Food perception at lunchtime does not depend on the nutritional and perceived characteristics of breakfast

Abstract

Breakfast consumption can entail nutritional advantages positively affecting food choices. This study investigated the effect of minor changes in breakfast composition on the perceived attributes of foods, both at breakfast and at lunchtime. Four breakfasts were defined considering nutritional and perceptual factors. Three breakfasts varied just for a single cereal-based chocolate-containing food item, while a control breakfast mimicked fasting conditions. Breakfast perception was assessed before and after consumption. Subjects rated breakfast energy content on the basis of single items, while judged breakfast healthiness as a whole, suggesting that the combination of different ingredients can modify the perceived health value of foods. Additionally, 4 h after breakfast, a perceptual evaluation of lunch-related food images was performed, without differences among breakfasts. This study extends current knowledge on the relationship between subjective perceptual attributes and objective energy value and food composition, as well as on breakfast impact on food perception at lunchtime.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Food perception
• breakfast
• food images
• healthiness
• satiety
• palatability

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti for his support in study design and result interpretation, and all volunteers involved in the study.

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interest influenced the work presented herein. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not represent the official views or positions of the supporting company.

Additional information

Funding

The research was carried out thanks to the financial support of “Soremartec Italia Srl” (Alba, Cuneo, Italy).