It happens from time to time: you feel terrible when you take your first bite of a certain food, but after eating more, you find yourself enjoying it. This is what is called an acquired taste. But why do our tastes change?

The answer, according to a recent study presented at an American Chemical Society meeting in Boston, lies in proteins in our saliva (唾液).

Most of us tend to think saliva, almost entirely made up of water, is “only a mouth lubricant (润滑剂) helping us to swallow food,” the New York Times said. However, it also contains many proteins, which can help break food down, protect our teeth and help in tasting food.

To explain how these proteins affect taste, a team of scientists from Purdue University in the US invited 64 volunteers to drink a bitter-tasting chocolate milk three times a day for six weeks and rated their tastes at the same time.

According to the research, the participants found a strong bitterness on the first day, but the unpleasant flavor came to decrease as time went on and finally disappeared.

That is not all that was changing. A noticeable increase in the levels of proline-rich (富含脯氨酸的) proteins was found in the saliva samples of the test subjects in the research period. These proteins serve to reduce the bitterness we taste and improve our adaptation to this flavor.

“We think the body adapts to reduce the negative feeling of these bitter compounds,” said Cordelia Running, a food scientist at Purdue University. “Saliva changes flavor, which in turn changes eating choices.”

This change in taste not only makes the food tastier, but also helps people keep an appetite for healthy food whose flavor might otherwise keep them away.

One day, these proteins may even be extracted (提炼) and used as a separate food additive that could help people stick to healthy food whose flavor they continue to dislike, researchers told Science Alert. And according to Running, even it doesn’t happen, the idea that “maybe some little piece of your body is actually trying to help you” could really benefit some people. Let’s wait and see.

It’s common that you dine out with background music filling the restaurant. Today, mealtime music has become so popular that we ignore how listening to music affects our dining experience. 【小题1】

People Eat On Beat

Just as listening to fast music while exercising tends to make people run faster, studies have shown that fast tunes actually make diners eat faster. 【小题2】 They play songs with fast music during busy lunch rushes and select more relaxing songs when there are plenty of open tables.

Music Changes The Concept Of Time

【小题3】 Studies have shown that playing classical music during eating can help people lose track of time in the most effective way. Playing familiar songs, on the other hand, actually helps people judge how long they’ve been staying.

Music Influences Behavior

Studies have proved that music can influence the behavior of listeners. 【小题4】 In contrast, quiet and relaxing music inspires polite talks and creates a more romantic atmosphere.

Music Changes How Food Tastes

Research has indicated that sound and frequency play a big role in how our brain reacts to the taste. 【小题5】 High frequencies add to sweetness while low frequencies increase bitterness. And loud background noises has the tendency to decrease the overall enjoyment of food.