The Effect of Shapes of Fruits and Vegetables on Sweet Taste Perception Shapes and Sweet Taste Perception

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Taste and palatability of foods are important factors for food intake, while in most cases the first sensory contact with food may occur through sight. We aimed to examine the effects of shapes, a visual factor, on the perceived sweet taste of fruits and vegetables, thus enabling using visual cues to increase consumption in the community to promote healthy nutrition. Methods: We included 30 voluntary participants from the staff of a university in Istanbul. Angular (square and star) and oval (round) shapes are created using standard patterns in six different fruits and vegetables. Participants were uninformed about tasting the same fruits and vegetables in different shapes, and the tests were repeated when they were hungry and full. Results: At varying rates, women and men were affected by differently shaped fruits (p0.05). The perceived sweet taste in both fruits and vegetables was affected in the younger participants (p0.05), the participants with healthy body weights were affected by the serving shapes (p