Wang Zhen, Chang Xiaoyue, Zhang Chongyu, Lan Haihui, Huang Mingquan, Zhou Bin, Sun Baoguo
School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China; email:
Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2025 Apr;16(1):147-170. doi: 10.1146/annurev-food-110124-035308. Epub 2025 Jan 2.
Olfaction is crucial to our dietary choices and significantly influences our emotional and cognitive landscapes. Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms is pivotal, especially through the use of electroencephalography (EEG). This technology has strong temporal resolution, allowing it to capture the dynamics of neural responses to odors, bypassing the need for subjective interpretations. The application of EEG in food flavor research is still relatively new, but it has great potential. This review begins with an examination of general scent stimulation, charts the advances in using EEG to understand odor perception, and explores its future in food flavor science. By analyzing EEG's ability to detect distinct patterns and strengths in brain activity, we can elucidate the perceptual, affective, and cognitive frameworks associated with food odors. Event-related potentials and oscillatory activities, markers of central olfactory processing, provide insights into the neural architecture of olfaction. These markers are instrumental in assessing the influence of food odors on health, emotions, and decision-making processes. We argue that EEG's application in olfaction research holds considerable promise for the food industry to innovate products that are not only healthier but also more appealing, thereby promoting human well-being.
嗅觉对我们的饮食选择至关重要，并显著影响我们的情绪和认知状态。了解其潜在的神经机制至关重要，尤其是通过使用脑电图（EEG）技术。这项技术具有很强的时间分辨率，能够捕捉对气味的神经反应动态，无需主观解读。EEG在食品风味研究中的应用仍相对较新，但具有巨大潜力。本综述首先考察一般的气味刺激，梳理利用EEG理解气味感知的进展，并探索其在食品风味科学中的未来。通过分析EEG检测大脑活动中不同模式和强度的能力，我们可以阐明与食物气味相关的感知、情感和认知框架。事件相关电位和振荡活动是中枢嗅觉处理的标志，为嗅觉的神经结构提供了见解。这些标志有助于评估食物气味对健康、情绪和决策过程的影响。我们认为，EEG在嗅觉研究中的应用为食品行业创新不仅更健康而且更具吸引力的产品带来了很大希望，从而促进人类福祉。
