Controlling Temporal Change of a Beverage's Taste Using Electrical Stimulation

In this paper, we discuss concepts for improving beverage experience using electrical stimulation in terms of the requirements for the procedure (design space), previous study (completion), and limitations of conventional technologies. To improve beverage experience, electrical stimulation has been indicated as a method for changing a beverage's taste. However, the taste of a beverage changes temporally—a beverage's taste during drinking is different from its taste after swallowing. There are methods of evaluating the taste of a beverage based on time-series, such as the Time-Intensity (TI) method and the Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) method. Therefore, it is important to focus on the temporal change in a beverage's taste for improving the beverage experience. Thus, we focused on the taste before and after swallowing as a first step. Based on this review, we propose the concept of controlling the temporal change of a beverage's taste using electrical stimulation.