Energy compensation in the real world: Good compensation for small portions of chocolate and biscuits over short time periods in complicit consumers using commercially available foods

While investigations using covert food manipulations tend to suggest that individuals are poor at adjusting for previous energy intake, in the real world adults rarely consume foods of which they are ill-informed. This study investigated the impact in fully complicit consumers of consuming commercially available dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sweet biscuits and fruit bars on subsequent appetite. Using a repeated measures design, participants received four small portions (4 × 10-11 g) of either dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sweet biscuits, fruit bars or no food throughout five separate study days (counterbalanced in order), and test meal intake, hunger, liking and acceptability were measured. Participants consumed significantly less at lunch following dark chocolate, milk chocolate and sweet biscuits compared to no food (smallest t(19) = 2.47, p = 0.02), demonstrating very good energy compensation (269-334%). No effects were found for fruit bars (t(19) = 1.76, p = 0.09), in evening meal intakes (F(4,72) = 0.62, p = 0.65) or in total intake (lunch + evening meal + food portions) (F(4,72) = 0.40, p = 0.69). No differences between conditions were found in measures of hunger (largest F(4,76) = 1.26, p = 0.29), but fruit bars were significantly less familiar than all other foods (smallest t(19) = 3.14, p = 0.01). These findings demonstrate good compensation over the short term for small portions of familiar foods in complicit consumers. Findings are most plausibly explained as a result of participant awareness and cognitions, although the nature of these cognitions cannot be discerned from this study. These findings however, also suggest that covert manipulations may have limited transfer to real world scenarios.

Developing Food Products For Consumers on a Gluten Free Diet

There is a significant increase in people that choose to follow an avoidance diet, especially excluding gluten. Unlike previously, there is now a demand for ‘no compromise’ gluten-free cereal products that have the same properties as their wheat contain counterparts. This is very challenging for the bakers and the cereal technologists due to the functional role of the gluten network in some of these products. Numerous combinations of raw materials form natural sources have been studied and critically evaluated in this review. Most of the gluten-free products are made of native and modified starches blended with different hydrocolloids due to their structure-building and water binding properties. These ingredients are added to a gluten-free flour, such as rice and corn. The legislation framework, formulations for manufacturing of highl nutritional value bread, pasta and cakes/biscuits as well as quality assurance aspects for the gluten-free manufacturers are discussed in this review.