Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

 

The effectiveness of dietary learning on hedonic responses to a novel, initially disliked vegetable Public Deposited

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/8623j146w

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  • A previous study conducted in our laboratory demonstrated the critical role that retronasal odors play in vegetable liking and disliking. It remains unclear, however, why some individuals like certain vegetable odors, while others do not. A possible explanation is that some individuals have learned to like the odor of a vegetable that is initially described as unpleasant. The current study investigated the effectiveness of two dietary learning mechanisms (i.e. mere exposure and flavor-nutrient conditioning) on the hedonic responses of a novel and initially disliked vegetable. The effectiveness of learning was measured in both short-term (approximately 3 weeks) and long-term (approximately 2 months) periods. A total of 47 subjects were screened based on several key criteria including novelty to the study vegetable (i.e., kale) and initial degree of liking/disliking to a kale juice sample. The subjects visited the lab five times over a two-week period while hungry, and consumed a 250mL serving of kale juice containing either carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (i.e. mere exposure group) or maltodextrin (i.e. flavor-nutrient conditioning group). Maltodextrin was used to increase the   energy content (i.e., 80 kcal) without adding a perceivable taste, while CMC was added to match the viscosity/mouthfeel of the maltodextrin containing samples without adding calories or a taste. The subjects rated their degree of liking/disliking of kale juice samples, as well as the perceived intensities of sweetness, bitterness, and vegetable odor, under nose-open and nose-closed conditions, before and after the conditioning period. Approximately two months later, the subjects returned and again made the same ratings. Results showed a significant increase in vegetable flavor liking for both conditioning groups (dependent t-test, p <0.01) under the nose-open condition. Importantly, this increase in liking was stable even two months later. In support of the previous research, there was no significant increase in liking under the nose-closed condition. These results suggest that mere exposure (both with and without added calories) is effective in increasing the degree to which individuals like the flavor of a novel and initially disliked vegetable. In addition, the present results suggest that vegetable odors, but not necessarily tastes, are the driving force behind the increases in liking of an initially disliked vegetable.
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