Abstract Reducing sugar intake is a major public health goal but many consumers are reluctant to use low calorie sweeteners. Two studies were conducted in healthy adults aged 18 to 65 to investigate whether addition of culinary spices to foods reduced in sugar could preserve hedonic liking. Test foods, black tea, oatmeal, and apple crisp, were prepared in full sugar (FS), reduced sugar (RS), and reduced sugar with spice (RSS) versions. Sugar reductions were 100%, 35%, and 37% for tea, oatmeal, and apple crisp, respectively. In Study 1, 160 subjects rated absolute liking of FS, RS, and RSS versions of a breakfast of oatmeal and tea and an afternoon snack of apple crisp on consecutive weeks. In Study 2, 150 subjects rated relative liking of all 3 versions of one food at the same seating, with different foods tested 1 wk apart. Liking was assessed using a 9‐point Likert scale. Both studies yielded similar results. For all 3 test items, liking was significantly higher for FS than for RS (P < 0.03). For tea, addition of spices did not significantly improve liking in either study. For oatmeal, addition of spices did not consistently improve liking compared to RS. For apple crisp, relative liking of RSS was not different then FS. These results indicate that it is possible to preserve the hedonic pleasure of a reduced sugar version of a dessert food, apple crisp, by addition of culinary spices. This may be a promising strategy to reduce sugar in some foods without using low calorie sweeteners. Practical Application Reducing sugar consumption is an important public health goal. Many consumers are reluctant to use low calorie sweeteners and alternative approaches are needed. Using culinary spices to enhance the flavor of foods may allow sugar reduction while still preserving acceptable overall liking.

中文翻译：

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在低糖食品中添加香料对整体喜好的影响

摘要 减少糖摄入量是一项主要的公共卫生目标，但许多消费者不愿使用低热量甜味剂。在 18 至 65 岁的健康成年人中进行了两项研究，以调查在低糖食物中添加烹饪香料是否可以保持享乐的喜好。以全糖 (FS)、还原糖 (RS) 和还原糖加香料 (RSS) 版本制备测试食品、红茶、燕麦片和苹果脆片。茶、燕麦片和苹果脆片的减糖量分别为 100%、35% 和 37%。在研究 1 中，160 名受试者连续几周对 FS、RS 和 RSS 版本的燕麦片和茶早餐以及下午点心苹果脆片的绝对喜好进行了评分。在研究 2 中，150 名受试者在同一座位上对一种食物的所有 3 种版本的相对喜好进行评分，不同的食物测试间隔 1 周。喜欢使用 9 点李克特量表进行评估。两项研究都产生了相似的结果。对于所有 3 个测试项目，FS 的喜欢程度显着高于 RS（P < 0.03）。对于茶，在任何一项研究中，添加香料都没有显着提高人们对茶的喜爱程度。对于燕麦片，与 RS 相比，添加香料并没有持续提高人们对燕麦的喜爱程度。对于苹果脆，RSS 的相对喜好与 FS 没有什么不同。这些结果表明，通过添加烹饪香料，可以保持低糖版本的甜点食品苹果脆片的享乐乐趣。这可能是在不使用低热量甜味剂的情况下减少某些食物中糖分的一种很有前途的策略。实际应用 减少糖的消耗是一项重要的公共卫生目标。许多消费者不愿意使用低热量甜味剂，因此需要替代方法。