Study on the influence of age, gender and familiarity with the product on the acceptance of vegetable soups

Oral Sensitivity to Flowability and Food Neophobia Drive Food Preferences and Choice

The study aimed to investigate the role of sensitivity to flowability on food liking and choice, the relationship between sensitivity to flowability and food neophobia, and its role in food liking. Five chocolate creams were prepared with different levels of flowability, and rheological measurements were performed to characterise them. One hundred seventy-six subjects filled in the Food Neophobia Scale and a food choice questionnaire (FCq). The FCq was developed to evaluate preferences within a pair of food items similar in flavour but different in texture. Secondly, the subjects evaluated their liking for creams (labelled affective magnitude (LAM) scale) and the flowability intensity (generalised labelled magnitude (gLM) scale). The subjects were clustered into three groups of sensitivity and two groups of choice preference. The effect of individual flowability sensitivity on food choice was investigated. Finally, the subjects were clustered into two groups according to their food neophobia level. The sensitivity to flowability significantly affected the liking of chocolate creams and the solid food choice. The liking of chocolate creams was also affected by the individual level of neophobia (p = 0.01), which, in turn, was not correlated to flowability sensitivity. These results confirm that texture sensitivity and food neophobia affect what a person likes and drives what a person chooses to eat.

Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Properties of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Leaves and the Consumer Acceptability in Vegetable Soup

The purpose of this study is to determine the chemical compositions, anti-nutrient compositions, antioxidant properties, and phenolic profile of the leaves of orange fleshed sweet potato varieties [King J (UMUSPO1) and mother's delight (UMUSPO2)] in Nigeria and their suitabilities in soup preparation. Freshly harvested leaves of the two varieties of orange fleshed sweet potato were sorted, cleaned, dried, and milled into powder. The dried leaves were assessed for their chemical compositions viz proximate and mineral compositions, the anti-nutrient compositions, antioxidant properties, and phenolic profile. The overall acceptability of the leafy vegetables in the preparation of a local soup (Edikang Ikong) was evaluated. The ash, fat, and protein contents of UMUSPO1 leaves were higher than UMUSPO2, similarly UMUSPO1 leaves had higher mineral contents. Phytate and saponin contents were higher in UMUSPO2, however, the calculated molar ratios were below critical levels. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay were higher in UMUSPO1. Seven phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in both leaves with gallic acid being the most abundant. The taste of soup prepared with UMUSPO2 was rated higher, however, no significant difference was observed in the overall acceptability of the soups. The two leaves are good sources of nutritional antioxidants and can be suitable for the management of some disease conditions linked to oxidative stress.

Using Cross-Cultural Consumer Liking Data to Explore Acceptability of PGI Bread-Waterford Blaa

Waterford Blaa is one of only four Irish food products granted protected geographical (PGI) status by the European Commission. This study aimed to determine whether cultural background/product familiarity, gender, and/or age impacted consumer liking of three Waterford Blaa products and explored product acceptability between product-familiar and product-unfamiliar consumer cohorts in Ireland and the UK, respectively. Familiarity with Blaa impacted consumer liking, particularly with respect to characteristic flour dusting, which is a unique property of Waterford Blaa. UK consumers felt that all Blaas had too much flour. Blaa A had the heaviest amount of flouring and was the least preferred for UK consumers, who liked it significantly less than Irish consumers (p < 0.05). Flavour was also important for UK consumers. Blaa C delivered a stronger oven baked odour/flavour compared to Blaa A and was the most preferred by UK consumers. Irish consumer liking was more influenced by the harder texture of Blaa B, which was their least preferred product. Age and gender did not impact liking for Blaas within Irish consumers, but gender differences were observed among UK consumers, males liking the appearance significantly more than females. This is the first paper comparing Waterford Blaa liking of naïve UK consumers with Irish consumers familiar with the product.

Effect of component quality on sensory characteristics of a fish soup

The foodservice industry is a highly competitive branch where customer satisfaction and loyalty is dependent on the price and the quality of the food. To improve cost competitiveness, instead of fresh ingredients, more preprocessed items are used as components in dishes. This may impair the perceived product quality, and thus potentially decrease customer satisfaction. The effects of the component quality on a single dish were tested by serving fish soup in a consumer study (n = 205), and by serving the dish to an in-house panel (n = 17) using a modified check-all-that-apply method. The variable used for the quality of the fish and vegetable components was a previously unprocessed/fresh component being compared to a processed. This study showed that in a modular dish, each component had an effect on the perceived quality of the dish. When replacing a preprocessed component with a fresh one, the perceived pleasantness increased to a higher level. The fish as the main dish component had the largest effect on the quality. Fresh fish has the ability to enhance the taste of soup, even with frozen vegetables. The results from this study indicate that the effect of freshness can also be perceived in the cooked product.

Food menus evaluation for most liked products in children from Puna, region of Argentina

The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptability of varied food menus, preferred by children of 11-14 years located at Puna (3500 m.a.s.l.), in young urban people. The children drew "the preferred menu" which showed that the consumption of vegetables as a main course was comfortable when it was consumed in the form of soups and mixed vegetables. However, some imbalances were detected when evaluating the percentage of daily nutritional values and the caloric distribution of nutrients. Consumer's hedonic scores showed significant acceptability to the cheese empanadas, Andean potato cake and Andean mashed potato. The free word association test suggested that, because of their relationship with culture, the Andean mashed potato, verde potato stew with charqui and anchi of apple could be offered as a traditional food. The acceptability of meals was largely related to the meals having the highest input of energy, fat and carbohydrates but containing the least content of protein and dietary fiber.