How the smell of food achieves "time travel"

Older people who have been exposed to the taste of food at a young age are able to "travel back in time" to the past and have a heightened
memory of the event.

A study titled "I Went Back 25 Years Ago at a Time" published in the journal HML: Taste-based Self-Generated Cues and Self-Defined Memories Later in Life, was co-authored by Professor Corina Sass of Lancaster University, Dr.
Tom Geller of Lancaster University, and Vaiva Kalnikaité of Dovetailed
Ltd.
Their work explores the feasibility
of recalling old age memories with taste-based cues that are 3D printed.

Working with 12 seniors, they collected 72 memories, half of which were food-related and the other half were not food-related, each recalling twice
.
From grilled mackerel at the Golden Wedding to eating strawberries
in the hospital after having a baby.

For food memory, the researchers worked with participants to tailor taste-based cues
for each person.
The taste-based cues of 3D printing are small, gelatinous, edible balls that mimic primitive food, are easier to swallow, have a stronger taste, and don't require all the ingredients and preparation
.

Professor Sass said: "Our findings suggest that personalized 3D printed taste-based cues have rich sensory and emotional qualities, supporting powerful recall retrievals, especially when they perfectly match the food in the original experience and trigger emotionally positive self-defined memories
.
"

At the prompt of taste-based cues, all participants were provided with rich sensory descriptions, while most details did not appear
in early free recollections.

Recalling a green Thai curry dinner in Cambodia, one participant recalled: "We walked into the kitchen area, which was very rudimentary, with all kinds of green vegetables prepared, I didn't know what they were, put on the
floor.
Then we'll help cook them, stir-fry, and then we'll help put them out.
.
.
"

But after being exposed to 3D-printed taste-based green Thai curry tips, participants gave more detailed memories: "The sound of cutting vegetables, my friend and I sat cross-legged on the floor chatting
.
" When we went out, we put things on the table, and after the other students came out, we sat down at the long table in front of the school to eat
.
”

A significant result is that a large number of memories prompted by taste are recalled and strong feelings are brought back to the past
.

Participants said: "The hints of roast beef and horseradish took me back 25 years in a flash.
.
.
I could put myself on the table in my room.
.
.
I ate that and actually provoked all the memories, quite a strong reaction
.
"I came back all of a sudden
.
"

Interestingly, the mere act of eating cues is seen as the body's repetition of the original event: "It just triggers some more sensations
.
" Maybe when you taste it, you will imagine yourself there
.
”

The researchers say their study is particularly relevant to
dementia.
Participants talked about the importance of
food memory based on their own experiences caring for loved ones.

One participant whose mother had Alzheimer's said: "As soon as she smelled and tasted these foods, she would say, 'Oh, it's like old-fashioned food
.
'" It reminds me of the past
.
"She felt like it was something
she had a long time ago.
"

Another participant suggested making a food memory scrapbook to spark memories
of past events in people with dementia.

Professor Sass said: "The taste of 3D printing can evoke memories and stimulate a rich and intense positive emotional experience that participants can enjoy very much
.
"

Dr Geller said: "Working with people to create taste-based cues underscores how powerful this connection is, but it's not being fully utilized
.
" Our design approach helps bridge this gap and demonstrates the potential of future applications to create rich, multi-sensory memory assistants
.
”

Dr Vaiva kalnikait said: "We finally have a technology that can reconstruct memories
in a very compact shape using the tastes and aromas of different foods.
" These are the strongest clues
to help us remember.
”