Psychophysiological Preference Monitoring by Cerebral Hemoglobin Measurement during Chewing an Apple Piece

Abstract

In recent years, non-invasive monitoring of psychophysiological preferences for identifying unconscious reactions by measuring brain activity has attracted attention. However, no prior studies on the perception and consumption of food and drink have examined cerebral activity during chewing. Also, there is no research on food with multiple tastes that is eaten on a daily basis. Therefore, we investigated psychophysiological food-preference when chewing an apple by assessing cerebral blood flow (CBF) by using fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy). Gustatory sense and food preferences can be distinguished. However, instead of controlling for the taste, psychophysiological preference for information about taste was manipulated by presenting a nameplate showing the area where the food was produced. Independent component analysis (ICA) of CBF signals suggested that the average rate of taste identification with the nameplate was high (94.5%). We also tested the effects of chewing, which had not been investigated in previous studies. This was expected to expand the scope of research and its possibilities. It is suggested that methods of eliminating artefacts during chewing and methods of identifying preferences devised in this study would be useful for psychophysiological monitoring.