2026 5+6

The nose has its own microbiome, and it shapes mood, cognition and memory via the nose-to-brain axis. Olfactory dysfunction rivals major diseases as a predictor of mortality, and smell loss precedes dementia and depression. The olfactory bulb and hippocampus grow with regular sniffing, improving memory. Butyrate-producing and oral bacteria can impair smell, so diet and oral hygiene matter. Regular sniffing of scents is currently the best way to keep olfaction—and mood—healthy.

Sheryl Barringer (Ohio State) shows food off-odours can be reduced simply: apple phenolics neutralise garlic breath, and two-stage fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum dramatically cuts unpleasant volatiles in plant-protein yogurt. Slowing the early pH drop keeps deodorising bacteria active longer, producing a neutral base that can later be flavoured. Patented and being scaled with a food company, the approach could improve plant-based dairy, meat analogues and beyond.

A primer on beer's aroma chemistry by chemical family: esters (fruity), terpenes (citrusy, from hops), organic acids (cheesy/goaty), aldehydes (grassy to cardboard), volatile phenols (weissbier, oak), Maillard heterocyclics (toasty, roasty) and sulfur compounds (DMS, thiols). Molecular size and water-solubility shape character and pleasantness. Learning these families gives brewers and tasters a shared, precise vocabulary for diagnosing and designing beer flavour.

Mondelēz's 2026 State of Snacking report (with Mintel and Black Swan Data) argues taste is no longer the sole driver of purchase. Consumers discover food visually on social media, value texture (crunch, contrast), and choose snacks for comfort, reward, nostalgia and connection. Dubai chocolate's success owed as much to texture, theatre and shareability as flavour. Consumers increasingly reject traditional trade-offs—expecting indulgence, wellness, novelty and emotion simultaneously.

Enzymes are quietly reshaping beverages. IFF's Diazyme Nolo converts fermentable sugars into unfermentable carbohydrates before yeast is added, giving alcohol-free beer the body of regular beer without additives or stabilisers. Kerry's Acrylerase enzyme—having received a positive EFSA opinion—breaks down acrylamide after it forms in coffee, without harming taste or yield. Lactase and carbohydrase enzymes similarly support sugar reduction, clarity and yield across dairy and plant-based drinks.