Effect of taste on sensory specific satiety.

Rationale:
Sensory properties have been shown to play a role in food selection and intake. A phenomenon which describes the impact of sensory properties on food intake is sensory specific satiety (SSS). This is defined as the decrease in reward of an eaten food in comparison to food that have not been eaten. When examining the role of food reward in eating behaviour, one can differentiate between food ¡®liking¡¯ and food ¡®wanting¡¯. In humans, food liking and wanting can be distinctively assessed using different methods. Regarding the nature of sensory signals that affect intake, probably the most important dimension is the sweet-savoury domain.

Objective:
The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of sweet and savoury taste on SSS by investigating liking and wanting separately using several methods. Agreements on the outcomes of the different methodologies used are assessed.

Study design:
A cross-over intervention study consisting of three test-conditions whereby two tastes are compared, resulting in six experimental conditions. Each subject participates in each of the six experimental conditions whereby the order is randomized. Subjects will be offered a rice meal whereby depending on the test-condition different methods of assessing liking and wanting are used. Commercially available rice will be used as a test product, served in a sweet or savoury variant.

Study population:
The study population will consist of 60 apparently healthy, non-smoking, unrestrained volunteers between the age of 18 and 35 with a normal weight.

Main study parameters/endpoints:
Our main outcome measures of the different test-conditions are: The difference in habituation (responses) during the sweet and savoury meal (test-condition 1), the difference in motivation after a sweet or savoury meal to work for a certain food (test-condition 2) and the differences in different aspects of food choice after eating a sweet or savoury meal (test-condition 3). Agreements on the outcomes of the different methodologies used in the three test-conditions are assessed.

The quality of taste affects sensory specific satiety. This is shown in both liking and wanting processes.

Per individual 6 measuring time-points, between 18/03/2009 and 29/04/2009.

Lunchmeal, either with a sweet or savoury flavour.