We are learning the structure of receptors that are responsive to particular odors, what genes are involved in making those receptors, how the receptors interact with the odorous molecule, and how that is translated into a neural signal. Much about this will be known within five to 10 years, so it will be possible to rationally design chemicals that will have particular flavors and odors. Perhaps not, but we couldn't be called the Monell Taste and Smell Center because we're broader than that. The job of our center is to understand how we and other species perceive and interact with our environment through our chemical sensors. The chemical senses are senses of pleasure.
Pleasure has an anatomical basis and it has a function.
Pleasure occurs for a reason, not by chance. It's a mistake to say that something is just hedonic, because hedonism is a fundamental and important aspect of life. Taste and smell are most closely tied to pleasure and displeasure because of their evolutionary history. These senses are involved in the most significant decisions that animals make about whether to accept or reject a chemical into the body. And smell and taste are among the oldest senses, the most primitive and the least analytic.