The aroma of food may do more than make a meal smell appetizing. Research involving a faculty member from the Manila Central University College of Dentistry suggests that aroma may also influence how many times we chew and how long we continue chewing before swallowing.
A study involving Dr. Ma. Therese Blanche O. Sta. Maria found that participants chewed more times and for a longer period when eating gummy jellies with higher aroma content.
Published in Food Quality and Preference, the study provides new insight into the relationship between aroma, chewing behavior, and the swallowing threshold—the point at which a person feels that food is ready to be swallowed. Its findings suggest that the sensory experience of eating may affect not only how food tastes but also how the body physically prepares it for swallowing.
More Aroma, More Chewing
The researchers sought to answer a simple question: Can the amount of aroma released from food influence how much and how long a person chews before swallowing?
To investigate, 30 healthy adults were given standardized gummy jellies containing four different levels of aroma. Participants ate the samples in random order while the researchers recorded the number of chewing strokes and the amount of time they spent chewing before reaching their natural swallowing threshold.
The results showed that as the aroma content of the gummy jelly increased, participants chewed more times and spent more time chewing before swallowing.
The researchers also measured the aroma traveling from the mouth to the nasal cavity during chewing, known as retronasal aroma. Their measurements showed that higher aroma content in the gummy jelly also resulted in higher levels of retronasal aroma.
The relationship between aroma content and the number of chewing strokes remained even after the researchers accounted for differences in the participants’ chewing performance and saliva production. This indicates that aroma itself may contribute to changes in chewing behavior.
What We Sense and What We Report May Be Different
Another notable finding came from the participants’ own assessments of the samples.
Although the researchers measured differences in the amount of aroma released during chewing, the participants did not report significant differences in their subjective flavor ratings. In other words, the amount of aroma appeared to affect their chewing behavior even when they did not consciously perceive the flavor as significantly stronger.
This difference between the measured aroma and the participants’ reported experience offers another way of understanding how sensory signals may influence eating behavior.
“Food is more than what we taste—it is also how we experience it while we chew and swallow,” Sta. Maria said. “Our findings suggest that aroma may play a role in determining how long we chew before swallowing, providing new insight into the complex relationship between sensory perception and eating behavior.”
Why Chewing Matters
Chewing does more than break food into smaller pieces. It prepares food for swallowing while contributing to the overall sensory experience of eating.
Understanding what determines when a person is ready to swallow is therefore relevant to several fields, including food science, nutrition, oral health, and swallowing research. The study suggests that aroma may be one of the factors influencing this process.
For food manufacturers, the findings may contribute to a better understanding of how aroma can be developed alongside texture and other sensory characteristics to shape the eating experience and the duration of oral food processing.
For dentistry, oral health, and swallowing research, the study adds to the understanding of how sensory and physiological factors work together while a person eats.
However, the findings should not yet be interpreted as a clinical recommendation. The study involved healthy adults under controlled experimental conditions. Further research would be needed before aroma manipulation could be considered for people experiencing chewing or swallowing difficulties.
Looking Beyond Gummy Jelly
The researchers noted that future studies could determine whether the same effect can be observed in foods other than the standardized gummy jellies used in the study.
Further research may examine different foods, textures, and aroma compounds, as well as larger and more diverse groups of participants. Researchers could also explore whether deliberately changing the aroma of food can influence eating behavior in predictable ways and whether this could eventually have applications in food design, nutrition, oral health, and swallowing-related care.
For now, the findings highlight something that can easily be overlooked during an everyday activity: the aroma of what we eat may be connected to how our bodies decide when it is time to swallow.
The study, “Increased Aroma Content of Gummy Jelly Prolongs Chewing Strokes and Chewing Duration to the Swallowing Threshold,” was published in Food Quality and Preference, Volume 142, Article 105928. It was conducted by Jumpei Okawa, Kaho Yamada, Aye Mya Mya Khaing, Min Thu Ya, Monika Werdiningsih, Ma. Therese Sta. Maria, Takahiro Ono, and Kazuhiro Hori.
Researcher from Manila Central University: Dr. Ma. Therese Blanche O. Sta. Maria, College of Dentistry
Journal: Food Quality and Preference
Article: 105928
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2026.105928
