???aural:Bildanfang??????Großansicht des Bildes???Human guinea pigs complete taste tests in the IBP flight laboratory. © Biology/Lufthansa???aural:Bildende???

A mystery of air travel has now been solved: why do so many airline passengers choose tomato juice, a beverage they would presumably otherwise never drink? Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) examined this enigma in 2010 on behalf of the German Lufthansa Group – and found an explanation for the popularity of tomato juice at high altitudes. The IBP researchers discovered that the taste of tomato juice is perceived differently on an aircraft.

This is due to the different pressure conditions in the air and on the ground: smell and taste detection thresholds are higher under low pressure. People’s perceptions of food and drink are then similar to those they would have if they had a cold. “Tomato juice was rated far worse under normal pressure than under low pressure. It was described as earthy and musty. Under cabin pressure pleasant fruity smells and sweet, cooling taste impressions came to the fore,” Dr. Andrea Burdack-Freitag of the IBP sums up the results.

The scientists discovered the reasons for the success of tomato juice above the clouds in a special flight laboratory. They carried out tests on subjects in the original fuselage of an Airbus A310-200 and ascertained that people’s perception of the taste of salt, sugar and herbs is weaker than under normal pressure on the ground. Lufthansa intends to use the findings to further improve the taste of its range of meals and beverages. Thanks to the IBP scientists, the company now finally has a better understanding of why it serves its passengers roughly 1.7 million litres of tomato juice a year.

Contact: Janis Eitner, Fraunhofer IBP
janis.eitner@ibp.fraunhofer.de
More information: http://www.ibp.fraunhofer.de/