Italy exhibition explores how sound helps us to savour food

By Giselda Vagnoni

TRENTO, Italy (Reuters) -An exhibition in northern Italy is expanding traditional ideas about taste by exploring how sound influences the way people experience their food.

Hosted at the MUSE science museum in Trento, Food Sound examines how auditory cues – from the crunch of an apple to the sizzle of a pan – affect appetite, perception of flavour and emotional response. "If neuroscience has transformed fields from psychology to economics, it's also reshaping how we understand cooking and food," said Patrizia Famà, director of the museum's Office of Public Programmes. Visitors are guided through mock-ups of trattorias and dining pods, learning how the brain processes sound and how acoustics can influence food choices.

One interactive display invites guests to select food based solely on sound.

"Food perception is the ultimate multi-sensory experience, engaging all five senses," said Massimiliano Zampini, a researcher at the University of Trento and a member of the exhibition's scientific committee.

Zampini and Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at Britain's Oxford University, were among the first to study how sound – often overlooked in discussions of taste – affects flavour and emotional response.

In a landmark experiment in 2004, they found that potato chips were perceived as being both crisper and fresher when either the overall sound level was increased, or when just the high frequency sounds were selectively amplified.

The idea for the exhibition came to creator Vincenzo Guarnieri after overhearing children describe a visit to a potato chip factory. "They said the fryers sounded like other children crying. That moment struck me, and I realized sound could be a powerful tool to raise awareness about food," Guarnieri said. The food industry has taken notice of the research to try to attract consumers.

British food ingredients maker Tate & Lyle has identified "Hyper Crunch" as a rising trend, with consumers adding baked rice to salads and seeking out snacks that deliver a satisfying crunch. In a report published in November, Tate & Lyle predicted that the trend would expand into sweet categories. It cited examples such as a chocolate bar with a kunefe filling, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, and iced coffee served in chocolate-coated cups that crackle when squeezed.

Betti Nincioli, from Florence, said that she had already realised how much background music contributed to her sense of serenity and positive mood when she was picking up products from supermarket shelves or dining in restaurants.

"Now I am more aware of how a product's sound can make it seem like something else," she said after visiting the exhibition which is in a museum designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.

The exhibition runs until Jan. 11, 2026.

(Reporting by Giselda VagnoniEditing by Keith Weir)