Abstract Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) can be used to improve the nutritional status of malnourished patients, but their effectiveness depends on adequate intake. This is not always achieved due to the disliked flavour and satiating properties of ONS. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sweetness intensity and thickness on intake and sensory sequential profile of an ONS. It was hypothesized that lower sweetness intensity and thickness would decrease oro-sensory stimulation and satiety, improve the sensory profile, and thus, improve ONS intake. The effect of sweetness intensity and thickness on intake and satiety was investigated using a 2 × 2 design (low-high-sweetness and thin/thick). Participants (n = 36) consumed each ONS to satiation. Each ONS was identical in macronutrient and calorie content. Appetite and thirst were measured throughout the morning of the test. Additionally, an expert sensory panel (n = 11), performed a sensory sequential profile of each ONS. No effect of sweetness intensity was found. Results showed that 33% more of the thin, compared to thick, ONS was consumed, without affecting satiety. Furthermore, mouth-drying first increased, up to a consumption volume of 300 ml, and then decreased, independent of sweetness intensity and thickness. In conclusion, this study showed that an ONS with lower thickness increased intake in healthy adults, without affecting satiety. This implies that, for ONS, attention should not be solely focused on nutritional content. Instead, a sensory-nutrition approach is recommended that balances nutritional content with oro-sensory cues. This proof of concept should be further investigated with malnourished older adults.

中文翻译：

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口服营养补充剂的甜味强度和厚度如何影响摄入量和饱腹感

摘要 口服营养补充剂（ONS）可用于改善营养不良患者的营养状况，但其有效性取决于摄入是否充足。由于 ONS 令人讨厌的味道和饱腹感，这并不总是能够实现。本研究的目的是研究甜味强度和厚度对 ONS 的摄入量和感官序列特征的影响。据推测，较低的甜味强度和厚度会减少口腔感官刺激和饱腹感，改善感官特征，从而提高 ONS 摄入量。使用 2 × 2 设计（低-高甜度和薄/厚）研究甜味强度和厚度对摄入量和饱腹感的影响。参与者 (n = 36) 消耗每个 ONS 至饱。每个 ONS 在常量营养素和卡路里含量方面都是相同的。在整个上午的测试中测量食欲和口渴。此外，一个专家感官小组 (n = 11) 对每个 ONS 进行了感官序列分析。未发现甜味强度的影响。结果表明，与厚的相比，薄的多吃 33%，在不影响饱腹感的情况下。此外，口干首先增加，达到 300 毫升的消费量，然后减少，与甜味强度和厚度无关。总之，这项研究表明，具有较低厚度的 ONS 会增加健康成年人的摄入量，而不会影响饱腹感。这意味着，对于 ONS，注意力不应该仅仅集中在营养成分上。相反，建议采用感官营养方法来平衡营养成分与口感官线索。