Measuring temporal dynamics of satisfaction differences between animal- and plant-based foods

This study aimed to measure the Temporal Changes in Impressions (TCI) between animal-based and plant-based food. Participants first rated their hunger, valence, desire to eat again (desire), and satisfaction for a small portion of pasta with one of three types of consommé soup: animal-based, conventional plant-based, or developed high-quality plant-based (first rating phase). Next, during a preload phase, they consumed a larger portion of the same type of pasta and soup. Subsequently, in the second rating phase, they rated the same pasta soup in the same portion size as in the first rating phase. The results showed that eating pasta with animal-based soup reduced hunger more effectively than eating conventional plant-based soup, even though the same quantity was consumed. Furthermore, the conventional plant-based option led to declines in valence and desire over time; these significant changes were not observed with the animal-based soup. Interestingly, no significant differences were found between the animal-based soup and the developed high-quality plant-based soup in any measure. These findings suggest that tracking temporal changes in sensory evaluation offers a useful perspective for understanding how impressions related to satisfaction change over the course of the eating experience. Adopting this temporal perspective may help clarify the differences in consumers' perceived value between animal- and plant-based foods.