Background noise could be responsible for a general dislike of airplane food. (Shutterstock)

The level of background noise affects both the intensity of flavour and the perceived crunchiness of foods, according to researchers.

Blindfolded diners assessed the sweetness, saltiness, and crunchiness, as well as overall flavour, of foods as they were played white noise.

The louder the noise, the increased measure of crunch - but a reduction in the sweetness or saltiness was reported.

And this could be why food served on airplanes could be so underrated.

Researcher Andy Woods, from the University of Manchester, England, says, "There's a general opinion that airplane foods aren't fantastic. I'm sure airlines do their best - and given that, we wondered if there are other reasons why the food would not be so good. One thought was perhaps the background noise has some impact."