2009 Abstracts - Association for Chemoreception Sciences

from the Deployed War Fighter Protection (DWFP) ResearchProgram, funded by the US Department of Defense through theArmed Forces Pest Management Board (AFPMB).#P100 Poster session II: Chemosensory response to,and control of, feeding/NeuroethologyRelationships between Early Dietary Experiences andAcceptance of the Basic Tastes during InfancyCatherine A. Forestell 1,2 , Gary K. Beauchamp 1 , Julie A. Mennella 11Monell Chemical Senses Center Philadelphia, PA, USA,2The College of William & Mary Wiliamsburg, VA, USATo evaluate individual differences in acceptance and facialreactivity to the basic tastes, we studied an ethnically diversesample of newly weaned infants (N=36), who were between theage of 5 and 10 months. The infants, all of whom had experienceeating table foods, were tested for their acceptance of exemplars ofthe five basic taste qualities in a familiar food matrix (i.e., infantcereal). The methodologies used were developed and validated atthe Monell Center and controlled for a number of factors to allowfor the evaluation of infants’ hedonic responses independently ofthe caregiver and experimenter. Our results indicate that there wasa great deal of variability in the types of table foods that infantsconsumed at home as well as in their behavioral responses to thetastants. In general, the number of distaste expressions displayedduring the first two minutes of feeding was predictive of infants’overall consumption (p’s S > 250G > W; 333G+S > S >333G > W. Note that for each concentration of G, the relative oralstimulation was G+S > S > G > W. Experiment 2 determinedwhether the relative amount of oral stimulation reliably predicteddaily intake of each solution. We observed the following relativeintakes: 167G+S > 167G = S > W; 250G+S > 250G > S > W;333G+S = 333G > S > W. Note that the measures of oralstimulation failed to predict the pattern of daily intakes, and thatthe discrepancy between oral stimulation and daily intakeincreased with concentration of G. In fact, 333G and 333G+Sboth stimulated daily intakes > 1.4 times the body weight of themice. These data show that the contribution of post-oralstimulation to daily glucose intake increases dramatically withconcentration.#P102 Poster session II: Chemosensory response to,and control of, feeding/NeuroethologyIntensity of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) Taste, FoodPreferences, and Obesity: The Beaver Dam Offspring StudyKaren J Cruickshanks 1 , Carla R Schubert 1 , Derek J Snyder 2,3 ,Linda M Bartoshuk 2 , Guan-Hua Huang 4 , Barbara EK Klein 1 ,Ronald Klein 1 , Elizabeth M Krantz 11Unvversity of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthMadison, WI, USA, 2 University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA,3Yale University New Haven, CT, USA, 4 National Chiao TungUniversity Hsinchu, TaiwanBackground:The intensity of the response to PROP mayinfluence food preferences and dietary intake, but fewepidemiologic studies have evaluated taste. As part of the BeaverDam Offspring Study (BOSS), a study of sensory aging, theassociations of PROP taste intensity to food preferences andweight were evaluated. Methods:Adult children of participants inthe population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study, alongitudinal study of aging, were eligible for the BOSS (n=3285;mean age =49 yrs). PROP filter paper disks (1.2-1.6 mg) wereused to measure intensity on a generalized labeled magnitudescale (gLMS). Food dislikes/likes were assessed with a hedonicgLMS. Questionnaire data about lifestyle factors were obtainedand height, weight, and waist circumference measured.Standardized PROP scores were analyzed as groups (low, mid andhigh responders). Results: The taste quality of the disk was calledbitter by 83% of the high PROP group; 99.6% of those in the lowgroup selected the “no taste” response. High PROP respondersrated salted pretzels (3.16, p=0.04), sweets (3.87, p=0.02) andsausage (5.05, p=0.004) higher (liked more) on the dislikes/likesscale and rated dark chocolate (-6.09 p=0.02), and grapefruit juice(-4.93, p=0.03) lower (disliked more) than mid and lowresponders. High compared to mid/low PROP was associatedwith adding salt to food less often (Odds Ratio (OR)=0.74,95%Confidence Interval (CI)=0.59, 0.92) and smoking (OR=1.50,95%CI=1.17, 1.94). PROP was not associated with current BodyMass Index or waist circumference. Conclusions: PROP responsein the general population was associated with differences in likingand disliking foods and may be associated with salt use andsmoking. Longitudinal data are needed to understand the impactof PROP intensity on health.58 | AChemS Abstracts 2009