Abstract
This study examined the impact of perceived volume on satiety using 400 g kimchi fried rice in a normal rice bowl (Normal-400), 300 g kimchi fried rice in an augmented rice bowl with an elevated bottom (Illusion-300 and 300 g kimchi fried rice in a normal rice bowl (Normal-300). Thirty-six healthy women took part in this study once a week for three weeks. The Normal-400 (1st week), Illusion-300 (2nd week), and Normal-300 (3rd week) bowls were used to served kimchi fried rice to the same participants over three consecutive weeks. After each lunch, the consumption volume of fried rice, perception volume, and satiety rate were measured. The consumption volume of the fried rice was 313.8 g with the Normal-400, 248.9 g with the Illusion-300 and 240.2 g with the Normal-300. The perceived volume on an estimated five-point scale was 4.0 with the Normal-400, 4.1 with the Illusion-300 and 2.4 with the Normal-300. We compared the post-meal satiety of perceptually equal but quantitatively different amounts of food served in two different bowls (Normal-400 vs Illusion-300) and found that the participants felt equally full with both bowls despite having consumed significantly more food from the Normal-400. We also compared the post-meal satiety of perceptually different but quantitatively equal amounts of food in two different bowls (Illusion-300 vs Normal-300) and discovered that the subjects felt significantly fuller with the Illusion-300 although similar amounts of food were consumed from the two bowls. These two comparisons showed that visual cues play a critical role in determining satiety and that perceived volume is perhaps more important than the actual volume of consumed food, while in determining the level of fullness.
