Excessive intake of dietary salt (sodium chloride) may increase the risk of chronic diseases. Accordingly, various strategies to reduce salt intake have been conducted. This study aimed to investigate whether a salty-congruent odor can enhance saltiness on the basis of psychophysical (Experiment 1) and neuroanatomical levels (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, after receiving one of six stimulus conditions: three odor conditions (odorless air, congruent, or incongruent odor) by two concentrations (low or high) of either salty or sweet taste solution, participants were asked to rate taste intensity and pleasantness. In Experiment 2, participants received the same stimuli during the functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. In Experiment 1, compared with an incongruent odor and/or odorless air, a congruent odor enhanced not only taste intensity but also either pleasantness of sweetness or unpleasantness of saltiness. In Experiment 2, a salty-congruent combination of odor and taste produced significantly higher neuronal activations in brain regions associated with odor-taste integration (e.g., insula, frontal operculum, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex) than an incongruent combination and/or odorless air with taste solution. In addition, the congruent odor-induced saltiness enhancement was more pronounced in the low-concentrated tastant than in the high-concentrated one. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the congruent odor-induced saltiness enhancement on the basis of psychophysical and neuroanatomical results. These findings support an alternative strategy to reduce excessive salt intake by adding salty-congruent aroma to sodium reduced food. However, there are open questions regarding the salty-congruent odor-induced taste unpleasantness.

By using a systems analytical model (SAM) and a fuzzy logic control software (fuzzy CIM) extrusion experiments were designed, that enabled a differentiation of the influence of the thermal energy input, expressed by the product temperature (PT), and the influence of the specific mechanical energy input (SME) on the molecular structure of extruded starch. The chromatographic examination of the molecular changes in the starch clearly revealed the influence of the extrusion cooking conditions on molecular degradation.The molecular size of extruded starch, expressed as the weight average of the molecular weight (M __ w ), decreased exponentially when SME increased. In the range of 110-180 °C, PT had no significant influence on M __ w so that the observed reduction of M __ w was primarily dependent on the increase in SME. By contrast, the polydispersity depended both on PT and SME. The influence of PT on the polydispersity was of minor significance up to 160 °C, increasing more steeply at higher temperatures. PT increase above 180 °C resulted in increasing reducing power of the extruded starch, whereas SME had almost no effect on reducing power. Only at a PT of more than 180 °C small amounts of short chain molecules with a degree of polymerisation (DP) smaller than 6 could be determined.

Research Paper__ w than at lower ones. Cold water solubility (CWS) of extrudates was dependent both on M __ w and PT. This dependency was similar to that of the CPV. The sediment volume depended on M __ w , PT and water content of the material on extrusion of the starch.

Fortified blended foods (FBFs) were introduced into the Food for Peace program (also known as US Public Law 480) in the 1960s. Minimal changes have since been made to their formulations. A Food Aid Quality Enhancement Project to assess the nutritional adequacy of FBFs for vulnerable populations was conducted, and the findings indicate that FBFs do not meet the nutritional needs of infants and young children between the ages of 6 and 24 months. Improvements are also needed for FBFs intended for school-aged children and adults. Two separate products would better meet the varying nutritional needs of diverse groups of beneficiaries. Proposed here is a two-step strategy for better addressing the needs of today's food aid beneficiaries: 1) improving FBFs for general distribution to households, schools, and emergency settings, with potential efficiencies gained in manufacturing and formulation to reduce costs; 2) developing new products for infants and young children, which would deliver the nutrient density required for growth and development.

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