they could taste four Jelly Belly flavors with one of the three different conditions: taste alone, taste with smell, or taste with smell and sight. The study revealed significant differences between the number of sensory systems used and the accuracy of flavor detection. However, no significant differences in results were observed between genders and/or for smokers versus non-smokers