2009 Abstracts - Association for Chemoreception Sciences

#P58 Poster session II: Chemosensory response to,and control of, feeding/NeuroethologyBitesize is affected by Food Aroma presented at Sub- orPeri Threshold ConcentrationsRene A de Wijk 1 , Ilse A. Polet 1,2 , Johannes HF Bult 2,31AFSG/CICS Wageningen, Netherlands, 2 TIFN Wageningen,Netherlands, 3 NIZO Food Research Wageningen, NetherlandsBite sizes for foods typically vary with the food’s familiarity andwith its hedonic and textural properties. More over, smaller bitesizes tend to be more satiating than larger ones and bite sizes tendto become smaller when the consumer becomes more satiated.These results indicate that bite size control is sensitive to generalfood properties as well as to the internal state of the consumer.To explore the effect of food aromas on bite size, a semi-solidvanilla custard dessert was delivered into the mouth of subjectsusing a pump while a cream aroma was presented retro-nasally inthe nose. Termination of the pump, which determined bite size,was controlled by the subjects via a pushbutton. Over 30 trials thecustard was presented randomly either without an aroma, or witharomas presented below or near detection threshold. Results for10 subjects, 4 females and 6 males aged between 26 and 50 years,indicated that aroma intensities affected sizes of the correspondingbites as well as subsequent bites. Higher aroma intensities resultedin significantly smaller sizes of the corresponding bite. Higheraroma intensities resulted in a directional similar but smaller andnon-significant effect on the subsequent bite, and a reversed andsignificant effect on the bite thereafter. These results suggest thatbite size control during eating is a highly dynamical processaffected by sensations elicited by present and preceding bites.The results contribute to our understanding of bite-size andfood intake regulations, and may be of relevance for weightmanagement.#P59 Poster session II: Chemosensory response to,and control of, feeding/NeuroethologySimilarities in Food Cravings and Mood States betweenObese Women and Women who Smoke TobaccoSusana Finkbeiner 1 , M. Yanina Pepino 1,2 , Julie A. Mennella 11Monell Chemical Senses Center Philadelphia, PA, USA,2Washington University, School of Medicine St. Louis, MO, USAWomen who smoke crave starches and fats more frequently thanthose who never smoked. Here, we determined whether thesecravings and some mood disturbances were related to effects ofsmoking per se or were characteristic of women who were likelyto smoke. Further, because obese individuals crave fats morefrequently than lean counterparts, we explored whether theseassociations were affected by body weight. We interviewed andgrouped 229 women according to smoking history (neversmokers, former smokers and current smokers) and body weightcategory (normal weight, overweight, obese). Each subjectcompleted the Food Craving Inventory to measure cravings forsweets, high fats, starches, and fast food fats and the Profile ofMood States to measure psychological distress. We found that,even after controlling for socioeconomic factors, smoking andobesity were independently associated with specific food cravingsand mood states. Current smokers craved fats more frequentlythan former and never smokers. They also craved starches morefrequently, and felt more depressed and angrier, than neversmokers, but not former smokers. Similarly, obese women cravedfats more frequently than non obese women and depressionsymptoms were intensified with increasing body weights. Inconclusion, whereas cravings for starchy foods and some moodstates may be characteristic of women who are likely to smoke,more frequent cravings for fat is probable an effect of smoking perse. We hypothesize that the overlapping neuroendocrinealterations associated with obesity and smoking and theremarkable similarities in food cravings and mood states betweenwomen who smoke and women who are obese suggest thatcommon biological mechanisms modulate cravings for fat in thesewomen.#P60 Poster session II: Chemosensory response to,and control of, feeding/NeuroethologyPROP Sensitivity and Dietary Intake ofAntioxidant-Rich FoodsYvonne Koelliker 1 , Beverly J. Tepper 1 , James E. Simon 2 , John R.Burgess 31Dept. of Food Science, Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ,USA, 2 Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University NewBrunswick, NJ, USA, 3 Dept. of Foods and Nutrition, PurdueUniversity West Lafayette, IN, USAAntioxidant-rich foods are known to be an important part of ahealthy diet. However, often these foods can have high levels ofphytonutrients which impart a bitter taste, making them lessacceptable to consumers. Genetic sensitivity to 6-npropylthiouracil(PROP) may be a marker for the selection ofantioxidant-rich foods. Some studies have demonstrated thatPROP non-tasters (NT) showed a higher acceptance of bitterfruits and vegetables (sources of Vitamins A, C, and E) andvegetable oils (source of Vitamin E) than medium (MT) andsuper-tasters (ST). The aim of this study was to relate PROPsensitivity to the dietary intake of these major antioxidantvitamins. Healthy, non-vegetarian females, ages 21-44 yrs, whodid not take dietary supplements were classified as NT (n=30),MT (n=33), and ST (n=30) based on the PROP paper diskmethod. The subjects provided three, 24-hour diet recalls whichwere collected and analyzed using NDS-R software. Eatingattitudes were measured using the Dutch Eating BehaviorQuestionnaire. There were no differences in the consumption offruits, vegetables, or vegetable oils across taster groups. However,when the subjects were further divided by restrained eating,NT who were also low in dietary restraint had higher intakes ofa-tocopherol (Vitamin E) than the other groups (p=0.05). Thesedata are consistent with Tepper et al, 2008, showing that NT hadhigher plasma a-tocopherol levels than MT and ST. Takentogether, these data suggest that NT consume more a-tocopherol(principally derived from green vegetables and vegetable oils inthe U.S. diet), which may be reflected in higher plasma indices forthis antioxidant nutrient. The health implications of thisrelationship should be further examined.P O S T E R SAbstracts | 45