How are taste and smell related? (AS1)

a) Flavor of the food is the combination of both the smell and taste of the food. While taste distinguishes between the chemical that provide the salty, sweet, bitter and other tastes, the combination of taste and smell provides the enriching flavor to the food.

b) When the aroma or smell of the food reaches the nasal receptors/ olfactory receptors, signals are generated as nerve impulses that are then sent to the brain. When the food is then tasted, both the signals are analyzed and hence different tastes are distinguished based on the smell.

c) This can be supported by the example that a person with severe cold/cough faces difficulty in identifying the flavours and often has a funny/bitter taste due to difficulty in perception of the smell of the food.

d) Hence, we can say that taste and smell are related.