Bland airline food may be the butt of jokes, but British Airways has been using innovation and science to come up with inflight meals that work at high altitudes. Sinead Ferguson tells The Club why umami, noise and even cabin lighting all play a part in how you taste food in the air

Which factors come into play when designing an inflight meal?
There are a quite a few. After identifying the budget, there’s the region to consider – we have to put a menu on board that’s going to appeal not only to British palates but also to regional ones on routes in the Far East, Middle East and India – as well as customer demographics. And we have to ensure that it’s nutritionally balanced.

What are the biggest challenges?
There are so many factors that affect how food tastes when you fly. The main one is that people’s ability to taste and smell can be reduced by 30 per cent in the air because the atmosphere is so dry in a pressurised cabin. We also need to consider the cabin temperature, the change in time and cabin lighting.

The cabin lighting?
Yes. Cabin lighting is not very bright, so food can look dull – and that in turn dulls your sense of taste. We worked with Leatherhead Food Research, which did some tests that showed how perceived tastes change when you fly. The customer’s mood can also affect their sense of taste, for example, if they’re nervous about flying. When you’re happy and in a good mood, your food tastes so much better.

How do you overcome those challenges?
About 18 months ago, we introduced umami-rich ingredients into our menus off the back of some work we did with Heston Blumenthal. It’s a naturally occurring salt substitute without the sodium. Ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms are all rich in umami. We’re always working to overcome challenges: for instance, since water doesn’t boil at 100 degrees at high altitudes, our tea supplier, Twinings has developed a blend of tea that’s suitable for use in flight.

Does the technology – which reduces cabin pressure – on BA’s newer aircraft help?
I haven’t flown on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but I have flown on the Airbus A380 and it’s so much quieter, which helps to improve how you taste food. Noise is another factor that inhibits your ability to taste.

How do you factor wellbeing into the meals?
We offer a wellbeing alternative, so one dish on any of the menus has a lower fat and salt content. We also design menus that help to create either sleepiness or wakefulness. The inclusion of turkey, for example, encourages sleep because it contains an amino acid that produces the sleep promoter melatonin. Cherries and walnuts are used in desserts for the same reason. Fresh fruit and carbohydrates in the morning help to encourage wakefulness.

Is BA looking to collaborate with any other chefs or food innovators to develop its menu offerings further in the future?
We partnered with the Langham hotel in London when we introduced the inaugural A380 flight from London to LA. However, we are a team of five chefs, with over 100 years of experience between us, and we’re constantly coming up with ideas to improve the on-board eating experience.

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This article has been tagged Food + Drink, BA