Why do you always want tomato juice on a plane? Tomato juice on board an airplane: why is it so delicious? Expert opinion: tomato juice is healthier than fruit juice

This is an amazing question, asked by many people who ordered tickets from us to Aviasovet.ru, about why they drink tomato juice on the plane?

You know, this surprised me a little, because I didn’t pay much attention, but usually ordered pomegranate juice for myself, since it’s delicious to me. Although it tastes slightly different on the plane.

So, I did a little research, rustled around in Yandex and found some facts. It turns out that tomato juice is mainly offered to residents of the CIS countries, to those who mainly fly to Europe or other overseas countries. But people who fly from overseas countries usually order orange juice.

Then I decided to observe who was drinking what. And I discovered that the on-board conductors were drinking tomato juice. But I asked the pilots, they don’t drink juices at all. And they drink either green tea or regular lemon water.

On the Internet the question is: Why do people drink tomato juice on a plane?? They usually answer that since there is a pressure difference at altitude, and all tastes are muted, tomato juice is good and pleasant in taste, plus it also normalizes blood pressure. Also, tomato juice can quite realistically satisfy your hunger.

So, it may turn out that not everyone has enough juice, even though it is taken for sale on board more than other drinks. Flight attendants say that tomato juice is the first thing they buy.

What’s funny is that at altitude, the salt and sugar in drinks is less noticeable. And coffee, for example, becomes very bitter, and wine becomes too sour. And at an altitude of about 8000 meters, it feels like the ordinary food we eat every day suddenly becomes bland. So you can even experiment with drinks and food and discover new taste sensations.

In general, people do not know why tomato juice is so popular, and Why do people drink tomato juice on the plane? Maybe people grew up on tomatoes and they want this juice, or maybe they sell them this kind. Unknown.

So, try tomato juice at its best and tell us how you feel!

Have a nice flight.

I invite you to book air tickets at the Air Council, there is a wide selection of countries, to anywhere in the world. Tickets are inexpensive, conditions are wonderful!

At the same time, surveys show that in Russian supermarkets they most often buy apple, and in most other countries - orange (tomato is in the top five at best). Why do people change their preferences so dramatically at altitude?

There are several explanations for this. Studies have shown that with constant exposure to noise, the sensitivity of taste buds decreases. It is also believed that their sensitivity may be negatively affected by the low air pressure in the aircraft cabin - there it is equivalent to atmospheric pressure at an altitude of approximately 1600-1800 meters on the newest models to 2400 meters on most types in service. When the sensitivity of receptors decreases, people like foods and drinks with a more pronounced taste. And tomato juice contains monosodium glutamate, which gives foods a taste called umami, and enhances everything else.

Therefore, even those who are indifferent to tomato juice on earth, in the sky often give it preference over apple, orange and just water.

There is also a version that tomato juice is perceived as more compatible with food - orange and apple juice are sweet, and we consider them “dessert” drinks. Tomatoes, however, also contain glucose and fructose, but their share is approximately half that of apples and oranges, so sweetness does not dominate the taste of tomato juice.

Tomato juice also has its disadvantages. First, it is not very useful for people with certain gastrointestinal and kidney diseases. Secondly, there are air holes in the sky - and if you come across one, when you have a glass of tomato juice in your hands, your clothes may immediately be ruined.

About wines

In economy class, airlines take high-quality but inexpensive wines (and even now they are not always provided). But in business class cabins, and even more so in first class, carriers try to please passengers who paid several times more for a ticket than others. Of course, you won't find very expensive collectible wines on airline wine lists (most of which have actually long since become investment goods and may never be drunk), but in first class on Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines or others It is not uncommon for service leaders to have wines that cost around 50 euros per bottle, or even more.

It is customary to offer a choice of several wines for each dish on the menu, and professional sommeliers work on the selection of such combinations. Some airlines even have them on staff - the famous Singapore Air has three of them.

However, due to the reasons already mentioned - noise and low air pressure, the taste of wine may be perceived differently than on earth. The Wine Spectator portal writes that tannins and acids will become more pronounced on an airplane, and there is a physiological reason for this. Upon sensing excess astringents and acidic substances, the body reacts by secreting saliva to dilute them. And the air in the cabin is drier, and a person inevitably experiences a lack of moisture. Therefore, it is better to choose wines with a lighter taste with fruity notes - which is what airlines usually do.

Due to the low pressure and reduced oxygen content in the aircraft cabin, older wines open more slowly. Which, however, is not always a bad thing - connoisseurs can follow the dynamics of changes in aroma and taste.

Perhaps the taste at altitude is indeed perceived as not as refined as on earth, and there is no point in drinking expensive wines on board, awarded with expert awards. But if a passenger pays several thousand euros for a flight, then he has the right to at least see prestigious labels (familiar for many of these passengers).

1. The air on an airplane is taken from the atmosphere, and at an altitude of 10 kilometers its water content is very low. Therefore, everyone on board experiences a lack of moisture. Drink more water. Pilots sometimes add lemon to the water, so it quenches thirst better.

• Alcohol and caffeine contribute to dehydration (dehydration) - simply put, water from the body is more intensively drained into the bladder. This increases dryness due to low air humidity. If you drink drinks with caffeine (cola also includes them) or alcohol, drink water. It is not for nothing that moisturizing creams for the face and lips are included in the kit given to passengers in upper classes.
• The idea that low blood pressure itself increases intoxication is not supported by research. However, dry air, lack of oxygen and lack of mobility slow down the processing of alcohol and worsen a person’s general condition. If it is difficult to abstain from alcohol on a flight, then at least drink more water and control your condition.
• Manufacturers of flight catering take into account the decrease in sensitivity, and often salt dishes a little more than is customary in ordinary restaurants on earth. Therefore, you shouldn’t add salt to your food on board, even if your ration package includes a bag of salt or a salt shaker, and you think the food is bland. All studies show that excess salt is harmful to any person, and the point of this additive is solely for taste; a person receives a sufficient amount of sodium chloride, even if he does not add salt to his food at all.

Dictionary

Glutamate- salt of glutamic acid. In vertebrates, it is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses, and is thus involved in functions such as learning and memory. Produced in the human body. Monosodium glutamate is used as a flavor enhancer, especially widely in Southeast Asia.

Umami- translated from Japanese as “pleasant taste.” It is a component of the taste of meat products, some cheeses, and soy sauce. Amino acids and their salts, which create the umami taste, are classified as flavor enhancers - food additives with codes ranging from E600 to E699.

Discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda, it was officially recognized as the fifth basic taste (in addition to sour, sweet, bitter and salty) in 1985.

Valery Chusov

On earth, to satisfy our thirst, we drink different drinks: beer, soda, water and others. However, as soon as you take off on board an aircraft, most people for some reason choose tomato juice. This healthy drink tastes delicious and sharpens our taste buds.

A few years ago, the German airline Lufthansa announced that it managed to sell 200 thousand liters of tomato juice in a year. And this along with 220 thousand liters of beer per year. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Ernst Derenthal, the airline's kitchen manager, said:

“The Germans are a nation that understands beer. And we were surprised by these results.”

Lufthansa decided to conduct a study to find out why passengers drink tomato juice on planes.
The Fraunhofer community from the German Research Institute was hired for this purpose.

For the experiment, we used the fuselage of an old Airbus A310, inside of which flight conditions at altitude were created - pressure, turbulence, engine noise. Photos of the sky and clouds were inserted into the windows.
Test participants were served various foods and drinks and then filled out a report.

Most of the subjects wrote in their reports that they found the tomato juice on board tastier than on the ground.

We knew a lot about the taste of tomato juice on, let’s say, the surface of the earth. Agree that tomato juice does not have any special taste and aroma, and to some it seems not fresh at all and smells of mold, Mr. Derenthal added.

However, as soon as the plane rises to an altitude of 10,000 meters, tomato juice shows itself in a completely different way. The taste of the juice changes, it becomes more acidic and mineral and is very refreshing.
Here's why this happens: at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the pressure in the plane's cabin remains at the level of the atmosphere one mile above sea level.
Due to such low pressure, the following processes occur: our blood receives less oxygen and our olfactory and taste buds become less sensitive.

Due to low pressure, the nasal mucosa is dehydrated and it becomes less “picky” about odors. Those. we stop catching some of them.

Most airlines keep cabin humidity at 10-15 percent. Because of this, the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose become even more dehydrated, which adversely affects the taste of food.

Sweets become less sweet, salty foods become less salty, and the taste of herbs and spices is muted.
By the way, one of the spices that does not change its taste at altitude is curry.

Thus, almost all food at altitude has a more bland and bland taste than on earth.
But tomato juice really tastes better if you drink it in the airplane cabin with salt and pepper - we knew that, says Derenthal. It is tomato juice with salt that makes “failed” taste buds work. If you drink tomato juice with salt before eating, the food on board will no longer be so bland.

But it's not just a matter of changing the taste of the product, there must be something else. Research continued.

Flight attendants served tomato juice to passengers and asked why they chose it.

The results showed that it's not just about taste. Some said that the juice seemed more satisfying to them, others that it calmed the stomach. For some it helps with air sickness.
And some people drink tomato juice simply because it is available.

In addition, it was noticed that if someone takes tomato juice, his neighbors are very likely to also choose this drink.

Summarizing all of the above, we can say that tomato juice on an airplane tastes better than on the ground, mostly due to atmospheric changes in the airplane cabin. And if we add here the preferences of the people who drink this juice on the ground, we get the same 200,000 liters of tomato juice sold on board Lufthansa planes.

How helpful is this article?

Recently, the American airline United Airlines announced that its flight attendants will no longer deliver tomato juice to passengers. The travelers were indignant. And what do you think? It turns out that scientists believe that they were right, and their indignation is well founded. An airplane is the very place where drinking such juice is simply necessary. And now we will find out why.

Passenger riot

The backlash from Twitter users against the airline became extremely intense earlier this month. Users were highly critical of United Airlines. This had nothing to do with the company's inability to cope with aggressive passengers or the lack of adequate legroom or, at worst, faulty screens near the seats. The thing is that her future plans include removing tomato juice from the menu of drinks served during the flight. This decision caused almost a real riot. Some passengers threatened to surrender their tickets, others came up with humorous memes, but only a few began to think about why they were so obsessed with the desire to drink this salty red liquid while traveling by plane. But be that as it may, the level of criticism of the company was simply off the charts!

The airline has given up!

If you belong to that crowd of thousands of passengers who cannot imagine being on board an airplane without a disposable cup filled with tomato juice at room temperature, then you will perfectly understand the indignation that has overcome travelers. This digital uprising prompted a quick response from the company. Its management apologized on social networks. Its representatives stated that they heard the wishes of passengers and promised to leave tomato juice on the menu, since they really value their customers.

Better than beer?

The Twitter storm over tomato juice was not the act of bored Internet trolls. People really needed this drink. This has been proven by recent scientific research. Few people like tomato juice. On our sinful earth it is rarely ordered. But everything changes dramatically when people reach a height of 11 thousand meters. Tomato juice then becomes the most desirable choice because of the altitude effect that affects our sense of taste.

The most fundamental research in this regard can be called the report of the Fraunhofer Society, a German research institute whose employees dealt with this issue on behalf of the Lufthansa company. The fact is that this German airline saw that in a year it produced 53,000 gallons (just over 200 thousand liters) of tomato juice. At the same time, 59,000 gallons (224 thousand liters) of beer were purchased. The idea that tomato juice can compete with beer seems laughable at first. So it's easy to understand why Lufthansa executives were confused.

Flying affects our taste

The Fraunhofer Society's experiments included recreating the conditions that surround passengers in an airplane cabin. Among other things, this was a humidity level of 10-15%, which is standard for aircraft. This level of humidity dries out the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, reducing the sense of taste. Add to this low blood pressure, which reduces the level of oxygen in the blood, which also affects both our sense of smell and taste buds. Now the appeal of a flavored and salty drink like tomato juice is starting to make some sense.

Tomato juice makes flying easier

Ernst Derenthal, executive director of Lufthansa in the field of passenger nutrition, after the publication of the study results, said in an interview with NBC: “We learned about a very interesting thing. When we are on the ground and drink tomato juice, it seems to us... well, not exactly moldy, but, to put it mildly, not entirely fresh. That's why not very many people like him. But when you rise to a height of 10 thousand meters, your body immediately feels all the positive qualities of tomato juice. Its acidity is quite high - which is what we need when traveling on a plane - it has a kind of mineral taste, and it is very refreshing.”

Sound and taste buds

But there is another factor that influences the fact that in most cases we choose tomato juice during a flight. This is the sound. A 2015 study by Cornell University found that when we fly through the sky in a metal craft at 575 miles (920 kilometers) per hour, we hear 85 decibels. In this regard, Robin Dando, assistant professor of food science at the university, said the study confirmed that our sense of taste is distorted when our bodies are exposed to extremely high levels of noise. These sensations acquire some characteristics. This is how the receptors for the sensation of sweetness weaken. But the sensation of "umami" - the Japanese word best suited to express the elusive balance between sweet and salty tastes, on the contrary, is enhanced. So, tomato juice is very strong in umami.

The power of suggestion

Of course, these studies caused not only serious discussions, but also many jokes. Some passengers said the biggest factor driving the "tomato juice revolution" in aviation was the power of suggestion. People often subconsciously “become monkeys” and order what their neighbors in the row ask them to serve. Haven't you encountered similar phenomena on earth? Well, here's the simplest example. You come to a restaurant with friends to have lunch. You still can’t decide what to order and are in thought. And then your friend tells the waiter that he wants sea bass for lunch. Suddenly you make a decision and say to the waiter: “And the same for me, please.” Therefore, it is quite possible that when you board the plane, the flight attendants start serving drinks, and some guy next to you opens a can of tomato juice and starts drinking it greedily, then you will immediately want the same. You don’t hold back and order tomato juice for yourself. But some passengers offer to diversify the menu with a life hack. Ask for more vodka to transform that tired tomato juice into the iconic Bloody Mary cocktail. And then the trip will definitely be successful.

Express Newspaper answers current, inconvenient and unexpected questions. Today we will tell you why aircraft passengers prefer tomato juice, and a nutritionist will share his opinion on how healthy this drink is

Orange, apple, tomato: what do passengers choose?

This year, a real scandal erupted on Twitter at United Airlines. The American airline announced that it was removing tomato juice from the on-board menu, which caused indignation among passengers. It turned out that tomato juice has a surprisingly large number of fans, but most of them drink it exclusively on flights.

Passengers' conclusions about their own taste preferences on board also coincide with internal airline statistics. In 2010, the German airline Lufthansa conducted a survey among passengers to improve in-flight catering and found that it accounted for a good quarter (25%) of in-flight orders. Other airlines admit that they have long known about the tastes of their customers, so their stocks of tomato juice on board are usually 30% more than apple and orange.

But in supermarkets the statistics are completely different. There, tomato juice is not even among the top five most purchased juices, while orange juice consistently holds the top spot.

It is likely that the choice of airline passengers is influenced by external conditions, which, in turn, affect our taste buds. For example, the American Psychological Association assures that the whole point is a strong background noise. It is under its influence that we stop craving sweets and crave salty ones. But according to a study by Lufthansa, intrigued by the survey results, it’s all about low blood pressure, due to which salt loses its taste by 30%.

Expert opinion: tomato juice is healthier than fruit juice

So, we found out why, when you find yourself on board a plane, you unexpectedly order tomato juice. But what about whether you are making the right choice?

Marina Sergienko
consultant in clinical nutrition and orthomolecular medicine

If you choose between different ones, I would advise you to take vegetable ones, since concentrated fruit juices, as a rule, contain a lot of sugar and fruit acids. Excess sugar is not good for anyone, and fruit acids irritate the stomach lining. Therefore, even if you like fruit juices, I advise you to always dilute them with water.

Vegetable juices have neither one nor the other, they are much softer and can be drunk by people with diabetes. And tomato juice is also rich in lycopene, a pigment that determines the red color of the fruits of some plants and is known for its anti-cancer effect.

Also, tomato juice is low-calorie and is suitable for those who, but is strictly contraindicated for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

But no matter how healthy juices are, I still recommend quenching your thirst with regular drinking water, and drinking juices in doses, in small quantities.

Conclusion: no need to get carried away with tomato juice

Tomato juice is an excellent choice on board an airplane. But we still don’t recommend drinking it every day.