New York, NY — The World Taste & Smell Association (WTSA) announces the launch of Phase I of the Cognitive Flavor Assessment Protocol (CFAP), a pioneering multisensory initiative that reframes taste and smell as core components of human cognition, perception, and future health diagnostics.

Often dismissed as “chemical senses,” taste and smell are, in fact, essential gateways to memory, emotional continuity, nutrition, and personal identity. Loss of these senses is associated with more than 100 conditions, and can be early indicators of disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and metabolic disorders. Yet despite their significance, sensory testing remains overlooked, underfunded, and largely absent from clinical care—and from AI-driven models of health.

CFAP changes that.

What is CFAP?

CFAP is a first-of-its-kind, validated retronasal olfaction assessment and training module—designed to measure how humans experience flavor cognitively and emotionally. Unlike traditional sniff tests, CFAP evaluates how the brain integrates flavor through smell, taste, memory, and attention. This opens the door to novel diagnostic and neurorehabilitation strategies while also enabling high-quality human-sensory data to inform future AI and wellness technologies.

Phase I of the protocol includes two key participant groups:

• Individuals with hyposmia (partial smell loss)

• Individuals with normal sensory function

This dual-cohort approach enables researchers to map sensory perception variability, track changes over time, and build new baselines for sensory health—an essential step for personalizing diagnostics and care.

Led by:

The clinical research is being conducted in partnership with WTSA Advisor Dr. Jonathan B. Overdevest, MD, Ph.D (Taste and Smell Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center), WTSA Advisor Tian Yu, Ph.D. (Digital Sensory Scientist), and WTSA Co-Founder & CEO Mindy Yang (Human Experience and Sensory Design Integrator). The project also includes a global working group of scientists, perfumers, flavorists, neuropsychologists, technical innovators, and individuals suffering from sensory loss, convened by WTSA.

Why It Matters Now

• Sensory neurorehabilitation is emerging as a key frontier in post-viral recovery, aging, and cognitive health.

• Multisensory diagnostics can help detect subtle perceptual shifts before traditional symptoms emerge.

• Human-first AI models require nuanced, embodied sensory data to understand real-world perception, mood, and meaning.

• Health equity demands low-barrier, noninvasive tools that are accessible across communities and care settings.

CFAP addresses all of the above.

Open Call for Collaborators

WTSA is currently seeking clinical partners, neuroscience labs, institutions, global CPG, F&F, and technology collaborators to join this journey for public health impact and to shape the future applications of CFAP. The protocol is designed to scale globally, with modular applications in sensory recovery, food-as-medicine, personalized diagnostics, and wellness AI.

“We are entering an era where perception is data—and everyone deserves to understand what their body is telling them. CFAP bridges the human experience with individuals as co-creators, the precision of science, and the promise of AI. It makes sensory health visible, trackable, and actionable—regardless of background or diagnosis. This is perception as power. And it starts with one drop.

— Mindy Yang, Co-Founder & CEO, World Taste & Smell Association

About the World Taste & Smell Association (WTSA)

The World Taste & Smell Association is a nonprofit organization led by the senses of taste and smell—championing them as powerful, overlooked gateways to health, memory, and human connection. Through cutting-edge research, public engagement, and cross-industry collaboration, WTSA makes sensory health visible, actionable, and essential. We invite funders, researchers, and change agents to join us in shaping a future where perception is power. Learn more at TasteAndSmell.org

To collaborate, learn more, or support this research, please contact Co-Founder & CEO Mindy Yang.