Individual differences in sensory preferences for fat in model sweet dairy products

Sensory preferences for fat in foods are influenced both by subject characteristics and by the nature of the food stimulus. Hedonic responses to sugar/fat mixtures depend on strong interactions between perceptions of the two ingredients, including tactile as well as gustatory effects. Fat-containing liquid and solid foods, and dessert-type sugar/fat mixtures produce different hedonic response profiles. Body weight, weight history and the presence of eating disorders are associated with differences in hedonic responsiveness to fat among women. This inter-subject variability in hedonic response profiles mandates the use of novel techniques for data analysis. Conventional hedonic response curves mask between-subject differences. Individual patterns of hedonic responses to sugar/fat mixtures are better represented by frequency distributions of maximum hedonic responses or of individual optimal sugar-to-fat ratios.