Effect of fiber and protein-enriched pasta formulations on satiety-related sensations and afternoon snacking in Italian healthy female subjects

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of consuming different fiber and protein-enriched pasta formulations on satiety response and on mid-afternoon energy intake. Twenty Italian young healthy female subjects participated to a randomized repeated measure study design developed to evaluate the effect on satiety and energy intake of five different pasta formulations, i.e. high fiber, high fiber and high protein, high protein from soy, high protein from egg white, and standard commercial pasta consumed at lunch. The formulations together with a portion of fruit were consumed on five different occasions followed by an ad libitum snack meal proposed 2 h later. Before, immediately after the lunch consumption, and every 30 min until snack time, satiety sensations were assessed by visual analogue scales. In addition, mid-afternoon energy and macronutrient intake consumed with the snacks were calculated. Compared to the control pasta, all the formulations significantly affected satiety-related sensations. Palatability-related attributes of pasta were positively correlated to snack energy intake, whereas fullness sensation was negatively correlated. Among the formulations tested only the fiber and protein-enriched pasta significantly reduced energy intake following the ad libitum snack consumption (p < 0.05). Overall, these findings suggest that pasta enriched with a combination of fiber and protein, might be effective in the modulation of appetite sensations, thus suggesting a new concept-pasta formulation for the modulation of eating behavior. These results are interesting considering that pasta is a staple food in different target groups of the population.