Progress 05/01/19 to 04/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the research project during the current reporting period include attendees of a sensory science symposium from academia and the food industry, attendees of the PI's dissertation seminar and readers of mulitple scientific journals publishing research pertaining to smell and taste perception, food choice, and consumer research. Changes/Problems:Research using human subjects is currently limited due to COVID-19 and social distancing precautionary measures. The PI was able to complete her degree and the major research objectives outlined in the proposal, although some changes to the research plan and study design (e.g., number of bitter stimuli and foods tested) were made. The project is concluding earlier than the inital timeline stated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided multiple training opportunities for the PI. The project PI has received one-on-one training from her mentor to improve her research skills. This includes training in best practices for data collection, data analysis, and science communication. The PI was also able to attend an international conference where she was able to present her research during both an oral and poster presentation. Conference attendance also included networking and learning about the newest scientific methods and findings. The PI is also able to continue her professional development through memberships of various scientific organizations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this research have been disseminated through publications, conference oral and poster presentations, and the PI's virtual defense seminar and dissertation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A diet high in certain nutrients from plants has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Food and beverage products high in these nutrients include vegetables, fruits, green tea, and dark chocolate. However, consumption of these foods and nutrients is low, as evidenced by recent reports indicating that all age-sex groups failed to meet the recommended intake levels of all vegetable groups. One deterrent to consumption is bitter taste, although there are many other factors such as cost, availability, and accessibility. Bitterness is characteristically aversive to infants and young children, and more pleasant tastes like sweetness and saltiness are preferred. However, humans consume bitter food products like black coffee and bitter melon and the demand for products like bitter beer is rising. There is limited research studying why the liking of certain bitter foods does not generalize to all bitter foods. Understanding the factors driving the consumption and avoidance of bitter foods is the key to increasing the consumption of healthy, bitter foods. To answer this question, we studied differences in the perception of bitter tasting compounds and personality and behavioral differences between groups of individuals that either consume or avoid bitter foods. The overall goal of the current reporting period was to determine how individual differences (e.g., personality and behavioral measures, taste perception) and differences between bitter stimuli (i.e., temporal parameters) influence the liking and disliking of bitter foods. The following objectives from the overall project goals were addressed: 1) evaluate the temporal parameters of multiple intensity-matched bitter stimuli found in food products, 2) identify the effect of sugar-induced mixture suppression on the temporal parameters of bitter stimuli, and 3) determine the influence of temporal parameters and personality measures on the liking and disliking of bitter stimuli and intake of bitter foods. Objective 1) was accomplished by conducting a time-intensity research study using ten bitter stimuli found in food and beverage products. The data collected for this objective includes the temporal intensity curves from members of the trained panel. From these curves, we were able to extract various parameters related the temporal perception of the bitter stimuli such as the initial delay in perception, rate of onset before and after swallowing, and rate of decay (decrease in aftertaste). To analyze the data, we created python code to extract and calculate the various curve parameters. This code will be made publicly available at the time of publication of the research. The findings of the time-intensity study showed a clustering of two different groups of bitter stimuli based on their temporal parameters. Differences between the groups include the rate of onset of bitterness and the rate of decay of the lingering aftertaste of the bitterants. This data supports the notion that differences in temporal perceptions of bitter stimuli exist. Further research may utilize the findings of this research. Potential additional studies include determining the chemical and biological causes for the temporal differences between bitter stimuli and determining if temporal perceptions are perceived in complex food or beverage systems with additional textural properties. Objective 2) was partially accomplished by testing for perceptual differences of model bitter beverages made with bitter stimuli of differing perceptual qualities. In this research study, we were able to collect preliminary data on how additional beverage ingredients may influence the regional and temporal qualities of bitter stimuli (i.e., masking or suppressive effects). However, due to time and testing restraints we were unable to fully design and conduct a research study focusing specifically on sugar-induced mixture suppression. Notably, the findings of Objective 1) will be able to guide future work involving sugar-induced mixture suppression of bitter stimuli possessing differing temporal percepts. Objective 3) was accomplished by conducting two separate research studies investigating the influence of personality measures on the liking and intake of a bitter beverage system. In the first research study, the bitter beverage of focus was pale ale style beers. The data collected for this study included liking and intensity ratings for three beer samples of varying levels of bitterness and measures of various personality from study participants. Various statistical models were created to understand which measured variables influenced the liking and intake of the bitter beverage. One significant finding from this study was the effect of the interaction between bitter taste perception and the score from the Sensation Seeking personality trait on the liking rating of a bitter pale ale beer. Our model showed Sensation Seeking only led to an increase in liking when a participant reported a higher bitter intensity rating for a quinine taste solution. This data shows high sensation seekers need feedback via the strong bitterness of the pale ales to confirm the novelty and complexity of the beer. This is an important finding because it illustrates the importance of accounting for differences in personality traits when studying liking and intake of bitter products. Further research is needed to determine if this finding can be applied to other bitter food and beverage products. The second research study used non-alcoholic beer as a model beverage. Here, we tested if individuals were able to differentiate non-alcoholic beers made with different bitter stimuli and if these differences influenced liking. The findings of this study indicate individuals are able to differentiate beverages made with different bitter stimuli; however, these perceptual differences do not influence liking. This finding provides preliminary data to further study acquired liking of bitter products.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Discrimination of Isointense Bitter Stimuli in a Beer Model System. Nutrients, 12(6), 1560.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2019). Regional variation of bitter taste and aftertaste in humans. Chemical Senses, 44(9), 721-732.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., Bakke, A. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Food Quality and Preference, 103994.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., Gipple, J. T., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Common bitter stimuli show differences in their temporal profiles before and after swallowing. Food Quality and Preference, 104041.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins MJ and Hayes JE. Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Oral presentation at the Early Career Researcher Seminar and poster at the 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium; 2019 July 28; Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Progress 05/01/19 to 08/07/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the research project during the current reporting period include attendees of a sensory science symposium from academia and the food industry, attendees of the PI's dissertation seminar and readers of mulitple scientific journals publishing research pertaining to smell and taste perception, food choice, and consumer research. Changes/Problems:Research using human subjects is currently limited due to COVID-19 and social distancing precautionary measures. The PI was able to complete her degree and the major research objectives outlined in the proposal, although some changes to the research plan and study design (e.g., number of bitter stimuli and foods tested) were made. The project is concluding earlier than the inital timeline stated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided multiple training opportunities for the PI. The project PI has received one-on-one training from her mentor to improve her research skills. This includes training in best practices for data collection, data analysis, and science communication. The PI was also able to attend an international conference where she was able to present her research during both an oral and poster presentation. Conference attendance also included networking and learning about the newest scientific methods and findings. The PI is also able to continue her professional development through memberships of various scientific organizations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this research have been disseminated through publications, conference oral and poster presentations, and the PI's virtual defense seminar and dissertation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A diet high in certain nutrients from plants has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Food and beverage products high in these nutrients include vegetables, fruits, green tea, and dark chocolate. However, consumption of these foods and nutrients is low, as evidenced by recent reports indicating that all age-sex groups failed to meet the recommended intake levels of all vegetable groups. One deterrent to consumption is bitter taste, although there are many other factors such as cost, availability, and accessibility. Bitterness is characteristically aversive to infants and young children, and more pleasant tastes like sweetness and saltiness are preferred. However, humans consume bitter food products like black coffee and bitter melon and the demand for products like bitter beer is rising. There is limited research studying why the liking of certain bitter foods does not generalize to all bitter foods. Understanding the factors driving the consumption and avoidance of bitter foods is the key to increasing the consumption of healthy, bitter foods. To answer this question, we studied differences in the perception of bitter tasting compounds and personality and behavioral differences between groups of individuals that either consume or avoid bitter foods. The overall goal of the current reporting period was to determine how individual differences (e.g., personality and behavioral measures, taste perception) and differences between bitter stimuli (i.e., temporal parameters) influence the liking and disliking of bitter foods. The following objectives from the overall project goals were addressed: 1) evaluate the temporal parameters of multiple intensity-matched bitter stimuli found in food products, 2) identify the effect of sugar-induced mixture suppression on the temporal parameters of bitter stimuli, and 3) determine the influence of temporal parameters and personality measures on the liking and disliking of bitter stimuli and intake of bitter foods. Objective 1) was accomplished by conducting a time-intensity research study using ten bitter stimuli found in food and beverage products. The data collected for this objective includes the temporal intensity curves from members of the trained panel. From these curves, we were able to extract various parameters related the temporal perception of the bitter stimuli such as the initial delay in perception, rate of onset before and after swallowing, and rate of decay (decrease in aftertaste). To analyze the data, we created python code to extract and calculate the various curve parameters. This code will be made publicly available at the time of publication of the research. The findings of the time-intensity study showed a clustering of two different groups of bitter stimuli based on their temporal parameters. Differences between the groups include the rate of onset of bitterness and the rate of decay of the lingering aftertaste of the bitterants. This data supports the notion that differences in temporal perceptions of bitter stimuli exist. Further research may utilize the findings of this research. Potential additional studies include determining the chemical and biological causes for the temporal differences between bitter stimuli and determining if temporal perceptions are perceived in complex food or beverage systems with additional textural properties. Objective 2) was partially accomplished by testing for perceptual differences of model bitter beverages made with bitter stimuli of differing perceptual qualities. In this research study, we were able to collect preliminary data on how additional beverage ingredients may influence the regional and temporal qualities of bitter stimuli (i.e., masking or suppressive effects). However, due to time and testing restraints we were unable to fully design and conduct a research study focusing specifically on sugar-induced mixture suppression. Notably, the findings of Objective 1) will be able to guide future work involving sugar-induced mixture suppression of bitter stimuli possessing differing temporal percepts. Objective 3) was accomplished by conducting two separate research studies investigating the influence of personality measures on the liking and intake of a bitter beverage system. In the first research study, the bitter beverage of focus was pale ale style beers. The data collected for this study included liking and intensity ratings for three beer samples of varying levels of bitterness and measures of various personality from study participants. Various statistical models were created to understand which measured variables influenced the liking and intake of the bitter beverage. One significant finding from this study was the effect of the interaction between bitter taste perception and the score from the Sensation Seeking personality trait on the liking rating of a bitter pale ale beer. Our model showed Sensation Seeking only led to an increase in liking when a participant reported a higher bitter intensity rating for a quinine taste solution. This data shows high sensation seekers need feedback via the strong bitterness of the pale ales to confirm the novelty and complexity of the beer. This is an important finding because it illustrates the importance of accounting for differences in personality traits when studying liking and intake of bitter products. Further research is needed to determine if this finding can be applied to other bitter food and beverage products. The second research study used non-alcoholic beer as a model beverage. Here, we tested if individuals were able to differentiate non-alcoholic beers made with different bitter stimuli and if these differences influenced liking. The findings of this study indicate individuals are able to differentiate beverages made with different bitter stimuli; however, these perceptual differences do not influence liking. This finding provides preliminary data to further study acquired liking of bitter products.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Discrimination of Isointense Bitter Stimuli in a Beer Model System. Nutrients, 12(6), 1560.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2019). Regional variation of bitter taste and aftertaste in humans. Chemical Senses, 44(9), 721-732.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., Bakke, A. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Food Quality and Preference, 103994.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., Gipple, J. T., & Hayes, J. E. (2020). Common bitter stimuli show differences in their temporal profiles before and after swallowing. Food Quality and Preference, 104041.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins MJ and Hayes JE. Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Oral presentation at the Early Career Researcher Seminar and poster at the 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium; 2019 July 28; Edinburgh, Scotland.
|
Progress 05/01/19 to 04/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the research project during the current reporting period conferenceattendees of a sensory science symposium from academia and the foodindustry and readers of a chemoreception publication. Changes/Problems:Research using human subjects is currently limited due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, but the PI and research team will explore additional research methods to study factors related to food choice and intake of bitter food products.This includes contact-less research methods such as online focus groups and surveys and home-use tests. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided multiple training opportunities for the PI. The project PI has received one-on-one training from her mentor to improve her research skills. This includes training in best practices for data collection, data analysis, and science communication. The PI was also able to attend an international conference where she was able to present her research during both an oral and poster presentation. Conference attendance also included networking and learning about the newest scientific methods and findings. The PI is also able to continue her professional development through memberships of various scientific organizations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this research have been disseminated through publications and conference presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the project PI will complete all research goals. This includes conducting any final research projects and writing research publications to disseminate the research findings. Research using human subjects is currently limited due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, but the PI and research team will explore additional research methods to study factors related to food choice and intake of bitter food products. For professional development goals, the PI will continue to develop her research and science communication skills and will graduate with a doctoral degree. To obtain these goals, she will continue to receive one-on-one training and will prepare for her disseration defense.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A diet high in certain nutrients from plants has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Food and beverage products high in these nutrients include vegetables, fruits, green tea, and dark chocolate. However, consumption of these foods and nutrients is low as recent reports indicate that all age-sex groups failed to meet the recommended intake levels of all vegetable groups. One deterrent to consumption is bitter taste, although there are many other factors such as cost, availability, and accessibility. Bitterness is characteristically aversive to infants and young children, and more pleasant tastes like sweetness and saltiness are preferred. However, humans consume bitter food products like black coffee and bitter melon and the demand for products like bitter beer is rising. There is limited research studying why the liking of certain bitter foods does not generalize to all bitter foods. Understanding the factors driving the consumption and avoidance of bitter foods is the key to increasing the consumption of healthy, bitter foods. To answer this question, we studied differences in the perception of bitter tasting compounds and personality and behavioral differences between groups of individuals that either consume or avoid bitter foods. The overall goal of the current reporting period was to determine how individual differences (e.g., personality and behavioral measures) and differences between bitter stimuli (i.e., temporal parameters) influence the liking and disliking of bitter foods. The following objectives from the overall project goals were addressed: 1) evaluate the temporal parameters of multiple intensity-matched bitter stimuli found in food products, and 3) determine the influence of temporal parameters and personality measures on the liking and disliking of bitter stimuli and intake of bitter foods. Objective 1) was accomplished by conducting a time-intensity research study using ten bitter stimuli found in food and beverage products. The data collected for this objective includes the temporal intensity curves from members of the trained panel. From these curves, we were able to extract various parameters related the temporal perception of the bitter stimuli such as the initial delay in perception, rate of onset before and after swallowing, and rate of decay (decrease in aftertaste). To analyze the data, we created a python code to extract and calculate the various curve parameters. This code will be made publicly available at the time of publication of the research. The findings of the time-intensity study showed a clustering of two different groups of bitter stimuli based on their temporal parameters. Differences between the groups include the rate of onset of bitterness and the rate of decay of the lingering aftertaste of the bitterants. This data supports the notion that differences in temporal perceptions of bitter stimuli exist. Additional research using the findings of this research as a foundation include determining if the temporal differences are present in complex food or beverage systems and if the differences in perception lead to differences in liking and intake of bitter foods. Objective 2) was partially accomplished by conducting a research study investigating the influence of personality measures on the liking and intake of a bitter beverage system. The bitter beverage of focus for the following research was pale ale style beers. The data collected for this objective include liking and intensity ratings for three beer samples of varying levels of bitterness and measures ofvarious personalityfrom study participants. Various statistical models were created to understand which measured variables influenced the liking and intake of the bitter beverage. One significant finding from study was the interaction between bitter taste perception and the score from the Sensation Seeking personality trait on the liking rating of a bitter pale ale beer. Our model showed Sensation Seeking only led to an increase in liking when a participant reported a higher bitter intensity rating for a quinine taste solution. This data showshigh sensation seekers need feedback via the strong bitterness of the pale ales to confirm the novelty and complexity of the beer. Further research is needed to determine if this finding can be applied to other bitter food and beverage products.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins, M. J., & Hayes, J. E. (2019). Regional variation of bitter taste and aftertaste in humans. Chemical Senses, 44(9), 721-732.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Higgins MJ and Hayes JE. Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Oral presentation at the Early Career Researcher Seminar and poster at the 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium; 2019 July 28; Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins MJ, AJ Bakke, and Hayes JE. (in press). Personality traits and bitterness perception influence the liking and intake of pale ale style beers. Food Quality and Preference.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Higgins MJ, JT Gipple, and Hayes JE. (under review). Common bitter stimuli show differences in their temporal profiles before and after swallowing. Food Quality and Preference.
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