At the table with Wittgenstein: how language shapes taste and texture

Abstract Food science, especially in ingredient R&D, is shaped not only by empirical methods but by the language and frameworks through which we interpret structure and sensation. This perspective views food as a soft-matter system, with rheology bridging molecular structure and macroscopic experience. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s insights on language and meaning, it explores the epistemological limits of texture, taste, and formulation. The article critiques the conservatism of industrial R&D and calls for interdisciplinary approaches integrating cognitive science, behavioural economics, and design thinking. It highlights the cultural and linguistic dimensions of food perception, framing translation—literal and metaphorical—as central to global innovation. Emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital twins, are examined for their potential to reshape both scientific and philosophical foundations. Rather than offering answers, this work invites dialogue across disciplines, urging curiosity, and openness while warning against the trap of defending the consensus. It is a call to all participants in the innovation enterprise—industrial researchers, educators, and students alike—to critically engage with the linguistic, cultural, and philosophical underpinnings of scientific inquiry.