Background: Previous studies with model foods have shown that softer textures lead to higher eating rates and higher ad libitum food intake and higher intensity of salt taste has been shown to result in a lower ad libitum food intake. These observations have yet to be replicated in the context of realistic solid hot meal components.
Aim: The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of texture and taste on the ad libitum intake of a realistic hot lunchtime meal.
Methods: The meals consisted of potatoes, carrots, steak and gravy varied according to a 2 (texture: mashed vs. whole) × 2 (taste: standard taste vs. strong taste) design. The texture dimension referred to mashed potatoes, mashed carrots and pieces of steak vs. whole boiled potatoes, whole boiled carrots and whole steak. The taste was varied by manipulating the taste intensity of the gravy to be either standard or high intensity savoury taste. The current study used a between groups, single course ad libitum design whereby subjects were recruited for a one off meal study, during which their food intake was measured. The four groups consisted of about 40 subjects (mashed, standard, n=37; mashed, savoury n=39; whole, standard n=40; and whole, savoury n=41) matched for age (average age=44.8 ± 5.3), gender (on average 19 males and 20 females), normal BMI (average 22.6 ± 1.7) and dietary restraint score (DEBQ score=1.74 ± 0.6).
Results: The results showed that the estimated means of the intake of the two mashed conditions was 563.2 ± 20.3g and intake of whole meal was 527.5 ± 20.0 g (p=0.23). The texture effect was significant in the higher savoury condition with an average of 91 g less food consumed in the solid-savoury meal than in the mashed-savoury meal. This effect was not replicated in the standard gravy condition, with no significant difference between solid and mashed textures. This was reflected in an interaction effect that was approaching significance (p=0.051). The estimated mean eating rate in the two mashed conditions was 57.0 ± 2.5 g and was significantly higher than the whole meal condition (47.2 ± 2.5g (p<0.05), with no difference in eating rate between the standard and savoury gravy conditions.
Discussion: Although interpretation was made difficult by the between groups design and the interaction between taste*texture, the results nonetheless confirm the effect of texture on eating rate and ad libitum intake for solid savoury meal components. The impact of taste on ad libitum intake of a solid meal remains unclear. We conclude that people consumed more of the meal when the food was simultaneously mashed and savoury. Food texture may be used to produce slower eating rates that result in a reduced overall energy intake within a realistic hot lunchtime meal.
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