Phenol-Rich Food Acceptability: The Influence of Variations in Sweetness Optima and Sensory-Liking Patterns

Abstract

The consumption of phenol-rich foods is limited by their prominent bitterness and astringency. This issue has been addressed by adding sweet tastes, which suppress bitterness, but this is not a complete solution since individuals also differ in their preference for sweetness. In this study, we aimed at identifying groups of consumers differing in sweetness optima and sensory-liking patterns. To this end, increasing concentrations of sucrose were added to a chocolate pudding base. This allowed us to (1) investigate if individual differences in sensory responses are associated with different sweet liking optima in a product context, (2) define the psychological and oro-sensory profile of sweet liker phenotypes derived using a product context, and (3) assess if individuals differing in sweet liking optima differ also in consumption and liking of phenol-rich foods and beverages as a function of their sensory properties (e.g., sweeter vs. more bitter and astringent products). Individuals (1208; 58.4% women, 18–69 years) were characterised for demographics, responsiveness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), personality traits and attitudes toward foods. Three clusters were identified based on correlations between sensory responses (sweetness, bitterness and astringency) and liking of the samples: liking was positively related to sweetness and negatively to bitterness and astringency in High and Moderate Sweet Likers, and the opposite in Inverted U-Shaped. Differences between clusters were found in age, gender and personality. Furthermore, the Inverted-U Shaped cluster was found to have overall healthier food behaviours and preferences, with higher liking and consumption of phenol-rich vegetables and beverages without added sugar. These findings point out the importance of identifying the individual sensory-liking patterns in order to develop more effective strategies to promote the acceptability of healthy phenol-rich foods.

Relationships between Intensity and Liking for Chemosensory Stimuli in Food Models: A Large-Scale Consumer Segmentation

“…Furthermore, sweet dislikers rated the intensity of sucrose as greater than sweet likers, suggesting a possible causal link between the apparent dislike of sweet taste and an enhanced sweet intensity [ 31 ]. Other authors [ 23 , 32 , 33 ], but not all [ 20 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], confirmed these results. Nevertheless, it seems that the Sweet Liker Status can reliably predict liking scores for a variety of sweet foods [ 16 ] and highly bitter vegetables [ 20 ].…”

“…Other authors [ 23 , 32 , 33 ], but not all [ 20 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], confirmed these results. Nevertheless, it seems that the Sweet Liker Status can reliably predict liking scores for a variety of sweet foods [ 16 ] and highly bitter vegetables [ 20 ]. In contrast, findings from salty taste are more robust.…”

“…This pattern graphically leads to the now-well-known inverted U-shaped concentration–pleasure curve that was first reported by Joseph Priestley in 1775 and Wilhelm Wurd in 1874 [ 9 ], and was later empirically tested [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 ]. However, a general biphasic curve, whose area under the curve differs as a function of innate taste preferences [ 11 ] has previously been proposed [ 10 , 12 ]; the extensive body of literature highlights that sensory-liking patterns vary widely from person to person [ 5 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

“…It is noteworthy that the aforementioned results can also be influenced by biological confounders, such as gender and age, whose effects on oral responsiveness have been widely reported [ 39 , 40 , 41 ]. As an example, Spinelli and colleagues [ 20 ] found a lower percentage of women in the High Sweet Liker group (i.e., those who exhibited a monotonically rising sweetness-liking curve) compared with the Moderate Sweet Liker group (i.e., those whose slopes were less steep than those observed for the Sweet Liker group) [ 16 , 20 ], suggesting that men reach the peak of the concentration–pleasure curve at higher levels of sweetness [ 20 , 23 ]. The same trend was also reported for fatness, with women showing a stronger decline in liking scores than men as the perceived fat intensity in milk/sugar mixtures continued to increase [ 23 ].…”

Characterizing Individual Differences in Sweet Taste Hedonics: Test Methods, Locations, and Stimuli

“…Furthermore, individual differences in sensitivity to sourness, bitterness, and astringency (sensations which are often ameliorated by sweetness) might interact with liking for sweetness to drive preference in foods and beverages in which these generally negative sensations are prominent 55,58 . However, the current study found the optimal concentrations of sucrose were correlated between AS and VM (0.77 ≤ r ≤ 0.85).…”