Consumer reflections on post-ingestive sensations. A qualitative approach by means of focus group interviews.

Obesity is a growing problem. Insights into satiety and other post-ingestive sensations may be important in understanding influential factors in our eating behaviour. The purpose of this research study was to explore beyond satiety and gain a better understanding of the umbrella term 'Post-ingestive sensations', this from a consumer point-of-view. In the present study, 'Post-ingestive sensations' are defined as 'the subjective perceptions of the body after eating'. The research aims to explore and understand consumers' reflections on post-ingestive sensations. We analyse results from four focus group interviews consisting of 30 consumers in total varying in gender, age and Body Mass Index (BMI). Data was analysed using thematic analysis of qualitative data. Results include consumers' retrospective reports of post-ingestive sensations which are analysed into four key themes being: 1) Energy sensations, 2) Satiety sensations, 3) Wellbeing, 4) Desires. Within Energy sensations, consumers differentiated between two sub-groups of sensations, namely sensations related to a positive general energy level and sensations related to a negative low energy level. Satiety sensations comprised typical satiety and extreme satiety, each described differently by the consumers. Sensations related to extreme satiety were in general more detectable than typical satiety sensations. Wellbeing was broadly summarised as 'feeling good' and included mainly positive sensations such as sensing pleasure and joy after eating. Desires would typically be for something more or something else than just consumed. The umbrella term 'Post-ingestive sensations' is demonstrated to be multifaceted with numerous aspects seen from the consumer's perspective. Post-ingestive sensations function as important parameters in understanding the full consumer experience, and results could be applied in real eating contexts to study further implications and importance in food choice and eating behaviour.

Stimulus collative properties and consumers' flavor preferences.

The present work investigated consumers' hedonic response to flavor stimuli in light of Berlyne's collative-motivational model of aesthetic preferences. According to this paradigm, sensory preferences are a function of a stimulus' arousal potential, which is determined by its collative properties. The relationship between overall arousal potential and hedonic response takes the shape of an inverted "U", reaching an optimum at a certain level of arousal potential. In three independent studies, using different sets of novel beers as stimuli, consumers reported their hedonic response and rated three collative properties: novelty, familiarity and complexity. Relationships between these collative properties and hedonic ratings were explored by polynomial regression. The results revealed patterns in line with Berlyne's predictions (curvilinear relationship) with regard to perceived novelty, whereas mixed results were obtained for familiarity and complexity. Additionally, in two of the studies, the moderating role of relevant consumer characteristics - product knowledge, food neophobia and variety seeking tendency - was investigated. A consumer's degree of product knowledge was found to significantly reduce perceived complexity and novelty, ostensibly reflecting the learning that occurs with previous exposures.

Post-Ingestive Sensations Driving Post-Ingestive Food Pleasure: A Cross-Cultural Consumer Study Comparing Denmark and China.

Culture is one of the main factors that influence food assessment. This cross-cultural research aimed to compare Chinese and Danish consumers in their post-ingestive drivers of Post-Ingestive Food Pleasure (PIFP). We define PIFP as a "subjective conscious sensation of pleasure and joy experienced after eating". We conducted two in-country consumer studies in Denmark (n = 48) and in China (n = 53), measuring post-ingestive sensations and PIFP using visual analogue scale, for three hours following consumption of a breakfast meal. Key results revealed perceived Satisfaction, Mental, Overall and Physical wellbeing to be highly influential on PIFP in both countries. Moreover, Danish consumers perceived appetite-related sensations such as Satiety, Hunger, Desire-to-eat and In-need-of-food to be influential on PIFP, which was not the case in China. In China, more vitality-related sensations such as Energized, Relaxation and Concentration were found to be drivers of PIFP. These results suggest similarities but also distinct subtleties in the cultural constructs of PIFP in Denmark and in China. Focusing on Food Pleasure as a post-ingestive measure provides valuable output, deeper insights into what drives Food Pleasure, and, importantly, takes us beyond the processes only active during the actual eating event.

Subjective Sensations related to Food as Determinants of Snack Choice.

Comprehending the complexity and determinants of food choices can help understand facets of the growing obesity epidemic. Focusing on consumers' subjective sensations as determinants of food choices can provide essential insights into eating behaviors. We explored subjective sensations linked to appetite, desire, wellbeing and energy. This study aims to 1) quantify subjective temporal sensations, and 2) study the effects of these sensations on snack choice. Two-hundred and fifty-three participants (mean age 20.5) evaluated subjective sensations using a visual analogue scale. The choice of one of six snacks was offered to the participants; choices were recorded as implicit choice measures. The results demonstrated that especially sensory specific desire sensations (Salty, Fatty, Sweet desire) affected, either positively or negatively, snack choice. Furthermore, wellbeing sensations (Overall, Mental, Physical wellbeing) also showed significant effects for snack choice. Health-conscious females chose healthy snacks, and males chose unhealthy snacks. Importantly, this research indicates the relevance of subjective sensations in consumer studies that focus on diverse determinants of food choice. Sensory specific desires and wellbeing sensations were notably shown to be important determinants of snack choice. The contribution of different sensations to food choice is imperative, and helps us to understand aspects of snacking behavior. This could have broader implications concerning public health issues and obesity.

Dynamic Changes in Post-Ingestive Sensations after Consumption of a Breakfast Meal High in Protein or Carbohydrate.

The obesity epidemic urges exploration of several parameters that play an important role in our eating behaviours. Post-ingestive sensations can provide a more comprehensive picture of the eating experience than mere satiety measurements. This study aimed to (1) quantify the dynamics of different post-ingestive sensations after food intake and (2) study the effect of protein and carbohydrate on hedonic and post-ingestive responses. Forty-eight participants (mean age 20.4) were served a breakfast meal high in protein (HighPRO) or high in carbohydrate (HighCHO) on two separate days using a randomised controlled crossover design. Post-ingestive sensations were measured every 30 min, for 3 h post intake using visual analogue scale (VAS). Results showed a significant main effect of time for all post-ingestive sensations. HighCHO induced higher hedonic responses compared to HighPRO, as well as higher ratings for post-ingestive sensations such as Satisfaction, Food joy, Overall wellbeing and Fullness. HighPRO, on the other hand, induced higher ratings for Sweet desire post intake. The development of sensations after a meal might be important for consumers' following food choices and for extra calorie intake. More detailed knowledge in this area could elucidate aspects of overeating and obesity.