How Individual Variations in the Perception of Basic Tastes and Astringency Relate with Dietary Intake and Preferences for Fruits and Vegetables.

Teresa Louro,Pedro Moreira,Elsa Lamy,Carla Simões,Henrique Luis,Paula Midori Castelo,Fernando Capela E Silva

doi:10.3390/foods10081961

Teresa Louro, Pedro Moreira + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081961

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Abstract

Background: Oral food perception plays a major role in food acceptance, although the way it relates with food preferences and final choices in adults is still debatable. The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between gustatory function, dietary habits and fruit and vegetable preferences. Methods: Recognition thresholds, suprathreshold and hedonics were accessed for sweet, bitter, sour, salty and astringency in 291 adult participants. A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and a questionnaire for assessment of preferences for individual fruit and vegetables were filled by the participants. Results: Three clusters were obtained: “most sensitive”, “less sensitive” and “less sensitive only for sour”. The less sensitive cluster showed lower preferences for fruit and vegetables and higher intake of sweets and fast foods, whereas higher preferences for sweet veggies were observed in the “most sensitive” cluster. Basic tastes and astringency hedonics did not associate with fruit and vegetable preferences, but the sensitivity for these oral sensations did. Conclusions: Taste and astringency sensitivities are related with the preference for fruit and vegetables, being also associated with some dietary habits. The effectiveness of the strategies to promote plant-based healthy food consumption may benefit from the knowledge of individuals’ gustatory function.

Highlights

Oral sensory perception is essential in food choices, being recognized as a major driver of food preferences
The objective of the present study is to assess how individual variations in the perception of basic tastes and astringency relates with dietary habits and with preferences for fruit and vegetables
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Summary

Introduction

Oral sensory perception is essential in food choices, being recognized as a major driver of food preferences. In oral sensory perception we may consider the affective value associated to that sensation; as this is not an objective method for evaluating taste function, it provides important information that links stimulus reception ability to the subjective feelings that the stimuli elicit [3,4]. Considering these different dimensions of oral sensory perception, their relationship with food intake, accessed by different authors, results in some controversy about the role of oral perception in the final choices and dietary habits. The effectiveness of the strategies to promote plant-based healthy food consumption may benefit from the knowledge of individuals’ gustatory function

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Methods

Results

Conclusion