想知道飞机餐为什么如此难吃吗？

From rubbery scrambled eggs to lukewarm mashed potato, airplane meals can be dire.

从炒鸡蛋到微温的土豆泥，飞机餐真是难吃得丧病。

Now scientists think they know why food tastes so strange in the air – it’s down to sound.

科学家们现已了解了为啥飞机餐如此难吃了——飞机飞行噪音所致。

American researchers have discovered that deserts don’t taste as sweet on board a noisy airplane, while the taste of savoury food is intensified in the loud environment.

美国研究人员发现甜点在嘈杂的飞机上并不美味，在嘈杂的环境下即使是开胃类食物的口感也感觉有些重。

Experts hope this knowledge could be used to elevate airplane food to new heights and banish bad meals.

专家希望这些知识可以用于飞机餐，想办法把飞机餐的美味度提升到一个新的高度，别再让美食吃起来难吃。

‘Our study confirmed that in an environment of loud noise, our sense of taste is compromised,’said Robin Dando, assistant professor of food science at Cornell University.

“我们的研究证实，我们的味觉在噪音环境中不够灵敏，”康奈尔大学食品科学助理教授罗宾·丹多说。

‘Interestingly, this was specific to sweet and umami tastes, with sweet taste inhibited and umami taste significantly enhanced.’

“有意思的是，噪音环境对于甜味和鲜味的作用甚强，甜味颇失，鲜味却明显增强。

‘Airline cabins are an unusual environment, in which food is consumed routinely under extreme noise conditions, often over 85 dB, and in which the perceived quality of food is often criticised,’ the study says.

“航空公司客舱是个很不同寻常的环境，在飞机客舱的嘈杂环境下吃东西的噪音一般超过85分贝，所以感觉飞机餐难吃。”

Professor Dando added: ‘The multisensory properties of the environment where we consume our food can alter our perception of the foods we eat.’

丹多教授说：“环境的多重因素，会改变我们对吃的食物的口感。”

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and performance, could help experts make airplane food taste better, by selecting foods that suit the noisy environment.

该研究发表在《实验心理学杂志》上：人类各感官的感知可以帮助专家通过选择适合吵闹环境食用的食物，使飞机餐变美味。