Richard D. Mattes is an American nutrition scientist and distinguished professor in the department of nutrition science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.[1] He has been described as one of America's leading nutrition scientists.[2]
In 2007, Mattes co-authored a study which found that people who consumed caloric beverages did not compensate for the calories in them as much as people who consumed solid food.[3][4] In 2015, he published a study reporting that the taste of fat deserved to be considered another basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Mattes and his co-authors coined the term "oleogustus" to describe this taste.[5][6] As of 2013, Mattes was also working on researching the health effects of nuts, with the aim of determining whether they can remain appealing as a substitute for other snacks.[2]