Why drinking from red cups may make beverages taste sweeter

Sugar: the much-sought-after ingredient that is believed to be the culprit behind many ailments including chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. As such, it is extremely important to limit the intake of sugar, especially added sugar that is added by manufacturers to enhance flavour and shelf life of processed goods. So, in our quest to find out ways to reduce sugar consumption, we came across a reel by nutritionist Deepshika Jain who suggested that drinking from red cups could help reduce sugar intake. 

In her reel, Jain pointed out that the colour red is often associated with a sweeter flavour, as observed in naturally sweet fruits like strawberries and pomegranates. This association, she said, can lead people to unconsciously perceive a beverage as sweeter than its actual taste, tricking the brain into satisfying its sweet cravings and reducing the desire for added sugar.

 

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Intrigued, we decided to find out more about how exactly do colours influence taste perception. 

The science behind colour and taste perception:

Research in psychology, sensory science, and marketing has shown that the colour of food and drinks can affect flavour perception. While some experts initially doubted any significant relationship between the two, research by the National Library of Medicine has shown that the colour of food and drinks can indeed affect how we perceive flavours. Research by Charles Spence from Oxford University also indicates that even infants associate colour with taste.

Agreeing, Nmami Agarwal, a nutritionist and founder of Nmamilife, emphasised the link between sight and taste, explaining how colours shape our flavour expectations. “As a dietitian, I believe there’s an intriguing link between sight and taste. Our brains associate colours with flavours, attributing energetic qualities that shape our expectations and can influence both our visual and taste perceptions. While this connection doesn’t directly impact our taste buds, it does play a role in what is known as ‘sensory-specific satiety,’ where the visual presentation of food can influence how we perceive its taste,” she told indianexpress.com

Garima Goyal, a clinical dietitian, further illustrated this concept with an example of how the colour of a cup can affect the perceived bitterness of coffee: “When we encounter a rich, dark-coloured beverage like coffee served in a white cup, we may perceive it as more bitter compared to if it were presented in a darker-coloured cup. Nevertheless, once we taste the coffee, its flavour is predominantly influenced by variables such as the type of coffee beans, brewing technique, and temperature.”

Would you like to try it out yourself?

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