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Decreased taste and olfactory acuity in older adults has been proposed as a factor in food intake (1-5), although some studies refute a decline in taste sensitivity with age (3,6). Some studies have shown that color has an effect on flavor attributes (2,7-12) whereas other studies have found no effect (13,14). However, several of these studies used simulated food model systems rather than real foods (7,11,12, 14,15). Obviously, there is a lack of conclusive research on the effect of color on flavor intensity and acceptance by an elderly population. Our study examined the relationship between color and perceived flavor intensity and acceptance of food by young adults and elderly adults using two commonly consumed food products: chicken bouillon and chocolate pudding. A further objective of the study was to determine whether color enhances the perception of sweetness, saltiness, or general flavor of a food.
METHODS
Twenty-nine young adults (20 to 35 years) old were recruited at a consumer products company and 29 elderly adults (60 to 90 years old) were recruited from a senior citizens center in New Jersey. Twenty-eight young adults and 28 elderly adults completed the children bouillon test; 29 young adults and 25 elderly adults completed the chocolate pudding test. All of the test subjects were in good health and within 10% of their ideal reference body weight based on the 1983 Metropolitan Height and Weight Tables. None had self-reported color blindness, taste or olfactory problems, dietary restrictions, allergies, or notable medical conditions. This test was approved by the New York University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects.
Perceived intensity of flavor and acceptance were measured using visual analog scales (VAS) (16). The scales were 10-cm long and anchored at either end with opposing phases related to the attribute (eg. no salty flavor/extremely salty flavor). Formulations of the test foods were modified using ingredients found in the commercial products. The chicken bouillon (Herb-Ox Chicken Bouillon, Reckitt & Colman, Wayne, NJ) was prepared according to package directions with increasing amounts of turmeric oleoresin (Kalsec Inc, Kalamazoo, Mich) added to yield three levels of yellow color intensity: no color added (Lightness Factor [L]=38.90, Chromaticity...