An assessment of liking for sugars using the estimated daily intake scale

Human sensory preconditioning in a flavor preference paradigm

This experiment adapted a sensory preconditioning (SPC) procedure using human participants to determine if conditioning (Cond) to one flavor (the conditioned flavor) will enhance liking for another flavor (the SPC flavor) associated with it prior to training. Participants in one of three groups (N=40 per group) consumed and rated plain or sweetened cherry and grape kool-aids in four phases. In baseline and SPC phase, ratings for a plain cherry, grape, and cherry-grape mixture were similar. In training, one flavor was sweetened (SPC+Cond and Cond Only groups) or unsweetened (SPC Only group) and ratings increased only for the flavor that was sweetened. In test, Group SPC+Cond rated the conditioned flavor and the SPC flavor as more liked and tasting sweeter. Group Cond Only rated only the conditioned flavor as more liked and tasting sweeter. Group SPC Only showed no change in ratings from baseline to test. These are the first data to show SPC learning using a flavor preference paradigm with human participants.

Validity and reliability of an estimated daily intake scale for fat

The reliability and validity of an Estimated Daily Intake Scale for Fat (EDIS-F) used to measure daily intake of fat in a participant’s diet was tested. A Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the reliability of the EDIS-F. To determine the validity of this scale, scores on this scale were correlated with known factors related to daily intake of fat (e.g., ratings of liking for a high fat food and the body mass index score of participants). A 13-item EDIS-F was shown to be reliable, and scores on the EDIS-F significantly correlated with ratings of liking for a high fat cream cheese cracker and BMI, but not with gender, consistent with the assertion that this scale measures daily intake of fat. Implications for using this scale are discussed.