Effects of meal palatability on postprandial sensations

Abstract

Meal palatability influences the postprandial experience: it bears a direct relation to the hedonic response (well-being/mood) but an inverse relation to homeostatic sensations (fullness). These relations could be applicable to influence eating behavior, because at equal conditions, more palatable meals induce less fullness but more satisfaction, and vice-versa.

Biogastronomy: Factors that determine the biological response to meal ingestion

“…The increased hedonic response to the meal after education could be related to several factors, including appetite and palatability. As described above, greater hunger before ingestion is associated with more postprandial satisfaction, and furthermore, under equal conditions, postprandial well‐being is directly related to meal palatability (Figure ).…”

“…The problem of testing meal palatability is that manipulating palatability usually involves a change in composition. To overcome this problem, the effect of palatability, independently of meal composition, was tested comparing the effect of a conventional two‐course meal versus an unconventional meal that consisted of a mixture of both courses . The conventional meal consisted of a potato‐cheese cream main course and a vanilla cream desert.…”

“…The probe meal eaten after the high‐calorie breakfast induced more satiety and fullness but lower postprandial satisfaction. Conceivably, the high‐calorie preload induced physiological (homeostatic) effects that influenced the postprandial response to the subsequent meal; however, meal palatability could have also influenced the postprandial experience, because, as described above, lower palatability is associated with more satiety/fullness and less satisfaction after ingestion . Other studies showed that the manner of eating also plays a role: a slower eating rate prolongs oropharyngeal signalling and increases satiation and postprandial fullness …”

“…To overcome this problem, the effect of palatability, independently of meal composition, was tested comparing the effect of a conventional two-course meal versus an unconventional meal that consisted of a mixture of both courses. 108 The conventional meal…”

Meal composition influences postprandial sensations independently of valence and gustation

“…These perception scales have shown to measure consistent and reproducible changes in sensations associated with meal ingestion, and some and these changes correlate with objective changes in circulating metabolites and brain activity . Furthermore, these scales have been shown to detect the effect on postprandial sensations of various conditioning factors such as the type of meal, meal palatability, appetite, and educational interventions …”