Studies on the role of taste sensitivity in acquisition and change of food preference

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K00900
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Eating habits
• Research Institution: Kio University
• Principal Investigator: UEJI KAYOKO 畿央大学, 健康科学部, 教授 (50390208)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 峰松 祐至 畿央大学, 健康科学部, 特任助教 (30712096) ; 山本 隆 畿央大学, 健康科学部, 教授 (60028793)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: Flavor / Learning / Preference / Infancy

Outline of Final Research Achievements

As for human taste sensitivity test, we have tried to develop a new and convenient “Kio’s Taste Test”. In this method, we did not use taste solutions, but used dried corn starch containing each of 5 basic taste stimuli, which can be stored for several months and solved easily in the mouth.
As for animal experiment, our previous study showed that weanling rats could establish conditioned flavor preferences when low, but not high, concentrations of sucrose solutions were used as associative rewarding stimuli. The present study showed that a conditioned flavor preference was established to saccharin in weanling rats on the basis of flavor-taste association. Low and high concentrations of different sugars, such as glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, lactose, were used to find that conditioned flavor preference and aversion were different among these different sugars and between low and high concentrations. We are now analyzing the data to lead a reasonable conclusion.

Free Research Field

生活科学、食生活、食行動

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の味覚閾値の測定法は、溶液を用いた従来の方法に代わり、溶液を用いない新しい簡便な測定法を開発するところに独創性がある。味覚感受性の発達と年齢との関連性や味覚感受性と食嗜好性の関連性が明らかになれば、その意義は大きく、本研究で用いる簡便な測定法は、保健センターや学校などでの食育啓蒙活動にも活用できるものと考えられる。動物実験により、幼少期の食嗜好性が成長後も脳に保持されることを示すことができれば、脳科学的に価値ある発見であるのみならず、実際の食育推進活動においても、幼少期からおいしく、楽しく食べることの大切さを主張する際の科学的な根拠となるものである。