Yogurt tastes richer on a light plastic spoon, says study

The taste of food is affected by the weight, size, shape and colour of the cutlery used to eat it, suggests new research.

Researchers from Oxford University got 35 participants to sample the same yogurt with several different spoons of varying weights and colour. Participants then voted on their taste preferences.

The study, published in the journal Flavor, found that yogurt was rated denser, sweeter and more expensive when eaten from a light plastic spoon verses a heavier plastic spoon.

Also see: The big problem with greek yogurt

"There are now quite a few papers showing that the colour and shape of glasses, such as wine glasses, affects flavour. But this is the first paper to measure the multi-sensory effects of cutlery in flavour perception." Vanessa Harrara, a junior research fellow in the department of experimental psychology, tells the Ottawa Citizen.

The researchers also compared coloured versus white spoons. White yogurt eaten from a white spoon was rated sweeter and denser than pink coloured yogurt. The effects were reversed when a black spoon was used.

And finally, they discovered that food tastes saltier when eaten with a knife.

"Even before we put food into our mouths our brains have made a judgment about it, which affects our overall experience," write the authors.

Also see: Processed foods you should ditch right now

Earlier studies done by the Oxford team found that dessert served on a white plate tastes 10 per cent sweeter than the exact same treat served on black plate.

Dr. Holly Phillips tells CBS that the study touches on a relatively new area of research called environmental psychology.

"It's basically accepting that the environment changes our sensory perceptions, whether that be touch, sound, sight, or in this case, taste."

What are your thoughts on the idea that food tastes differently depending on the cutlery used? Have you noticed this while eating?