Multiple vs Single Target Vegetable Exposure to Increase Young Children's Vegetable Intake.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of repeated exposure to multiple vs single target vegetables in increasing young children's vegetable intake. METHODS: A pilot randomized controlled trial (children aged 4-6 years, n = 32) was conducted, which exposed children at home 15 times over 5 weeks to either 1 (single target) or 3 (multiple target) vegetables. A comparison group did not change eating habits. Vegetable intake was measured by (1) a dinner meal consumed at research facilities, (2) 3-day weighed food records, and (3) usual vegetable intake (parent report). Measures were collected at baseline and either immediately after intervention (1), at 3-month follow-up (3) or both (2). RESULTS: There were no differences between groups at baseline in vegetable intake. Usual vegetable intake increased in the multiple target group from .6 to 1.2 servings/d and did not change in other groups (P = .02). Food record data were not significant but underpowered. Vegetable intake from dinner meals was not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Exposure to multiple vegetables simultaneously may be more effective than a single vegetable to increase young children's intake. Larger scale research is recommended to confirm the effectiveness of offering variety in exposure and to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms involved.

Effects of Agar Gel Strength and Fat on Oral Breakdown, Volatile Release, and Sensory Perception Using in Vivo and in Vitro Systems.

The density and composition of a food matrix affect the rates of oral breakdown and in-mouth flavor release as well as the overall sensory experience. Agar gels of increasing concentration (1.0, 1.7, 2.9, and 5% agarose) with and without added fat (0, 2, 5, and 10%) were spiked with seven aroma volatiles. Differences in oral processing and sensory perception were systematically measured by a trained panel using a discrete interval time intensity method. Volatile release was measured in vivo and in vitro by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Greater oral processing was required as agar gel strength increased, and the intensity of flavor-related sensory attributes decreased. Volatile release was inversely related to gel strength, showing that physicochemical phenomena were the main mechanisms underlying the perceived sensory changes. Fat addition reduced the amount of oral processing and had differential effects on release, depending on the fat solubility or lipophilicity of the volatiles.

The dose of hazelnuts influences acceptance and diet quality but not inflammatory markers and body composition in overweight and obese individuals.

Regular nut consumption may improve markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. The quantity of nuts required to achieve these health benefits without compromising body weight and acceptance is unknown. This study compared the effects of incorporating hazelnuts at 2 different doses with a diet without nuts on inflammatory markers, cell adhesion molecules, and body composition in 107 overweight and obese individuals. This was a randomized, controlled, parallel 12-wk intervention including 3 treatment arms: no nuts (control group), 30 g/d of hazelnuts, or 60 g/d of hazelnuts. Blood pressure, body composition, plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), lipid, and apolipoprotein (apo) profiles were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 wk. "Desire" and "liking" for nuts were assessed during the intervention. Results showed no significant differences in follow-up clinical outcomes between groups after adjusting for baseline values, age, sex, and BMI (all P ≥ 0.10), except for a tendency toward improvement in VCAM-1 concentration in the 60-g/d nut group (P = 0.07). Hazelnut consumption significantly improved diet quality in a dose-response manner. Desire and liking for nuts remained stable in the 30-g/d group, whereas these ratings decreased significantly over time in the 60-g/d group (both P < 0.001). In conclusion, 12 wk of hazelnut consumption appears to have minimal effect on inflammatory markers and cell adhesion molecules in this group of healthy, normocholesterolemic overweight and obese individuals. Nut consumption improves diet quality without adversely affecting body composition. Consuming 30 g/d of nuts regularly is achievable, whereas 60 g/d appears to compromise desire and liking.

Characterisation of taste-active extracts from raw Brassica oleracea vegetables.

Chemical and sensory characterisation of whole and fractionated myrosinase-free extracts from selected Australian-grown, raw Brassica vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and red cabbage) was carried out to determine the contribution of key phytochemicals (i.e. glucosinolates, free sugars, phenolics) to the taste profiles of these vegetables. Glucosinolate (GS) and phenolic profiles were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection and mass spectrometry. Ten glucosinolates (GS) were quantified across the vegetables investigated. Brussels sprouts (186.3 µg g(-1) FW) followed by broccoli (164.1 µg g(-1) FW) were found to contain the most GS. The phenolic profiles of all samples were dominated by hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. As expected, red cabbage was the only vegetable with a significant anthocyanin signal (574.0 µg g(-1) FW). Red cabbage (26.7 mg g(-1) FW) and cauliflower (18.7 mg g(-1) FW) were found to contain a higher concentration of free sugars than Brussels sprouts (12.6 mg g(-1) FW) and broccoli (10.2 mg g(-1) FW). Descriptive sensory analysis of the whole extracts found sweetness (cauliflower and red cabbage sweeter than broccoli and Brussels sprouts) and bitterness (Brussels sprouts more bitter than others) as the most discriminating attributes. A hydrophilic fraction with sweetness, umami and saltiness as the main attributes was the most taste active fraction across all Brassica whole extracts. Sub-fractionation showed that this fraction was also bitter but the presence of sugars counteracted bitterness. Several components within each extract were found to contribute to the bitterness of whole Brassica extracts. The total and individual GS content alone could not explain the perceived bitterness of these extracts. Phenolics and/or other components are likely to be contributing to the bitterness associated with these vegetables.

Long-term consumption of high energy-dense snack foods on sensory-specific satiety and intake.

BACKGROUND: The sensory attributes of foods may have an important influence on intake because of sensory-specific satiety (SSS). Foods with high SSS may aid in body weight maintenance as a result of termination of consumption before metabolic satiety. No studies have investigated whether long-term exposure to a food might change SSS or how this affects food intake. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare the effects of daily consumption of 3 energy-dense snack foods (hazelnuts, chocolate, and potato chips) for 12 wk on SSS and ad libitum intake during a tasting session. DESIGN: One hundred eighteen participants took part in this randomized, controlled, parallel study with 4 arms: control group (no additional food) or ∼1100 kJ/d for each snack. SSS, food intake, and body composition were measured at baseline and at week 12. RESULTS: Daily consumption of snacks for 12 wk resulted in a statistically significant reduction in SSS in all 3 snack groups (P = 0.015). However, no such changes were seen in the control group (P = 0.608). Ad libitum energy intake increased over the study during the tasting sessions for the snack food across all groups, including the control group (P = 0.039). Inverse associations were found between baseline SSS and BMI (P = 0.039), percentage body fat (P = 0.013), and fat mass (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Habitual consumption of a high energy-dense snack food results in a decrease in SSS, which could lead to a higher energy intake of the snack. This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12609000265279.

Acceptance of health-promoting Brassica vegetables: the influence of taste perception, information and attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative importance of specific health knowledge and taste on acceptance of Brassica vegetables (broccoli, red and green cabbages, broccolini, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts). DESIGN: In a sample of adults all reporting medium-high physical activity (as a marker/control of health behaviour) and reporting either low (≤2 portions/d) or high (≥3 portions/d) vegetable intake, half of those with low vegetable consumption (Li group) and half of those with high vegetable consumption (Hi group) received cancer protection information, while the other half did not (Ln and Hn groups), before hedonic (9-point), perceived taste and flavour impact responses (100 mm scales) to samples of six Brassica vegetables were elicited. Additionally, attitudes towards foods for health, pleasure and reward, sociodemographics, intentions to consume the vegetables in the near future and recall of health information were also measured. SUBJECTS: Adult males and females (n 200) aged 18-55 years. SETTING: Central location testing, Adelaide, Australia. RESULTS: Information groups Li and Hi reported specific cancer protection information knowledge, in contrast to Ln and Hn groups (P < 0·000). Information independently influenced responses to (the least liked) Brussels sprouts only. Multivariate regression analysis found sensory perception tended to predict liking and intentions to consume Brassica vegetables. For example, broccoli hedonics (adjusted R 2 = 0·37) were predicted (P < 0·05) by bitterness (ß = -0·38), flavour (ß = 0·31), sweetness (ß = 0·17) and female gender (ß = 0·19) and intentions to consume (adjusted R 2 = 0·20) were predicted (P < 0·05) by bitterness (ß = -0·38), flavour (ß = 0·24), female gender (ß = 0·20) and vegetable intake (ß = 0·14). CONCLUSIONS: Addressing taste dimensions (while retaining healthy compounds) may be more important than promoting health information in order to increase the popularity of Brassica vegetables.

Gas chromatography-olfactometry.

GC-olfactometry (GC-O) refers to the use of human assessors as a sensitive and selective detector for odour-active compounds. The aim of this technique is to determine the odour activity of volatile compounds in a sample extract, and assign a relative importance to each compound. Methods can be classified into three types: detection frequency, dilution to threshold and direct intensity. Dilution to threshold methods measure the potency of odour-active compounds by using a series of extract dilutions, whereas detection frequency and direct-intensity methods measure odour-active compound intensity, or relative importance, in a single concentrated extract. Factors that should be considered to improve the value of GC-O analysis are the extraction method, GC instrument conditions, including the design and operation of the odour port, methods of recording GC-O data and controlling the potential for human assessor bias using experimental design and a trained panel. Considerable emphasis is placed on the requirement for multidimensional GC analysis, and on best practice when using human assessors.