Wouldn’t it be nice just to smell a food and get the same satisfaction and full feeling you would get from eating it (with fewer calories)? Dutch scientists may have found a way to quench hunger and prevent over eating through the release of anti-hunger aromas through chewing.

Most people think of pleasant food odors as triggering hunger. Most often, a food smell will bring back fond memories, such as the smell of cinnamon reminding you of Christmases past. And often, the food aroma will cause you to eat, even when you are not physically hungry.

A few years ago, researchers from Duke University mapped the activity of the brain during the feeding cycle to study hunger and satiety. The findings, reported in the 2006 journal Neuron, showed that hunger and eating behaviors are complex and happen in multiple parts of the brain, including the hypothalamus, orbitofrontal cortex, insular cortex, and the amygdala. The Duke researchers used the data to identify areas that would induce satiety and stop someone from eating.

However, most of the research in the hunger-satiety feeding cycle has focused on foods’ effects on the brain after being swallowed. The particular molecule that is being studied by Rianne Ruijschop and colleagues at NIZO Food Research in the Netherlands work by activating parts of the brain that signal fullness during the chewing process in an attempt to stop a person from overeating and consuming too many calories.

The authors call the process “retronasal aroma release.” Organic acids derived through fermentation results in a perceived increase in satiation. The physical structure of the food is important, as solid foods will generate the reaction for a longer time than liquid products. This is also true for digestion — solid foods contribute to the feeling of fullness in the stomach because they take longer to digest than liquid foods.

The research is still in early stages, and the next step for the group is to implement the concepts into real foods. Ruijschop claims that the aroma stimuli can be administered separately from other factors that would affect the food quality, such as ingredients, texture, and taste. If the food doesn’t taste good, or has an “off” texture, as some diet foods do now, people will not eat it.

Until then, the best method for reducing the probability of over-consuming calories is to chew food slowly, as it takes approximately 15-20 minutes after eating for the stomach to send the signal to the brain that it is full and satisfied. Another good tip is to eat bulky foods that take longer to digest, such as high fiber grains and lean meats. Sugar, refined flour, and liquid calories are digested rapidly, leaving you feeling hungry again sooner.