Caffeine may suppress sweet taste; Research links personality and diet

Caffeine may suppress sweet taste
Caffeine consumption may decrease the perceived intensity of sweet taste, suggests a recent Journal of Food Science study. Caffeine’s well-documented physiological effect on alertness originates from its actions as an antagonist of adenosine receptors in the brain. Findings demonstrating that adenosine receptors are expressed in sweet-sensitive taste cells of rodents suggest that caffeine consumed through foods has the potential to act on these receptors in taste to decrease the perceived intensity of sweet stimuli. The researchers set out to find out if caffeinated coffee consumption can inhibit the perception of sweet taste in humans.

The researchers randomly assigned 107 panelists to two groups, sampling decaffeinated coffee supplemented with either 200 milligrams of caffeine (about the level found in a strong cup of coffee) or an equally bitter concentration of quinine. Participants subsequently performed sensory testing, with the session repeated in the alternative condition in a second session on a separate day.

The panelists rated both the sweetened coffee itself and subsequent sucrose solutions as less sweet in the caffeine condition, despite the treatment having no effect on bitter, sour, salty, or umami perception. In addition, panelists were also unable to discern whether they had consumed the caffeinated or noncaffeinated coffee, with ratings of alertness increased equally, but no significant improvement in reaction times, highlighting coffee’s powerful placebo effect.

“This study demonstrates a real-world example of taste modulation from real food products, whereby caffeine from coffee consumption was able to suppress sweet taste in a long-lasting manner, consistent with rodent studies on active adenosine receptors in taste buds supporting sweet taste detection,” the researchers write.

A comeback for colorful Trix cereal
General Mills announced last month that it is resurrecting a version of Trix cereal made with artificial flavors and colors, acknowledging that not all consumers were fans of the paler-hued version made with all-natural ingredients that the company unveiled last year. Now consumers will have two options: Classic Trix, which will boast the cereal’s original colorful fruity flavors, and the version made with natural colors sourced from radishes, purple carrots, and turmeric.

The company told a number of media outlets last month that it made the decision in response to consumer input, recognizing that not everyone wants the same thing.

How consumers feel about organic food
U.S. consumers have widely divergent purchasing patterns when it comes to organic foods and beverages, new research from Mintel shows. On one hand, just about three in 10 consumers (29%) say they typically do not purchase organic products, while at the other end of the spectrum, one-third (32%) claim that half or more of the groceries they purchase are organic.

Whatever amount they’re purchasing, well over half (57%) of consumers maintain that they’re buying the same amount of organic foods this year as they did in 2016. More than one-third (34%), however, report buying more organic foods in 2017 than a year ago.

Price, value, and the perception of authenticity are among the barriers facing purveyors of organic fare.

Even among consumers who say that their food purchases are at least half organic, only 39% agree that organic foods are worth the extra cost. And just 21% of consumers overall feel that way. More than six in 10 survey respondents (62%) say they would buy more organic foods if they cost less. Proven health benefits would influence a third of consumers (33%) to purchase more organic foods, and 31% said they would be motivated to do so if organic products stayed fresh longer.

Many consumers appear to be a bit wary about the benefits of organic products. Just 26% claim to trust organic food labels, and only 13% agree that organic foods are highly regulated.

Group moves to simplify date labels
A network of packaged goods companies and a coalition of government and industry leaders have adopted a call to action that urges retailers and food producers to simplify and standardize food date labels by 2020. The action was announced last month by leaders of the Consumer Goods Forum, a network of 400 major consumer goods companies from 70 countries, and the coalition group called Champions 12.3.

The call to action recommends using just one label at a time and offers a choice of two labels: one that highlights the expiration date for perishable items (e.g., “Use by”) and one that offers an indicator of food quality for nonperishable items (“e.g., “Best if used by). The call to action also recommends that companies partner with nonprofit groups and government agencies to teach consumers how to better understand date labels.

The call to action organizers point out that worldwide about 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year and that food loss and waste is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 8% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Research links personality and diet
Personality type affects how individuals think about eating and dieting, according to a new report from Australian scientific agency CSIRO. Based on 90,000 responses to a 2017 survey of Australian adults, the report breaks out five diet-related personality types and identifies the factors most likely to be obstacles to eating healthfully for each type.

The researchers note that most weight loss plans emphasize nutrition and exercise without emphasizing lifestyle factors and personality traits that strongly affect food choices. They point out that focusing more on personality might make it easier for people to eat well and diet successfully.

Here’s how the five types break out and what percentage of the population each represents, according to the CSIRO research. The Thinker (37%) is the most common type; Thinkers are predominantly women (86%) who tend to overanalyze and have unrealistic expectations, which can derail a diet. Next is the Craver (26%), who finds it hard to resist temptation; perhaps not surprisingly, 58% of Cravers are obese or have dieted more than 25 times. For Socializers (17%), food and alcohol are an important part of their social lives, which means that flexibility is key to maintaining a healthy diet. Foodies (16%), are passionate about food, but tend to have more healthful diets and be of normal weight. Finally, Freewheelers (4%) are spontaneous and impulsive eaters who tend not to plan meals and to have a suboptimal diet; a higher proportion of men than women are freewheelers, and 55% are obese.

News Bites
• Grocery retailer Albertsons has acquired meal kit service Plated.

• The American Society of Baking announced its 2018 Product Development Competition, with a theme of “Futuristic Sweet Goods.” Proposals are due in November. Visit asbe.org/pdc-main/ for more information.

• BENEO announced that it is expanding its sales and support team in the NAFTA region to better serve its growing customer base in North America.

• Berner Food & Beverage, a private label and contract manufacturing supplier of food and beverage products, held a ribbon cutting event to mark the opening of its newly expanded manufacturing facility in Dakota, Ill., which triples the company’s manufacturing space and will accommodate future growth.

• Biorigin obtained the Bonsucro Chain of Custody Standard certification for fermentable sugar and yeast creams from sugarcane.

• Blender Ingredients entered into an agreement to supply Fitoplancton Marino’s TetraSOD and Easyalgae Plankton-Extract.

• Blue Diamond increased its almond flour production capacity with a new processing line set at its Salida, Calif., site.

• Buhler celebrated the groundbreaking for its Innovation Campus in Uzwil, Switzerland.

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission elected Parmitano Hariyadi as one of its vice-chairpersons.

• DuPont Nutrition & Health completed a $10 million investment to upgrade its probiotics pilot facility in Madison, Wis.

• Flavorchem launched a new website, flavorchem.com.

• FONA Intl. was named one of the country’s best Workplaces for Women by Fortune magazine and consulting firm Great Place to Work.

• Food Safety Net Services opened its newest laboratory in Omaha, Neb.

• Ganeden received a no objection letter from Health Canada that confirms that products fortified with GanedenBC30 can make any of the general health claims that are allowed in the country’s probiotic monograph and provides opportunities for new gut flora language on packaging.

• Givaudan has announced the acquisition of the Nutrition Division of Centroflora Group, a manufacturer of botanical extracts and dehydrated fruits, part of a strategy to strengthen its natural extracts business globally and to further develop its presence in Brazil.

• Glanbia Nutritionals has announced the launch of ProTherma hydrolyzed whey protein.

• Innophos Holdings entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Novel Ingredients.

• Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings will acquire the analytical testing services business of ChromaDex.

• The National Science Foundation gave the Research Traineeship Award to a Purdue University–led program training students on producing sustainable food and electricity for populations through solar energy.

• Puratos Group opened its Puratos Boston and Innovation Center in Norwood, Mass.

• Riceland Foods and Riviana Foods announced a multimillion dollar investment to build a rice extrusion facility in Jonesboro, Ark., to produce and market high value rice extruded products for domestic and international markets through their Rivland Partnership.

• Stay Fresh Foods earned Safe Quality Food Level 3 Certification for its facilities in Meriden, Conn., and Pennsauken, N.J.

• TreeHouse Foods will close facilities in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and Plymouth, Ind., and transition non-peanut packaging operations out of Dothan, Ala.

• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced 32 grants totaling $16.8 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables.