Preference and satiety : short- and long-term studies on food acceptance, appetite control and food intake

This thesis describes experiments studying the impact of nutritionally modified foods on food acceptance and appetite control. The major outcomes of the studies relate to (1) predictive validity of laboratory sensory tests on food consumption, (2) effects of macronutrient and energy content manipulations on long-term food acceptance and appetite control, and (3) effects of repeated food consumption, variety and changes in pleasantness on long-term food acceptance and food intake.

On the basis of the studies in this thesis we conclude that laboratory hedonic ratings collected after the taste-and-spit test tend to overestimate the optimal preferred concentration of taste substances in foods. Also, adults do not readily learn or express compensation for a reduced-energy food after repeated experience with the food under realistic eating conditions. Finally, repeated exposure to foods can lead to changes in liking over time. Liking can either increase or decrease following repeated consumption. Whether liking increases or decreases with exposure depends on the sensory properties of foods, the type of food product, the availability of different varieties of foods, and the context in which the foods are consumed. This implies that reduced-energy foods with initial good acceptance may, over time, sustain or even increase in their acceptance. The development of palatable reduced-energy foods should therefore be encouraged in order to increase their initial acceptance and, as a consequence, their use and acceptance on the longer-term.