title: Food neophobia and its relation with olfactory ability in common odour identification.
abstract: Food neophobia is strictly connected with many different aspects of human feeding, ranging from food preferences to food choice, from active chemosensory exploration of the world (sniffing and tasting) to physiological responses associated with alertness. Therefore in this study, we tested the ability of 167 participants (54 women and 113 men, aged between 20 and 59 years old) to correctly identify 36 common odours, and we verified whether such ability could be related to their level of neophobia toward food and to demographic parameters (i.e., age, gender, and smoking habits). In the analyses, an advantage in odour identification abilities for non-neophobic people over more-neophobic participants was observed. As for participants' demographic information, a smaller reluctance to try new food in older than younger people was highlighted. The results of the present study suggest a connection between the attitude toward the exploration of the chemosensory environment and the ability to identify odours.
authors: Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy. luisa.dematte@fmach.it
authors: M Luisa
authors: ML
authors: Demattè
authors: Isabella
authors: I
authors: Endrizzi
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Biasioli
authors: Maria Laura
authors: ML
authors: Corollaro
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Pojer
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Zampini
authors: Eugenio
authors: E
authors: Aprea
authors: Flavia
authors: F
authors: Gasperi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult