Cutlery 'can influence perception of food taste'

Our perception of how food tastes is influenced by the size, shape and colour of the cutlery we use, a new study has revealed.

The research conducted by University of Oxford suggested that the brain makes judgements on food even before it goes in the mouth.

The study claimed that cheese tastes saltier when eaten from a knife rather than a fork; while white spoons make yoghurt taste better, the BBC reported.

More than 100 students took part in three experiments, which looked at the influence of weight, colour and shape of cutlery on taste.

The researchers found that the weight of the cutlery also had an impact on how the food tastes.

It was observed that white yoghurt eaten from a white spoon was rated sweeter than white yoghurt tasted on a black spoon, thus suggesting that colour contrast was also an important factor.

The study was published in the journal Flavour.