This research was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and purchasing behaviour of consumers regarding lactose-free foods. Study data were collected from 1882 individuals with the help of a questionnaire form. Attitudes towards animal welfare, healthy nutrition and gastrointestinal symptoms were also evaluated. The majority (86.6%) of the participants reported that they had heard of the concept of lactose-free foods before, but more than half (67.0%) did not report buying them because of their higher costs compared to regular products and lack of sufficient information. Not causing gas/bloating (32.5%) and being healthier (28.3%) were shown to be the most significant motivational factors in purchasing lactose-free foods (P < 0.05). The factors affecting purchase of lactose-free products were education, employment status, history of having a food intolerance test and animal welfare perception together with higher scores from the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale, and attitude scale for healthy nutrition (P < 0.05). Body mass index was not found to be an effective factor determining purchase intention. The results provide a general overview of consumers, however, further studies on other demographic groups are needed.

Our current society is characterized by an increased availability of industrially processed foods with high salt, fat and sugar content. How is it that some people prefer these unhealthy foods while others prefer more healthy foods? It is suggested that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. The aim of this study was to (1) identify food preference clusters in the largest twin-family study into food preference to date and (2) determine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in food preference in the Netherlands. Principal component analysis was performed to identify the preference clusters by using data on food liking/disliking from 16,541 adult multiples and their family members. To estimate the heritability of food preference, the data of 7833 twins were used in structural equation models. We identified seven food preference clusters (Meat, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Savory snacks, Sweet snacks and Spices) and one cluster with Drinks. Broad-sense heritability (additive [A] + dominant [D] genetic factors) for these clusters varied between .36 and .60. Dominant genetic effects were found for the clusters Fruit, Fish (males only) and Spices. Quantitative sex differences were found for Meat, Fish and Savory snacks and Drinks. To conclude, our study convincingly showed that genetic factors play a significant role in food preference. A next important step is to identify these genes because genetic vulnerability for food preference is expected to be linked to actual food consumption and different diet-related disorders.

Alcohol consumption around the time of conception is highly prevalent in Western countries. Exposure to ethanol levels during gestation has been associated with altered development of the mesolimbic reward pathway in rats and increased propensity to addiction, however the effect of exposure only around the time of conception is unknown. The current study investigated the effects of periconceptional alcohol exposure (PC:EtOH) on alcohol and palatable food preferences and gene expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens of the adult offspring. Rats were exposed to a liquid diet containing ethanol (EtOH) (12.5% vol/vol) or a control diet from 4 days before mating until 4 days after mating. PC:EtOH had no effect on alcohol preference in either sex. At 15 months of age, however, male PC:EtOH offspring consumed more high-fat food when compared with male control offspring, but this preference was not observed in females. Expression of the dopamine receptor type 1 (Drd1a) was lower in the VTA of male PC:EtOH offspring compared with their control counterparts. There was no effect of PC:EtOH on mRNA expression of the µ-opioid receptor, tyrosine hydroxylase (Th), dopamine receptor type 2 (Drd2) or dopamine active transporter (Slc6a3). These data support the hypothesis that periconceptional alcohol exposure can alter expression of key components of the mesolimbic reward pathway and heighten the preference of offspring for palatable foods and may therefore increase their propensity towards diet-induced obesity. These results highlight the importance of alcohol avoidance when planning a pregnancy.

Food liking-disliking patterns may strongly influence food choices and health. Here we assess: (1) whether food preference patterns are genetic/environmentally driven; and (2) the relationship between metabolomics profiles and food preference patterns in a large population of twins. 2,107 individuals from TwinsUK completed an online food and lifestyle preference questionnaire. Principle components analysis was undertaken to identify patterns of food liking-disliking. Heritability estimates for each liking pattern were obtained by structural equation modeling. The correlation between blood metabolomics profiles (280 metabolites) and each food liking pattern was assessed in a subset of 1,491 individuals and replicated in an independent subset of monozygotic twin pairs discordant for the liking pattern (65 to 88 pairs). Results from both analyses were meta-analyzed. Four major food-liking patterns were identified (Fruit and Vegetable, Distinctive Tastes, Sweet and High Carbohydrate, and Meat) accounting for 26% of the total variance. All patterns were moderately heritable (Fruit and Vegetable, h2[95% CI]: 0.36 [0.28; 0.44]; Distinctive Tastes: 0.58 [0.52; 0.64]; Sweet and High Carbohydrate: 0.52 [0.45, 0.59] and Meat: 0.44 [0.35; 0.51]), indicating genetic factors influence food liking-disliking. Overall, we identified 14 significant metabolite associations (Bonferroni p < 4.5 × 10−5) with Distinctive Tastes (8 metabolites), Sweet and High Carbohydrate (3 metabolites), and Meat (3 metabolites). Food preferences follow patterns based on similar taste and nutrient characteristics and these groupings are strongly determined by genetics. Food preferences that are strongly genetically determined (h2 ≥ 0.40), such as for meat and distinctive-tasting foods, may influence intakes more substantially, as demonstrated by the metabolomic associations identified here.

We have developed a sheep model to facilitate studies of the fetal programming effects of mismatched perinatal and postnatal nutrition. During the last trimester of gestation, twenty-one twin-bearing ewes were fed a normal diet fulfilling norms for energy and protein (NORM) or 50 % of a normal diet (LOW). From day 3 postpartum to 6 months (around puberty) of age, one twin lamb was fed a conventional (CONV) diet and the other a high-carbohydrate–high-fat (HCHF) diet, resulting in four groups of offspring: NORM-CONV; NORM-HCHF; LOW-CONV; LOW-HCHF. At 6 months of age, half of the lambs (all males and three females) were slaughtered for further examination and the other half (females only) were transferred to a moderate sheep diet until slaughtered at 24 months of age (adulthood). Maternal undernutrition during late gestation reduced the birth weight of LOW offspring (P< 0·05), and its long-term effects were increased adrenal size in male lambs and adult females (P< 0·05), increased neonatal appetite for fat-(P= 0·004) rather than carbohydrate-rich feeds (P< 0·001) and reduced deposition of subcutaneous fat in both sexes (P< 0·05). Furthermore, LOW-HCHF female lambs had markedly higher visceral:subcutaneous fat ratios compared with the other groups (P< 0·001). Postnatal overfeeding (HCHF) resulted in obesity (>30 % fat in soft tissue) and widespread ectopic lipid deposition. In conclusion, our sheep model revealed strong pre- and postnatal impacts on growth, food preferences and fat deposition patterns. The present findings support a role for subcutaneous adipose tissue in the development of visceral adiposity, which in humans is known to precede the development of the metabolic syndrome in human adults.

A high-Na diet may lead to the development of hypertension in both humans and rats; however, the causes of Na intake in amounts greater than physiologically needed as well as the mechanisms whereby high-Na food elevates blood pressure are not clear. Therefore, we decided to test the hypothesis that a high-Na diet introduced after suckling affects Na intake, food preference, resting blood pressure and blood volume in adult rats. Male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, 4 weeks old, were divided into three groups and placed on either a high-Na (3·28%), a medium-Na (0·82%) or a regular diet (0·22%) with the same energy content for 8 weeks. Subsequently, food preference, resting arterial blood pressure, blood volume, plasma osmolality and Na blood level were evaluated. When offered a choice of diets, all the groups preferred the regular chow, and there was no significant difference in total Na intake between the groups. When the rats experienced the change from their initial chow to a new one with different Na content, they continued to eat the same amount of food. Body weight, resting arterial blood pressure, blood volume, plasma osmolality and Na blood level were comparable between the groups. In conclusion, the results show that a high-Na diet introduced immediately after suckling does not affect Na preference and Na intake in adult WKY rats. Furthermore, the findings provide evidence that both blood volume and arterial blood pressure are highly protected in normotensive rats on a high-Na diet.

Two dung beetle assemblages from rainforest and open forest in the wet tropics of north-eastern Australia are described. The fauna was sampled using flight intercept traps, baited pitfall traps and light traps, with flight intercept traps being the most effective sampling technique. Dung beetle species were found to be highly habitat specific with a switch from rainforest to open forest assemblages occurring over tens of metres. The majority of the fauna was active at night. The most abundant species were attracted to a variety of food types but several species appeared to specialize on either dung or mushrooms.

Greylag (Anscr anser) and Barheaded Geese (Anser indicus) wintering in the Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, have habitat and food preferences which are comparable to overwintering geese in other parts of the world These geese preferred to eat the dominant grass species in the Park, Paspalum distichum, as determined by a comparison of the mean proportion of Paspalum of the total food eaten by Greylag and Barheaded Geese (0 932 & 0 971, respectively) with the mean availability of Paspalum in the wetland (0 795) However, based on a habitat study at the end of their overwintering season in February 1986, both species of geese used sites with the same amount of Paspalum distichum cover (c 14%) as sites that they did not use (c 14%)

The means of habitat characteristics of sites geese used versus sites they did not use, respectively, are given here in order of their relative preference based on rankings of their standardized means Greylags preferred sites which were grazed concurrently by other species of herbivores (frequency = 0 9 & 0 4), were farther from trees with Painted Stork nests (Mycteria leucocephala; 981 & 887 m) and from trees in general (49 & 26 m), or had deeper water 61 & 49 cm) However, Greylags did not prefer sites which were farther from open water (65 & 223 m), had been cut by hand (frequency = <0 1 & 0 1), were farther from vegetation dominated by Vetivcria zizanioides (668 & 842m), had been bulldozed (frequency = <0 1 & 0 1), or had any amount of cover of the exotic aquatic weed, Eichhornia crassipes (0 0 & 0 3%)

Barheaded Geese preferred sites which were remote from the Park boundary (1156 & 757m), were farther from any road (423 & 235 m), had been grazed by geese in 1984 (0 3 & <0 1), had higher covers of droppings (0 4 & 0 1%), or had been burned in the previous summer (frequency = 02 & 0 1) They did not prefer sites which had deeper water (25 & 61 cm), had been grazed by geese in 1985 (frequency = 0 0 & 0 5), were farther from vegetation dominated by Vetivcria (511 & 733 m), had been bulldozed (frequency = 0 0 & 0 1), or were farther from open water (29 & 115 m) This information can be used to construct management plans for Greylag and Barheaded Geese overwintering in the Keoladeo National Park and other parts of northern India

The distributional patterns and food preferences of some cerrado vegetation termites were studied in an area of 2500 m2 in south-east Brazil. All the termitaria were mapped and opened for identification of the species present. Their spatial distribution was studied using the nearest neighbour method (Clark & Evans 1954). We found 46 termite species in 450 nests. The majority of them were wood feeders. The general distribution of termitaria was regular. The distributional patterns of grass and litter feeders were not significantly different from a random distribution. Soil and organic matter feeders were contagiously distributed. The distribution of wood feeders was also contagious. Their spatial distribution was largely influenced by the distribution of the species Nasutitermes sp. 1 and Armitermes euamignathus. These two species occurred in two distinct patches, suggesting resource partitioning.

Seed predation is an important component of seed mortality of weeds in agro-ecosystems, but the agronomic use and management of this natural weed suppression is hampered by a lack of insight in the underlying ecological processes. In this paper, we investigate whether and how spatial and temporal variation in activity-density of granivorous ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) results in a corresponding pattern of seed predation. Activity-density of carabids was measured by using pitfall traps in two organic winter wheat fields from March to July 2004. Predation of seeds (Capsella bursa-pastoris, Lamium amplexicaule, Poa annua and Stellaria media) was assessed using seed cards at the same sites and times. As measured by pitfall traps, carabids were the dominant group of insects that had access to the seed cards. In the field, predation of the four different species of seed was in the order: C. bursa-pastoris>P. annua>S. media>L. amplexicaule; and this order of preference was confirmed in the laboratory using the dominant species of carabid. On average, seed predation was higher in the field interior compared to the edge, whereas catches of carabids were highest near the edge. Weeks with elevated seed predation did not concur with high activity-density of carabids. Thus, patterns of spatial and temporal variation in seed predation were not matched by similar patterns in the abundance of granivorous carabid beetles. The lack of correspondence is ascribed to effects of confounding factors, such as weather, the background density of seeds, the composition of the carabid community, and the phenology and physiological state of the beetles. Our results show that differences in seed loss among weed species may be predicted from laboratory trials on preference. However, predator activity-density, as measured in pitfall traps, is an insufficient predictor of seed predation over time and space within a field.

Human food intake is driven by necessity. We eat to live, but as Brillat-Savarin and others have noted throughout history, in affluent societies eating is a pleasure and becomes more than a means to an end.Eating signifies lifestyle choice and it has considerable meaning in our society beyond the acquisition of essential energy and nutrients. Thus, it is that the study of human food intake, particularly food choice, in contrast to food intake in other animals, tends to be skewed towards measures of behavioural, social and environmental influences rather than on precise physiological processes reflecting metabolism and nutrient partitioning. The dichotomy between physiological and psychological measures is a false one, since all behaviours are necessarily expressed through physiological systems. However, in the field of human food intake research the dichotomy refers to the divergent strands of interest in either psychological or physiological processes underlying intake and appetite. The present review considers both psychological and physiological measures in promoting our understanding of the human appetite system. The overall conclusion is that the burgeoning interest in identifying appetite suppressant drugs to combat obesity and in genotyping alongside behavioural phenotyping will close the gap between psychological and physiological perspectives on human food intake.

Since the food habits of many elderly people are inadequate, the first experiment of the present study tested whether flavour amplification induces changes in preferences for and consumption of food and thus might result in a nutritional benefit. Two panels, one of 260 and one of 120 subjects, aged 19–98 years, took part in the study in which preferences for flavour-amplified yoghurt and Quorn® were measured. For both products, only a few of the young subjects (20 %) preferred the high flavour level; the percentage of subjects preferring the high flavour levels increased with age. These changes were highly significant. In a second experiment, participants received, under ad libitum conditions over 2 d in random order, a dish of yoghurt with either a high or a low flavour level. When adjusted for total consumption quantity, consumption of the highly flavoured yoghurt was not significantly correlated with age (r -0·03, P = 0·35). In a third experiment, odour perception was measured by determining the detection threshold for isoamylacetate. BMI values were obtained and the relationships between BMI and odour perception, age, preference and consumption were assessed in the age group 40–65 years. A significant correlation was observed between age and BMI (r 0·51, P < 0·0005). No significant correlation was observed between BMI and relative consumption of highly flavoured yoghurt (r -0·14, P = 0·14). A significant correlation was observed between BMI and preference for flavour-amplified yoghurt (r 0·35, P < 0·001). However, no significant correlation was observed between BMI and odour perception (r 0·07, P = 0·32). With increasing age, a combined influence of age, sex, BMI and odour perception on food preference is to be expected. According to our multiple regression analysis, BMI showed a significant partial regression coefficient (standardized β 0·36, P = 0·03). In conclusion, flavour amplification of food for older adults deserves attention, but specific approaches, which are tailored to the candidate food systems and older adult target groups, are needed.

Since the food habits of many elderly people are inadequate, the first experiment of the present study tested whether flavour amplification induces changes in preferences for and consumption of food and thus might result in a nutritional benefit. Two panels, one of 260 and one of 120 subjects, aged 19–98 years, took part in the study in which preferences for flavour-amplified yoghurt and Quorn® were measured. For both products, only a few of the young subjects (20 %) preferred the high flavour level; the percentage of subjects preferring the high flavour levels increased with age. These changes were highly significant. In a second experiment, participants received, under ad libitum conditions over 2 d in random order, a dish of yoghurt with either a high or a low flavour level. When adjusted for total consumption quantity, consumption of the highly flavoured yoghurt was not significantly correlated with age (r -0·03, P = 0·35). In a third experiment, odour perception was measured by determining the detection threshold for isoamylacetate. BMI values were obtained and the relationships between BMI and odour perception, age, preference and consumption were assessed in the age group 40–65 years. A significant correlation was observed between age and BMI (r 0·51, P < 0·0005). No significant correlation was observed between BMI and relative consumption of highly flavoured yoghurt (r -0·14, P = 0·14). A significant correlation was observed between BMI and preference for flavour-amplified yoghurt (r 0·35, P < 0·001). However, no significant correlation was observed between BMI and odour perception (r 0·07, P = 0·32). With increasing age, a combined influence of age, sex, BMI and odour perception on food preference is to be expected. According to our multiple regression analysis, BMI showed a significant partial regression coefficient (standardized β 0·36, P = 0·03). In conclusion, flavour amplification of food for older adults deserves attention, but specific approaches, which are tailored to the candidate food systems and older adult target groups, are needed.