The contribution of chemosensory factors to individual differences in reported food preferences

A new psychometric instrument, the Food Attitude Survey (FAS), was developed to identify individual differences in general response patterns or attitudes toward foods. The FAS consists of food preference ratings (like, neutral, dislike, never tried but would try, never tried and won't try) for 455 foods and beverages, including some unusual and fictitious foods. In addition, it includes a 20-item questionnaire concerning attitudes toward food and eating. Using the FAS, people who reported liking an unusually high number of foods (likers) were compared to those who disliked many foods (dislikers) and those who were unwilling to try many foods (won't tryers). The characteristics of the three groups were evaluated using several sensory tests to assess the contribution of perceptual factors to individual differences in food attitudes and preferences. Intensity and hedonic ratings of olfactory stimuli were generally lower for the won't tryers than for the likers, with dislikers in between. In addition, the ideal taste intensities of likers were higher than those of dislikers or won't tryers. On the basis of these initial studies, it is concluded that the FAS provides a reliable index of individual differences in food preference patterns, making the FAS a useful tool for investigating the "personality of eating". The present studies also provide evidence that differences in chemosensory responses may be associated with biases toward food acceptance or rejection.