# Food presentation study finds no clear sensory boost after smell loss

> A small experiment with bowl colours, snack shapes and music produced no clear differences after statistical correction, while participants described their own ways of making meals more enjoyable.

URL: https://foodradar.org/smell-loss-food-presentation-colour-shape-music-study
Language: en
Author: FoodRadar Editorial
Published: 2026-10-07T11:12:35.961Z
Updated: 2026-10-07T11:12:35.961Z
Source publication date: 2026-10-01
Category: Research
Türkçe: https://foodradar.org/tr/smell-loss-food-presentation-colour-shape-music-study

## A result that resists a simple presentation fix

Changing a bowl’s colour, a snack’s shape or the accompanying music did not clearly improve food ratings in a recent study involving people with smell loss. Published on 1 October, the research tested whether sensory cues beyond smell and taste could change enjoyment. After adjustment for multiple statistical tests, the authors found no clear evidence of the proposed effects under the conditions examined.

That finding does not establish that presentation never matters. It defines the outcome of a small experiment with particular foods and cue combinations. The distinction is useful for food developers and meal-service teams considering multisensory approaches: a plausible design idea still needs testing with the people and eating situations it is intended to support.

## Thirty-three participants, three kinds of presentation

The study recruited 33 adults who identified as having no or severely impaired sense of smell. Recruitment took place in July and August 2023, so the new publication reports earlier data. Participants completed a standardised smell-threshold test and sampled foods in three conditions for each of three presentation types, with order counterbalanced to reduce sequence effects.

Biscuits were presented in differently coloured bowls, savoury snacks varied in shape, and pineapple was accompanied by music selected to convey neutral, sad or fearful moods. Each person tasted nine food items. For the main food-rating analysis, the researchers excluded three participants with congenital smell loss and one statistical outlier, leaving 29; missing responses reduced some comparisons to 28.

## Reported habits differed from experimental effects

The corrected analyses did not show clear differences in pleasantness or the sensory ratings attributable to the tested presentation changes. Separately, participants described using texture and additional herbs or spices to make eating more enjoyable after smell loss. Those reports suggest questions for future research, but they were not evidence that the specific experimental manipulations had worked.

The food-practices questionnaire was newly created and unstandardised, so the authors treat those findings as preliminary. Nor did the experiment test a treatment that restores smell or taste. It examined food perception and enjoyment in a particular group; turning its observations into a clinical recommendation would go beyond what was measured.

## Why a broader test could produce different answers

Each sensory modality was paired with only one food, making it impossible to separate all food-specific effects. The colour experiment lacked a neutral white-bowl comparison, while the music conditions included two negative moods rather than a broad positive-to-negative contrast. The authors also note that the chosen foods may not represent participants’ everyday meals particularly well.

A larger sample would improve sensitivity after multiple-testing correction, and additional measures of taste, retronasal smell and hearing could sharpen interpretation. For product development, the study supports more carefully designed, population-specific trials rather than a universal colour, shape or music formula. Its valuable contribution is the null result alongside participants’ own accounts, which helps define what the next experiments should examine without promising an effect that this one did not demonstrate.

## Sources and rights

- [Crossmodal influences on food perception in those with smell and taste disorders: A preliminary study.](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13630209?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=smell-loss-food-presentation-colour-shape-music-study-en). PLOS. Stafford LD, Morris A, Boak D, Philpott C. Crossmodal influences on food perception in those with smell and taste disorders: A preliminary study. PloS one. 2026. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0358651. © 2026 Stafford et al [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=smell-loss-food-presentation-colour-shape-music-study-en-license).

Adapted by FoodRadar.

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