Sensory-specific satiety, its crossovers, and subsequent choice of potato chip flavors

Abstract

We investigated the influence of liking and flavor intensity on the development of sensory-specific satiety (SSS) to different potato chip flavors, and the influence of these measures, as well as measures of want-to-eat and similarity, on the subsequent choice of a potato chip flavor. In the first study, 35 subjects participated first in a taste test to measure flavor intensity, liking and similarities among six different flavors of potato chips. They then completed six SSS sessions, ending each session by choosing one of the six flavors for additional consumption. SSS varied among the six chip flavors, but was poorly related to either liking or flavor intensity. Subjects chose better-liked flavors, flavors dissimilar to recently consumed flavors, flavors differing in intensity from the recently consumed flavor, flavors that produced less SSS and flavors that produced less change in wanting-to-eat them. In the second study, we used data from a consumption diary panel, and replicated the key finding that when people switch flavors, the similarity to the flavor consumed on the previous occasion decreases the probably of that chip being chosen. Thus switching among flavor choices was driven by liking, the desire for variety and the desire for a product that produced less SSS.