The Gummy Flavor Game Protocol: Gamifying Vegetable Flavor Exposure to Increase Liking

OBJECTIVES: Vegetable consumption in the U.S. population is well below recommendations, which relates to poorer health outcomes. Both adults and children report that unpleasant flavor is a common reason for avoiding vegetables. This flavor problem, however, should be manageable, as myriad studies indicate that repeated exposure to flavors, even unpleasant vegetable flavors, improves acceptability. Yet, increasing exposure to vegetables is difficult, as vegetables are often less convenient to consume and less available than other foods. We propose to address this barrier to repeated exposure through use of a game, challenging players to identify flavors in vegetable flavored gummy candies. METHODS: This pilot project will test the efficacy of our game in college students. Baseline testing will collect sensory ratings (bitterness, sweetness, and disliking/liking) of pureed and chopped target (exposed in game) and non-target (not exposed in game) vegetables. Baseline testing will also ask about habitual intake and attitudes toward fruits and vegetables. Participants will then complete a 2-week game phase, where they will play the game once per day, with sensory evaluation of the pureed/chopped vegetables repeated at the beginning, middle, and end of the game phase. Participants will be randomly assigned to a control group (non-vegetable flavors) or a vegetable group (vegetable flavors). RESULTS: At the end of the experiment, we will have data on how liking and sensation of vegetables change after 2 weeks of playing the game, and whether baseline or changes in sensory ratings are influenced by dietary intake of and attitudes towards fruits and vegetables. We expect the vegetable group to show improved sensory ratings for the target vegetables, with lesser/no changes in ratings for the non-target vegetables. Additionally, we expect to see no or minimal changes in any sensory ratings for the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This work will test an innovative approach to improve vegetable acceptance. As a result, we will have initial data on whether this approach might be useful for helping people improve their diets. Future work will build on this, using the game in tandem with approaches to improve access to vegetables and preparation skills. FUNDING SOURCES: Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences