@misc{Ladani, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Ladani, Siddhi}, title = {An exploratory study of how to effectively communicate the level of hotness/spiciness of food items}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-13815}, school = {Hochschule Rhein-Waal}, pages = {70}, abstract = {Preferences for spiciness in food varies greatly from person to person. In addition, the notion of spiciness itself varies greatly from culture to culture and from region to region making it hard to effectively represent and communicate the level of spiciness of food items in restaurant menus and food packaging. In this study we explore the use of virtual taste sensation as a means of effectively communicating the desired or available level of spiciness between the consumer and the provider. Based on prior research on electrical and thermal stimulation of taste sensations, we have developed a device capable of simulating the sensation of hotness on the human tongue through the use of a low voltage electrical current delivered via a set of electrodes and control panel. The development process of the device consisted of the following two steps: 1. We conducted an observational study in which participants were asked to rate their spiciness preference using a commonly used hot sauce which was mixed with either water or rice. 2. Participants were asked to match their spiciness preference using the device at different voltage levels. Although the device only generates the stinging sensation and not the full flavour sensation associated with a spice such as a chili pepper it proved effective in assessing and communicating the spiciness preference of the study participants. Thus, we argue the device holds great promise for developing applications focused on communicating spiciness levels, e.g. the spiciness of the contents of a food package, the spiciness of items in a restaurant menu, or the spiciness of various chili peppers in a market.}, language = {en} }