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That's why tomato juice is so often served on the plane
Why do people order tomato juice so often on the plane? Many have asked themselves this question before. Especially because the healthy drink is rarely drunk on the ground. Scientists have now found a fairly simple reason: Apparently, the juice in the air tastes better and smells better than on the ground. The imitator effect also plays an important role from the expert's point of view.
At the bottom of the red juice is considered exotic
"I would like a tomato juice with salt and pepper" - this sentence has probably heard everyone during a plane trip. An interesting phenomenon, because nowhere else do people drink as much tomato juice as in the air. But how can that be explained? Apparently the taste and smell play a crucial role, because "on the ground tomato juice smells slightly musty and tastes lax", explains Volker Scheible, product manager on-board service and lounges at Lufthansa, opposite the news agency "dpa". In contrast, he appears in the aircraft cabin
"Harmonious", "tends to taste sweet and fruity and clearly like tomatoes", Scheible continues.
Healthy tomato juice. Image: BillionPhotos.com - fotolia Juice is described on the ground as "musty"
Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Holzkirchen already investigated the differences in taste in 2010. Researchers led by aroma chemist Andrea Burdack-Freitag had carried out taste tests in the original fuselage of an Airbus A310-200 with numerous test persons on behalf of the German Lufthansa AG. This was suspended in a large vacuum chamber, whereby the prevailing cabin conditions (air pressure, noise level, vibration, light, air circulation, etc.) could be simulated.
Andrea Burdack-Freitag and her team came to an interesting conclusion, because the taste sensation for salt, sugar and herbs was perceived on board much weaker than on the ground. "Tomato juice was graded significantly lower at atmospheric pressure than at low pressure. He was described as musty. Above, pleasing fruity scents and sweet, cooling taste impressions came to the fore, "the aroma chemist said in a statement from the Fraunhofer Institute.
Sugar and salt taste less intense in the air
"Food and drinks are perceived as being snorted," says the aroma chemist, describing the effects of cabin pressure on the passenger. According to this, the taste of salt is perceived to be 20 to 30 percent and of sugar 15 to 20 percent weaker than on the ground, whereas the intensity of the taste does not change with fruity aromas and acids. This explains why most passengers order salt and pepper juice. In addition to the better taste, according to Volker Scheible of Lufthansa presumably also the imitator effect plays a role. "If you see that other passengers order tomato juice, you get the idea." In addition, tomato juice is considered a good hunger-suppressant, because it is rich in the trace element chromium, which among other things regulates the feeling of satiety.
Taken together, according to the Fraunhofer Institute's statement, this could explain why "the strong-tasting tomato juice with its approximately 1.7 million liters served per year enjoys uninterrupted popularity among Lufthansa passengers." According to spokesman Johannes, the aboard the Condor is also on board Winter about a quarter of the served drinks juices, of which a third are tomato juice. The largest share, however, with 47 percent water, another 30 percent fell on soft drinks such as cola, Fanta, etc., so winter against the "dpa".
Juice can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease
In general, the juice from the healthy red vegetables, however, considered "exotic" and represents according to the Association of the German fruit juice industry (VdF) with a sales volume of 46 million liters the most famous vegetable juice. And the access is worthwhile, because in addition to the delicious taste The juice offers many health benefits. Because tomatoes are rich in the yellow-red dyes alpha and beta carotene, which protect the plant from harmful attacks by the UV light, but are also very useful for humans. "We know that a high intake of vegetables rich in carotene compounds reduces the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease," said Privatdozent Dr. med. Bernhard Watzl from the Max Rubner Institute in Karlsruhe in a statement from the VdF. (No)