PERCEPTION OF SWEETNESS INTENSITY DETERMINES WOMENS HEDONIC AND OTHERPERCEPTUAL RESPONSIVENESS TO CHOCOLATE FOOD

This study tested 63 women for hedonic and other perceptual responsive ness to a chocolate food. Subjects tasted four chocolate puddings vary ing in sugar (high and low) and fat (high and low) content and rated t hem for pleasantness, caloric density, fillingness and flavor intensit ies. Results emphasised the importance of sweetness intensity in deter mining women's responses to the chocolate puddings. Women's perception of sweetness intensity was accurate to sugar content and results cons istently indicated that their hedonic responses to the chocolate puddi ngs were based on the perceived sweetness. Women's perception of the c aloric density of the puddings was based on their perception of the fa t content of the puddings; however, interpretation of that finding mus t be qualified because the subjects' perception of fat content was ina ccurate. The women's perception of sweetness intensity accounted for 3 1% of the variability in fat perception. Women's perception of the int ensity of chocolate flavor was also significantly associated with perc eived sweetness of the puddings. These data suggest that the women's a ccurate perception of the sugar content of the chocolate puddings play ed a primary role in determining their hedonic and other perceptual re sponses. (C) 1998 Academic Press.