02/04/2014
Food design: the role of texture, taste and
odor in eating behavior
April 2014, Gerry Jager
Role of sensory signals in eating behavior
 A model of eating behavior
 Texture
 Taste
 Odor
 Discussion
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02/04/2014
Eating behaviour
 Sensory signals get meaning through their association
with physiological, psychological and social
consequences
 Sensory signals mainly operational during eating  their
main effect is on satiation/meal termination
 Taste is more robust in its meaning than odor
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02/04/2014
Role of sensory signals in eating behavior
 A model of eating behavior
 Texture
 Taste
 Odor
 Discussion
Effect of texture on food intake
 Texture has large impact on eating rate
 Eating rate has a large impact on food and energy
intake; higher eating rate  higher food and energy
intake *
 Current food supply: a large variety of high energy
dense foods which can be eaten quickly 
overconsumption of energy
* E.g. Andrade Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act; 2012; Bolhuis PLoS One 2014; Forde, Appetite 2013; Hogenkamp Am J Clin Nutr
2010; Viskaal van Dongen, Appetite 2011; Weijzen Appetite 2008; Zijlstra Am J Clin Nutr 2009; Zijlstra Appetite 2010;
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Eating rate (g/min)
Liquids
range: 4 – 630 g/min
Semi-solid
Solid
Viskaal – van Dongen, et al, Appetite 2011
Consuming 1 kg grape – juice / grapes
2 kilos of grapes
1 kilo juiced into grape puree | 1 kilo divided into 100 gr batches
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02/04/2014
Role of sensory signals in eating behavior
 A model of eating behavior
 Texture
 Taste
 Odor
 Discussion
Effect of taste on food intake
 Taste system is focused on sensing nutrients
● Sweet  carbohydrates
● Umami  proteins
● Fat  fat
● Salt  minerals and fluid balance
● Sour and bitter  bad for us
 Exposure to taste is highly dependent on texture 
slower food leads to longer oro-sensory exposure to
taste  earlier satiation, higher, longer satiety
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Soup and satiety
Mattes, 2005; Physiol Behav, 83, 739-47
Effect of viscosity on meal termination
•Chocolate dairy products
•3 x 1.5 l with 1 cm broad straw
•Different in viscosity
•Equal in energy density, protein,
fat, CHO, liking
•First study in cinema
•Second study with control for
effort and eating rate in laboratory
Zijlstra et al, Int J Obes 2008
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Eating rate (oral residence time) determines how much people eat
30 % difference;
30 %
29 %
NS
Zijlstra et al, IJO 2008
Is it eating rate, or is it magnitude of sensory exposure?
Bolhuis et al, J Nutr 2011
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Oro-sensory exposure to taste determines
satiation
 It is the magnitude of oro-sensory exposure to taste,
that determines satiation !
 Taste is a nutrient sensor
 Taste signals the energy that comes into the body to the
brain and the gut; with liquids / fast foods this system is
bypassed  overeating  obesity
Role of sensory signals in eating behavior
 A model of eating behavior
 Texture
 Taste
 Odor
 Discussion
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02/04/2014
Studies on effects of odor on satiation
 No consistent/small effects of odor on ad-libitum intake,
satiation, meal termination
● Ramaekers MG, et al; Aroma exposure time and aroma concentration in relation
to satiation. Brit J Nutr 2014
● Ruijschop RM, et al; Effects of bite size and duration of oral processing on retronasal aroma release – feature contributing to meal termination. Brit J Nutr 2011
● Ruijschop RM, et al; Acute effects of complexity in aroma composition on
satiation and food intake. Chem Senses 2011
● Ruijschop RM, et al; Effects of retro-nasal aroma release on satiation. Brit J Nutr
2008
Taste and odors; same or different effect
on appetite?
3 studies where we varied the texture and the flavor (odor)
Expected satiation; how much do
you need to be full
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Results: texture, not flavour determines
satiation
Appetite, 2011
Finding Nemo; vegetarian shark Bruce considers fish friends, not feed
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 Subjects (n = 50) either exposed to a pizza (olfaction
plus vision) for 60 s, or cognitive task
 Then rated desire to eat and prospective consumption of
pizza, pasta & tomato sauce and cake
British Journal of Nutrition 2008; 100: 1325 - 32
Results; desire to eat, prospective
consumption
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Specific appetites after odors
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Conclusion on odor exposure and appetite
 Retronasal odor exposure has small effect on satiation
 Ambient orthonasal exposure leads to sensory specific
appetites
 Sensory specific appetite mirrors sensory specific satiety
in terms of tranfer effects from sweet to sweet, savoury
to savoury
Role of sensory signals in eating behavior
 A model of eating behavior
 Texture
 Taste
 Odor
 Discussion
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Discussion
 Texture has a large impact on satiation (and satiety)
 Effect of texture works through oro-sensory exposure to taste
 Taste is a nutrient sensor that monitors intake of nutrients,
and signals that to the brain and the gut
 Odor  priming for sensory specific appetite
 These insights may be used to design attractive foods with
optimal satiation/satiety value
 Warn for low satiety value???
Thank you for
your attention
Questions?
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