( CNN ) -- If you often order a bloody Mary or tomato juice on a plane , yet rarely order them elsewhere , science may have just explained your bizarre in-flight urge . A bloody Mary could be one of the few drinks that actually tastes as it 's supposed to in the air , according to the authors of a paper in the online journal Flavour , entitled `` Airplane noise and the taste of umami . '' Previous studies have shown that loud noises , such as an aircraft engine , can reduce our ability to taste flavors by up to 30 % . `` Umami , however , is immune to this effect , '' authors Charles Spence , Charles Michel and Barry Smith write . `` There is even some evidence to suggest that it ... may actually boost some of the other basic tastes . '' Umami has been called `` the fifth taste , '' after salty , bitter , sweet and sour , and has been likened to a `` savory '' flavor . Umami effect . Spence et al suggest this might explain the popularity of tomato-based drinks on flights . `` A key feature of tomatoes is that they are rich in umami ... perhaps all those travelers who order a bloody Mary after the seatbelt sign has been turned off have figured out intuitively what scientists are only now slowly coming to recognize empirically . '' They also say this could help chefs and diners plan their meals . `` One might also want to recommend an umami-rich menu -- that is , foods such as Parmesan cheese , tomatoes , and mushrooms -- to all those vocal restaurant critics out there , especially it seems in North America , who have been complaining that the background noise in many restaurants is simply too loud nowadays . '' But do n't forsake water for bloody Mary marathons just yet . The authors say more work is required to confirm their hypothesis .
Aircraft engine noises have been shown to impair taste reception by up to 30 % . However umami , the so-called `` fifth taste , '' may be immune to this effect . This is because it's not a smell but rather an aroma that can only be detected when there are no other sounds in the room ( e.g. ).