Strawberry odor, but not red color, enhances the sweetness of sucrose solutions

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Abstract
Several investigators have recently reported that odor and color can influence the sweetness of stimuli containing sucrose. These effects were examined further by assessing the effect of red coloring and strawberry odorant on the sweetness ratings of aqueous solutions of sucrose. Two methods of olfactory stimulation were used: (i) sip and spit, and (ii) swallowing the solutions. It was anticipated that swallowing the solutions would enhance the olfactory effects by augmenting retronasal olfactory stimulation. The strawberry odor induced a small, but significant increase in sweetness for both the sip and spit and swallowing condition. There was a tendency for this effect to be more consistent and stable in the swallowing condition. Red coloring had no effect on sweetness.