Department of Agricultural, Food, Environment and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI), University of Florence, 50144 Florence, Italy.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
Nutrients. 2019 Jun 13;11(6):1329. doi: 10.3390/nu11061329.
Plant phenolics are powerful antioxidants and free radical scavengers that can contribute to the healthy functional properties of plant-based food and beverages. Thus, dietary behaviours rich in plant-based food and beverages are encouraged. However, it is well-known that the bitter taste and other low-appealing sensory properties that characterize vegetables and some other plant-based foods act as an innate barrier for their acceptance. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of psychological traits and PROP status (the responsiveness to bitter taste of 6-n- propylthiouracil) on the choice of and familiarity with phenol-rich vegetables and beverages varying in recalled level of bitterness and astringency. Study 1 aimed at assessing the variations of the sensory properties of vegetable and coffee/tea items with two check-all-that-apply (CATA) questionnaires ( = 201 and = 188 individuals, respectively). Study 2 aimed at investigating how sensitivity to punishment, to reward, and to disgust, food neophobia, private body consciousness, alexithymia, and PROP responsiveness affect choice and familiarity with phenol-rich foods ( = 1200 individuals). A Choice Index was calculated for vegetables (CV) and coffee/tea (CC) as a mean of the choices of the more bitter/astringent option of the pairs and four Familiarity Indices were computed for vegetables (FV) and coffee/tea (FC), higher (+) or lower (-) in bitterness and astringency. Subjects higher in food neophobia, sensitivity to punishment or sensitivity to disgust reported significantly lower choice indices than individuals lower in these traits, meaning that they systematically opted for the least bitter/astringent option within the pairs. Familiarity with vegetables was lower in individuals high in sensitivity to punishment, in food neophobia and in alexithymia, irrespective of their sensory properties. The Familiarity Index with coffee/tea characterized by higher bitterness and astringency was lower in individuals high in food neophobia, sensitivity to disgust, and alexithymia. No significant effect of PROP was found on any indices. The proposed approach based on product grouping according to differences in bitterness and astringency allowed the investigation of the role of individual differences in chemosensory perception and of psychological traits as modulators of phenol-rich foods preference and consumption.
植物酚类物质是强大的抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂，能够为植物性食品和饮料的健康功能特性做出贡献。因此，鼓励人们多吃富含植物性的食物和饮料。然而，众所周知，蔬菜和其他一些植物性食物的苦味和其他低吸引力的感官特性是它们被接受的内在障碍。本研究的目的是研究心理特征和PROP 状态（对 6-正丙基硫代尿嘧啶的苦味反应性）对富含酚类的蔬菜和饮料选择和熟悉程度的影响，这些蔬菜和饮料的苦味和涩味回忆水平不同。研究 1 旨在通过两个全选（CATA）问卷评估蔬菜和咖啡/茶项目的感官特性变化（=201 和=188 人，分别）。研究 2 旨在调查对惩罚、奖励和厌恶的敏感性、食物恐惧、私人身体意识、述情障碍以及 PROP 反应性如何影响富含酚类食物的选择和熟悉程度（=1200 人）。为蔬菜（CV）和咖啡/茶（CC）计算了一个选择指数，作为配对中较苦/涩选项的平均选择，为蔬菜（FV）和咖啡/茶（FC）计算了四个熟悉指数，苦味和涩味较高（+）或较低（-）。与这些特征较低的个体相比，食物恐惧、对惩罚的敏感性或对厌恶的敏感性较高的个体报告的选择指数明显较低，这意味着他们系统地选择了配对中最不苦/涩的选项。对惩罚的敏感性较高、对食物恐惧和述情障碍较高的个体对蔬菜的熟悉度较低，而不论其感官特性如何。对咖啡/茶的熟悉程度较低，其特点是苦味和涩味较高，在食物恐惧、厌恶和述情障碍较高的个体中。PROP 对任何指数都没有显著影响。基于苦味和涩味差异的产品分组方法，提出了一种方法，该方法允许研究个体化学感觉感知差异和心理特征作为富含酚类食物偏好和消费的调节剂的作用。
