Increasing Vegetable Intake Using Monosodium Glutamate: A Reduced-Effort Intervention

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Sodium Excess; Culinary Medicine; Healthy Nutrition
• Interventions: Behavioral: Salt replacement seasoning (50% salt and 50% MSG) mix; Behavioral: Salt replacement seasoning (70% salt and 30% MSG) mix; Behavioral: NaCl (sodium chloride/table salt)

• Registration Number: NCT05591612
• Lead Sponsor: Texas Tech University

Brief Summary

Food Intake Study: This will be a 4-week randomized controlled intervention study with a vegetable intake questionnaire, daily food intake, and seasoning usage measurement to test the acceptability of different seasoning ingredients and vegetable intake in healthy adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (a) vegetables prepared with 50% NaCl and 50% MSG (50/50MSG Mix); (b) vegetables prepared with 70% NaCl and 30% MSG (70/30 MSG Mix); (c) vegetables prepared with NaCl (table salt).

Sensory Evaluation Study: A sensory evaluation utilizing all seasoning methods from the intervention will be conducted at a Texas Tech University culinary education lab. In a Texas Tech University culinary education lab, 2-4 vegetables will be cooked and seasoned with either 50/50MSG Mix, 70/30 MSG Mix, or NaCl for taste testing. Then, using a standardized form, participants will rate their acceptability and preference of each vegetable, including sensory characteristics such as appearance, color, odor, texture, and flavor.

Detailed Description

Food Intake Study: This will be a 4-week randomized controlled intervention study with a vegetable intake questionnaire, daily food intake, and seasoning usage measurement to test the acceptability of different seasoning ingredients and vegetable intake in healthy adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (a) vegetables prepared with 50% NaCl and 50% MSG (50/50MSG Mix); (b) vegetables prepared with 70% NaCl and 30% MSG (70/30 MSG Mix); (c) vegetables prepared with NaCl (table salt). Before the intervention, each group will be asked to keep a daily food intake record for one week to determine baseline vegetable intake. Each group will receive a culinary medicine program electronically, including recipe demonstrations, cooking skills, and nutrition education videos to provide instruction for vegetable consumption according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to each treatment group, a bottle of seasoning ingredients will be provided to use on vegetables. Prior to the intervention, participants will be 1) instructed on how to track daily food intake data using the MyFitnessPal® app, 2) track food intake for seven days, and 3) complete a questionnaire regarding vegetable intake pre-intervention. According to the group assignment, each treatment group will also receive a bottle of a seasoning blend that includes either 50/50MSG Mix, 70/30 MSG Mix, or NaCl to use on vegetables prepared at home. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, culinary medicine education (recipe demonstrations, cooking skills, and education videos for vegetable consumption) will be delivered electronically at baseline and once per week for four weeks to each participant. For four weeks, participants will track all meals daily, including vegetables prepared with designated seasoning at home. Remote follow-ups and dietary intake will be conducted weekly. After the intervention, the participants will 1) complete the same vegetable intake questionnaire for the four weeks of the intervention and 2) return the bottle of seasoning blend provided. Usage of seasoning for four weeks will be recorded. Data analyses will evaluate the changes in outcomes within and between groups. Participants will also be informed of the sensory evaluation study to be included among other participants of that study. MSG_Diet Food Questionaries (Updated).docx MyFitness Pal instructions.docx

Sensory Evaluation Study: A sensory evaluation utilizing all seasoning methods from the intervention will be conducted at a Texas Tech University culinary education lab. In a Texas Tech University culinary education lab, 2-4 vegetables will be cooked and seasoned with either 50/50MSG Mix, 70/30 MSG Mix, or NaCl for taste testing. Then, using a standardized form, participants will rate their acceptability and preference of each vegetable, including sensory characteristics such as appearance, color, odor, texture, and flavor.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-21
• Study First Posted: 2022-10-24
• Study Start: 2023-02-10
• Primary Completion: 2023-11-15
• Study Completion: 2023-11-15
• Status Verified: 2024-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-07-30
• Last Update Posted: 2024-08-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 148

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years old and above

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Exclusion Criteria

• Allergy or aversion to MSG (monosodium glutamate) or potassium chloride
• Those that do not have a smart phone with the ability to download an app.
• Those who do not have a full kitchen and the willingness and ability to prepare vegetables according to a recipes.
• Those with an allergy, aversion, or dislike to vegetables that would make them not consume any vegetables during the study

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
50% NaCl and 50% MSG Seasoning Mix	Salt replacement seasoning (50% salt and 50% MSG) mix	Participants received cooking demonstrations and nutrition education, and were asked to use the seasoning provided (50% NaCl and 50% MSG Seasoning Mix) on vegetables and foods prepared. Then they recorded their food intake to compare vegetable intake to other groups.
70% NaCl and 30% MSG Seasoning Mix	Salt replacement seasoning (70% salt and 30% MSG) mix	Participants received cooking demonstrations and nutrition education, and were asked to use the seasoning provided (70% NaCl and 30% MSG Seasoning Mix) on vegetables and foods prepared. Then they recorded their food intake to compare vegetable intake to other groups.
NaCl seasoning	NaCl (sodium chloride/table salt)	Active Control Participants received cooking demonstrations and nutrition education, and were asked to use table salt on vegetables and foods prepared. Then they recorded their food intake to compare vegetable intake to other groups.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Vegetable Intake	5 weeks	To assess the consumption of vegetables by the participant measured by data from self-recorded diet as entered in smart phone application (My Fitness Pal©).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Vegetable Palatability	day one (15 minutes)	Triangle Sensory Evaluation Test; Triangle Test Scale; * Scale Title: Confidence Scale for Triangle Test; * Minimum Value: 1 (indicating "not confident"); * Maximum Value: 5 (indicating "completely confident"); * Higher Scores Indicate: A better outcome in terms of confidence level in identifying the odd sample out. Higher scores reflect greater confidence in distinguishing between the NaCl/MSG mixtures and pure NaCl.
Seasoning Usage	5 weeks	Determine which group used the most seasoning Each group will be provided a bottle of seasoning. It will be weighed prior to them taking the seasoning. The participants will be asked to bring the remaining seasoning back to weight to determine the amount of seasoning usage during the 4 week study.; Usage of seasoning for four weeks will be recorded.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Nutrition and Metabolic Health Initiative; 🇺🇸 Lubbock, Texas, United States