Food, Nutrition and Behavior Program of the Wageningen University and Research Center

Fighting “Globesity” with innovative food products

Wageningen University and Research Center executes a cutting edge R&D program on Food, Nutrition and Behavior. With an annual investment of €50 million, this effort represents one of the University’s key research and educational domains.

A key focus within this program is seeking solutions for the global obesity problem, often referred to as “globesity,” as well as to other food-related diseases.

“We believe that globesity can be conquered,” says Dr. Charon Zondervan, program coordinator. Exploration into food composition, functional food production, and dietary programs, as well as educating consumers on sustainable eating patterns and increased exercise will ultimately pay off.

“For example,” Zondervan continues, “increasing the satiating power of food products may change eating habits and positively impact health. In this regard, both satiation, early meal termination, and satiety, a prolonged feeling of fullness, offer interesting product formulation options for agro-food companies.”

Below are two examples of R&D in this area that will not only strengthen the industry’s knowledge base, but represent potential advantages for companies in this highly competitive food market.

“Satiety and Satisfaction” program

The “Satiety and Satisfaction” program focuses on the intriguing relationship between the immediate sensory effects of food and its long-term effects on health. It consists of four distinct research projects, each sharing the same objective as well as, for example, the type of nutrients studied. Satiety is studied in several ways, varying from the molecular and cellular level up to human behavior. In the first project, led by Professor Kees de Graaf, food preferences in early childhood are being studied. One of the objectives is to determine whether or not taste preferences can be actively developed, for example, in order to stimulate vegetable consumption. The development of plant-derived satiety-enhancing foods is one of the challenges in this exploration.

A second project, under the supervision of Professor Hans van Trijp, studies the effects of satiety-enhancing tools on consumer purchase, as well as consumption and nutrient intake levels. Effective positioning of plant-derived satiety-enhancing foods is one of the goals — thereby maximizing their public health value and economic impact. In the third project, managed by professor Edith Feskens, the functionality of dietary fibers in the gut is studied. Dietary fibers are believed to prevent obesity and diabetes by affecting satiety. Research suggests that a variety of mechanisms are involved, and it may well be that the mechanism depends on the type of fiber. Improvement of the satiating capacity of fiber-rich foods can be effected through food processing and/or adapting food composition. Last but not least, the fourth research line, guided by Professor Michael Müller and Professor Bas Kemp, addresses satiety in relation to gut fermentation. To-date, detailed interactions between various feedback mechanisms throughout the gastrointestinal tract and with diet- and individual-related factors are poorly understood. Increasing knowledge in this area is the subject of this research line. In this respect, intestinal peptides, hormones, receptors and fermentation products are being studied; various nutrigenomics tools are also being applied.

Sensory satiety: At the crossroads of nutritional, food technological, psychological and neurobiological science

Overweight and obese subjects do not eat more often, but they eat more during a meal. Because of a slower satiating capacity, meal termination is delayed. Professor Kees de Graaf has obtained substantial funding from the Technology Foundation STW for a project aimed at understanding the biological mechanisms behind this delayed satiating capacity and determining how food properties can cause accelerated meal termination. A key feature of this “Sensory Satiety” project is a close working partnership between the researchers and potential users of the results of that research. Food companies like Unilever, Royal FrieslandCampina, and Purac/CSM, as well as the Top Institute Food and Nutrition participate in the user committee and actively contribute to the project. The obtained knowledge enables the food industry to improve existing products and develop new foods with optimal satiety properties, without loss of pleasantness of taste — thereby helping people to maintain a moderate energy intake.

Sensory properties of food products (e.g., taste, smell and texture) also have a significant impact on food consumption. Sensory satiety refers to the decline in hedonic value (reward) to a particular food as it is consumed. The opioid and dopamine neurotransmitters systems play a significant role in this respect. Metabolic satiety refers to fullness, caused by physical fullness of the stomach and the release of gut hormones like CCK (Cholecystokinine) and GLP1 (Glucagon-like peptide1). The effect of sensory and metabolic satiety on meal size and the differences between obese and non-obese subjects is investigated. Biomarkers of sensory and metabolic satiety are also being studied in controlled intervention studies, as well as processes in the brain using neuroimaging techniques (MRI). The study also looks at the relationship between dynamic (time dependent) flavor release profiles of a fat-containing mousse (as a model product) and its sensory satiety properties, and manipulation of these physical/chemical properties, in order to improve sensory satiety capacity. The hypothesis is that the ability to control flavor release through fat provides an instrument to control sensory satiety via food products. In the end, a sensory satiety index for a broad range of food products will be developed which can serve as a tool for both the food industry, in terms of product design, as well as for consumers.

It was discovered, for instance, that products that differed in viscosity but were similar in palatability, macronutrient composition and energy density lead to significant differences in intake (in a real life setting). Chocolate-flavored liquid, semi-liquid and semi-solid dairy products that differed only with respect to their viscosity were compared. The intake of the liquid was respectively 14% and 30% higher compared to the semi-liquid and semi-solid products. Experimental, laboratory research revealed that a large part of these differences could be explained by the “eating rate” of the product (Zijlstra et al., Int J Obes 32: 676-683, 2008). De Graaf and his co-workers concluded that fluid calories are less satiating than solid calories and that only a weak energy compensation occurs after intake of liquid calories as compared to solid calories. On being asked, de Graaf declared that from an evolutionary perspective, humans are not equipped to sense liquid calories appropriately, which, in an obesogenic environment, is clearly a disadvantage. De Graaf calls upon industry to develop highly rewarding foods having a low energy density coinciding with a high satiety value.

	Contact Details: charon.zondervan@wur.nl
	kees.degraaf@wur.nl

About Wageningen University and Research Center

Wageningen University and Research Center, located in the heart of the Dutch Food Valley, is driven by its mission to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. The domain of Wageningen UR consists of three interconnected core areas: Health, Lifestyle and Livelihood, Food and Food Production, and Living Environment.

www.wur.nl

Please see us at the Holland Food Valley Pavilion, Booth #1419/1519, at the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo, June 6-9, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.

Also, please join us at a lecture (148-02) by Professor Kees de Graaf, entitled: “Generating Consumer Acceptance for Delicious Low Salt Foods,” on Monday, June 8, 1:55 p.m. — 2:15 p.m.