Monell Center Researchers Present Latest Findings at International Meeting On Consumer Sensory Science
Coinciding with the 2025 Philadelphia-based conference, Monell - the first independent nonprofit dedicated to smell and taste research - hosts academic, industry partners for visits, collaborations
PHILADELPHIA (Aug 14, 2025) – Scientists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center will present their research at the 16th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, “Connecting Senses and Minds,” August 17-21, 2025 in Philadelphia.
This conference draws more than 1,000 academic and flavor and food industry experts from around the world. It broadly covers research at the intersection of sensory and consumer science to better understand human food and beverage perception and consumption to gain consumer insights, as well as improve health and well-being.
Monell researchers will share their investigations on added sugars, smell and taste function while taking GLP-1 weight loss medications, odor mixtures, oral sensitivity to sucrose and dairy fat, and sensory mechanisms of tasting complex carbohydrates.
These are highlights of Monell sensory science being delivered in oral and poster sessions:
Monday August 18
Oral presentation
10:00-10:15am
Smell and taste dysfunction with GLP-1 RAs in the FDA adverse event reporting system: a pharmacovigilance assessment
Ryann Kolb*1, Emmanuel Nartey*2, Alicia Lozano2, Alexandra Hanlon2, Vicente Ramirez**1, Valentina Parma**1
*Co-first authors
**Co-last authors
1Parma Lab, Monell Chemical Senses Center
2Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Virginia Tech
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are increasingly prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight management, yet their impact on taste and smell remains under characterized. We analyzed reports from the U.S. FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2005–2024 to assess associations between GLP-1 RAs and chemosensory adverse events (CSAEs). Our findings suggest that chemosensory disturbances, especially altered taste perception, may contribute to the appetite-suppressing effects of GLP-1 RAs. Given the scale of GLP-1 RA use and the importance of taste and smell in nutrition and quality of life, prospective studies using psychophysical sensory testing are warranted to clarify prevalence, mechanisms, and reversibility. Recognizing chemosensory changes as part of the sensory and behavioral profile of GLP-1 RAs will advance understanding of how pharmacological treatments shape flavor perception, food choice, and eating behavior in real-world settings.
More on the Parma lab here.
Poster Session 1
2:00 to 3:30pm
Reduced sugar diets do not affect perceived sweetness or most liked sugar concentration in model foods and beverages
P.M. Wise, R. Rawal, M. Kramer, M.M. Cheung, D.R. Reed, J.A. Novotny, D.J. Baer, G. Beauchamp
We conducted a diet-controlled double-blind trial to test the hypothesis that people who adopt a low-sugar diet will come to taste foods/beverages as sweeter and to prefer less sugar. The diet manipulation had no statistically significant effect on either sweetness intensity or most liked concentration of sucrose at any time-point. These results should not be taken to question recommendations to reduce dietary sugar intake, but suggest that the approach recommended by the Institute of Medicine for sodium reduction (reducing dietary salt to lower salt preferences) may be less effective for sugar.
More on Wise lab here.
Wednesday, August 20
Oral presentation
11:00am -12:30pm
Reevaluating Odor Mixtures: Evidence for Predominant Linearity
Robert Pellegrino 1 , Jennifer Margolis 1 , Carissa Evans 1 , Matthew Andres 1 , Emily J. Mayhew 1,2 , Alexander B. Wiltschko 3 , Richard C. Gerkin 3,4 , Joel D. Mainland 1,5
1 Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA 10104, USA,
2 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
3 Osmo; New York, NY, USA
5 Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Although recent models show that properties of single odorants can reliably predict perception, we do not have robust models to predict perception of natural odors, which often consist of complex mixtures of airborne chemicals. Mixtures have been reported to exhibit qualities distinct from their individual components, suggesting that interactions between odors dominate odor perception. Our results demonstrate that most odor mixtures exhibit a linear perceptual behavior, challenging prior assumptions in the field. This has broad implications for industries such as flavor and fragrance, as well as environmental monitoring and health, and suggests that good mixture perception models are possible.
More on the Mainland lab here.
Poster Session 2
2:00pm to 3:30 pm
Hub4Smell: A digital infrastructure to scale olfactory research and implementation
Valentina Parma1, RJ Kedziora3, Patricia Lucas Schnarre2, Pamela Dalton1, Danielle R. Reed1
1 Monell Chemical Senses Center
2 Ahersla Health
3 Estenda Solutions
Hub4Smell is an open, modular digital infrastructure developed to support rigorous, reproducible olfactory research across disciplines. It integrates tools for collecting, curating, and analyzing human smell data, grounded in open science principles and leveraging recent advances in conversational analytics. A secure online environment promotes methodological exchange, expert consultation, and multi-site study coordination. It is designed to expand access to high-quality research tools, but also to strengthen the field-wide infrastructure necessary for advancing olfactory science.
More on the Parma lab here.
Individual Differences in Oral Sensitivity to Sucrose and Dairy Fat
Victoria Esparza, Catherine Peyrot des Gachons, Amy Huang, Nancy Rawson, Linda Flammer, Paul Wise
Monell Chemical Senses Center, USA
Individual differences in taste and smell contribute to differences in food preferences. Mouthfeel, another important aspect of flavor, has received less attention in this regard. To better understand the basis and importance of individual differences in sensitivity to mouthfeel, thresholds for oral detection of sucrose and dairy fat were measured in duplicate in 47 healthy adults. Thresholds for fat and sugar were modestly, but significantly, correlated, suggesting a common sensitivity factor and perhaps common underlying mechanisms. With reduced sensory cues many people are relatively insensitive to oral sensation from sucrose and dairy fat at beverage-related concentrations. Further work will be required to determine the mechanistic basis of these individual differences and their importance for sugar and fat preferences.
More on Wise lab here.
Thursday, August 21
Oral presentation
9:00am
Taste of oligosaccharides: from sensory mechanisms to industry applications
Juyun Lim1, Shashwat Damani1,2, Laura Martin2, Alexa Pullicin1, Michael Penner2
1 Monell Chemical Senses Center, USA. 2 Oregon State University, USA
Complex carbohydrates are abundant in the human diet where they serve as sources of energy, as prebiotics, and as dietary fibers. Oligosaccharides, a subclass of complex carbohydrates, occur both naturally in foods and as a result of oral starch digestion. In a series of studies, we systematically tested taste perception of a wide range of oligosaccharides in highly pure form. Overall, study results show that some oligosaccharides elicit ‘starchy’-like taste while others elicit sweetness, and that the taste perception depends on their molecular structure. Study findings will be discussed in terms of underlying sensory mechanisms and their implications to the food industry.
More on the Lim lab here.
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About Monell Chemical Senses Center
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is an independent nonprofit research institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1968 to advance and share discoveries in the science of the chemical senses of smell, taste, chemesthesis, and interoception to solve the world’s health, societal, and environmental challenges.
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