Measurement of product emotions using emoji surveys: Case studies with tasted foods and beverages

Neuroscience tools to study the effect of the presentation form on food-evoked emotion for senior population

The elderly population holds significance among consumers because many of them experience alterations in taste and smell or suffer from physical disorders. These factors can lead to reduced food intake, malnutrition, and, consequently, serious health problems. Therefore, there is a need to develop tailored products for seniors, offering both nutrition and appealing foods with easily consumable textures. Among the various characteristics of food, appearance stands out as one of the most critical aspects influencing food preferences and choices. Surprisingly, there is limited knowledge about how food shape affects the holistic emotional responses of seniors. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of food shape on the emotional responses of seniors. This exploration involved the use of explicit methods, such as self-reported questionnaires, and implicit methods, including the measurement of skin conductance responses and facial expressions, as well as their combination. To achieve this goal, we enlisted the participation of 50 individuals (54 % women) from the senior population aged between 55 and 75 years. These participants evaluated two food products with identical sensory characteristics in terms of taste, texture, and flavor. However, these products differed in terms of their shape. We measured their degree of liking and emotional responses using a 7-point hedonic scale, EsSense25, in conjunction with galvanic skin response, and facial expressions, which served as representatives of behavioural and physiological responses. The multivariate analysis allowed to examine sample configurations by gender and establish associations between variables. The combination of implicit and explicit methods led to better discrimination of samples of the same category than the use of each of the methods independently. Although both samples elicited equivalent liking perceptions, they evoked distinct emotional responses, measured at cognitive, physiological, and behavioural levels. In general, men and women experienced different emotions while observing, smelling, handling, or consuming both samples, both consciously and unconsciously. This newfound knowledge could be valuable when designing food products for this demographic. The ultimate goal is to engage consumers and enhance their enjoyment of the food experience by offering more visually appealing food options.

Breaking Conventional Eating Habits: Perception and Acceptance of 3D-Printed Food among Taiwanese University Students

Considering the prevalent strain on environmental resources imparted by existing food systems, prioritizing environmental sustainability is an imperative course of action. Subsequently, the shift towards sustainable production and consumption patterns engenders an escalating demand for environmentally conscious food systems. Thus, 3D-printed food technology surfaces are a promising solution noted for their efficacy in curtailing food waste, bolstering environmental sustainability, and imparting innovative strategies to the food supply chain. Herein, we amalgamate the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework with several variables, namely 'sensory appeal', 'food neophobia', 'perceived health risk', and 'environmental friendliness' to probe the behavioral intentions of Taiwanese university students' perceptions about 3D-printed food. Employing the snowball sampling method, 370 questionnaires were disseminated, out of which 319, constituting an effective retrieval rate of 86.2%, were deemed valid. Statistical analysis produced intriguing findings. Consumers' inclination to purchase 3D-printed food is substantially determined by their attitudes, subjective norms, sensory appeal, food neophobia, perceived health risks, and environmental friendliness. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, perceived behavioral control did not exhibit a significant impact on consumers' propensity to purchase 3D-printed food. Therefore, businesses should focus on magnifying the sensory appeal of 3D-printed food, coupled with precise nutritional labeling, to bolster consumer interest, enhance acceptance, and augment behavioral intentions. This study sheds light on the potential for the development of 3D-printed food in Taiwan, providing an indispensable reference for future endeavors in Taiwan's 3D-printed food industry.

Consumer quality management for beverage food products: analyzing consumer’ perceptions toward repurchase intention

Purpose

The research on consumerism has been dramatically rising in recent decades. However, in the food industry, little research has been empirically conducted in the beverage industry. This research empirically tests the consequences of consumer perceptions: perceived price (PPR), perceived quality (PQ), perceived packaging (PPG) and perceived taste (PT) on repurchase intention (RI) particularly; it unveils the consumer attributes, e.g. gender, age and ethnicity between consumer perceptions and RI of the consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 403 consumers of the beverage industry (e.g. Nestle, Mitchell's Fruit Farms, Murree Brewery and OMORE) in Pakistan. The researchers used online survey questionnaires followed by a cross-sectional approach because data collection physically was not possible due to COVID-19.

Findings

Data were analyzed by Smart partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) 3.3.3, and the results supported the significant influence of consumer perceptions separately, e.g. PPR, PQ, PPG and PT on RI. Additionally, gender, age and ethnicity were found to have a moderating role between consumer perceptions and RI, so, the truth of having consumer attributes has been revealed.

Practical implications

The managers of beverage industries should provide ethical and operational strategies to tackle consumer's problems based on cultural norms. Furthermore, they should make sensible measures for the quality branding of the beverage products. In this way, the consumers will have a better experience of quality, price, taste and packaging, in turn, to RI.

Originality/value

This research targeted the beverage industry that needs facts and figures based on consumer attributes, e.g. age, gender and ethnicity. This research also disclosed the behaviors of consumers according to their gender, age and area of residence.

Effects of single plant-based vs. animal-based meals on satiety and mood in real-world smartphone-embedded studies

Adopting plant-based diets high in fiber may reduce global warming and obesity prevalence. Physiological and psychological determinants of plant-based food intake remain unclear. As fiber has been linked with improved gut-brain signaling, we hypothesized that a single plant-based (vegetarian and vegan) compared to an animal-based (animal flesh) meal, would induce higher satiety, higher mood and less stress. In three large-scale smartphone-based studies, adults (n_all = 16,379) ranked satiety and mood before and after meal intake. Meal intake induced satiety and higher mood. Plant-based meal choices did not explain differences in post-meal hunger. Individuals choosing a plant-based meal reported slightly higher mood before and smaller mood increases after the meal compared to those choosing animal-based meals. Protein content marginally mediated post-meal satiety, while gender and taste ratings had a strong effect on satiety and mood in general. We could not detect the profound effects of plant-based vs. animal-based meals on satiety and mood.

Emotional responses to taste and smell stimuli: Self-reports, physiological measures, and a potential role for individual and genetic factors

Taste and olfaction elicit conscious feelings by direct connection with the neural circuits of emotions that affects physiological responses in the body (e.g., heart rate and skin conductance). While sensory attributes are strong determinants of food liking, other factors such as emotional reactions to foods may be better predictors of consumer choices even for products that are equally-liked. Thus, important insights can be gained for understanding the full spectrum of emotional reactions to foods that inform the activities of product developers and marketers, eating psychologist and nutritionists, and policy makers. Today, self-reported questionnaires and physiological measures are the most common tools applied to study variations in emotional perception. The present review discusses these methodological approaches, underlining their different strengths and weaknesses. We also discuss a small, emerging literature suggesting that individual differences and genetic variations in taste and smell perception, like the genetic ability to perceive the bitter compound PROP, may also play a role in emotional reactions to aromas and foods.

Research on the Influence of Visual Factors on Emotion Regulation Interaction

To guide the design direction of emotion regulation products that improve the positive emotions of users, investigation into the correlation between relevant visual factors and multi-dimensional complex emotions is needed. In the present study, an extended product emotion measurement method was adopted to describe the multi-dimensional emotional set of each influencing factor and calculate their weight according to the order. The positive and negative emotion indicators of all influencing factors were compared and the evaluation and ranking factors that affect users’ emotional value of emotion regulation products were analyzed. The experimental results reveal that specific emotion mapping scenes on positive emotion are the most significant among the key factors affecting user emotion. Further, the influence of emotional stickers, interactive data visualization, and text on positive emotions decreased in turn. The influence of emotional text on positive emotion was the lowest. Through investigating the visual factors that affect the psychological emotions of users, the development of emotion regulating products could be guided in a more scientific and reasonable manner.

Emoji for Food and Beverage Research: Pleasure, Arousal and Dominance Meanings and Appropriateness for Use

Emoji have been argued to have considerable potential for emotion research but are struggling with uptake in part because knowledge about their meaning is lacking. The present research included 24 emoji (14 facial, 10 non-facial) which were characterized using the PAD model (Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance) of human affect by 165 consumers in New Zealand and 861 consumers in the UK. The results from the two countries were remarkably similar and contributed further evidence that emoji are suitable for cross-cultural research. While significant differences between the emoji were established for each of the PAD dimensions, the mean scores differed most on the Pleasure dimension (positive to negative), then on the Arousal dimension (activated to deactivated), and lastly on the Dominance dimension (dominance to submissive). The research also directly measured the perceived appropriateness of the 24 emoji for use with foods and beverages. The emoji face savoring food, clapping hands and party popper were in the top-5 for the highest appropriateness in food and beverage context for both studies, as was a strong negative expression linked to rejection (Study 1: face vomiting; Study 2: nauseated face). On the other hand, zzz and oncoming fist were considered as the least appropriate to be used in a food and beverage context in both studies. Again, the results from the UK and NZ were in good agreement and identified similar groups of emoji as most and least suitable for food-related consumer research.

Functional Needs, Emotions, and Perceptions of Coffee Consumers and Non-Consumers

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. Over the last decades coffee has become a specialty product. Drinking a coffee beverage entails several mixed factors, such as pleasure, experience, lifestyle, and social status. It can also provide an emotional pick-up, both mentally and physically. Only a few studies have explored the motives and emotions of coffee consumption and not consumption. There is limited understanding of consumers’ emotional approach towards coffee, and what influences a positive and negative inclination towards coffee consumption. This research fills the current research gaps by addressing three main questions: (i) What are the emotions and habits of coffee consumption? (ii) What are the motives of coffee consumption and non-consumption? and (iii) How relevant is the coffee health impact perception of consuming or not consuming coffee? The research activities include 467 face-to-face interviews with consumers. Interviews are performed in two different countries, Italy and Portugal. Data elaboration includes a principal component analysis carried out to identify latent factors on motives and emotions of consumption in both national groups, and to explore the relationship between the main emotions and consumers’ habits and socio-economic characteristics. Results support that consumers have positive emotions from coffee consumption. Perceived emotions are energy, satisfaction, and pleasure. Non-consumption is mainly driven by taste and fear of coffee’s health impacts. There are limited differences in the countries analysed. Socio-economic characteristics limitedly influence perceived emotions and consumption motives. To conclude, consumers are increasingly interested in new coffee products. Understanding the functional and emotional factors of coffee consumption contributes to supporting new coffee product development and commercialisation.

Non-invasive Biometrics and Machine Learning Modeling to Obtain Sensory and Emotional Responses from Panelists during Entomophagy

Insect-based food products offer a more sustainable and environmentally friendly source of protein compared to plant and animal proteins. Entomophagy is less familiar for Non-Asian cultural backgrounds and is associated with emotions such as disgust and anger, which is the basis of neophobia towards these products. Tradicional sensory evaluation may offer some insights about the liking, visual, aroma, and tasting appreciation, and purchase intention of insect-based food products. However, more robust methods are required to assess these complex interactions with the emotional and subconscious responses related to cultural background. This study focused on the sensory and biometric responses of consumers towards insect-based food snacks and machine learning modeling. Results showed higher liking and emotional responses for those samples containing insects as ingredients (not visible) and with no insects. A lower liking and negative emotional responses were related to samples showing the insects. Artificial neural network models to assess liking based on biometric responses showed high accuracy for different cultures (>92%). A general model for all cultures with an 89% accuracy was also achieved.

Multi-response approaches in product-focused investigations: Methodological variations across three case studies

Consumers' product experiences are increasingly uncovered using approaches that extend beyond acceptability and sensory perception. The present research is situated in this context and adopts a multi-response approach to jointly obtain attitudinal, conceptual, emotional, situational and/or sensorial evaluations. With the aim of greater methodological understanding, three case studies were conducted with samples in three product categories (fruit- and vegetable-based beverages (n = 10), seafood (n = 6) and chocolate (n = 7)) using consumers from New Zealand (n = 196), India (living in New Zealand) (n = 138) and China (n = 167), conducted in central location (CLT) or home-use test (HUT) settings. Showcasing this multi-response approach and demonstrating its versatility in product research is the main contribution of the research. Across the three case studies different combinations of response types and scaling formats were successfully used (including CATA (check-all-that-apply) questions, yes/no questions and rating scales), and it was also found that tasted foods and written stimuli (food names) served equally well as stimuli. The degree of liking or disliking for individual samples was a useful benchmark against which to interpret the other types of responses, and situational appropriateness, obtained as item-by-use (IBU) responses always contributed unique insights. Facial emoji to obtain product-emotion associations yielded less valuable insights than a conceptualisation task. As expected, and in accordance with the rationale for adopting a multi-response approach, the combination of response types yielded greater stimuli insights than would otherwise have been gained. This held for each of the three case studies and supported future applications using a multi-response approach that extends beyond many related initiatives by including four response types in each case study.

Health beliefs towards kefir correlate with emotion and attitude: A study using an emoji scale in Brazil

Emojis can be used to explore food-evoked emotions in order to provide information that can support the product development and marketing decisions. This study aimed to evaluate consumers' acceptance, purchase intent and emotional responses to milk beverages, with and without kefir added, before and after these consumers were informed about the products' composition (0%, 15%, 30% and 50% m/v) and health claims toward kefir (blind and informed tests, respectively). Emotional responses were assessed by emoji use within a RATA questionnaire in order quantify the perceived significance of the emojis chosen. In the informed test, the consumers' perception of the sensory attributes of the milk beverages, such as their perception of an acid taste in added kefir beverages was shown to have changed. Overall, participants attributed significantly higher acceptance and purchase intent scores to added kefir beverages after they had been informed on its health benefits. In addition, expressions of positive emotion increased when participants were exposed to stimuli related to health benefits of kefir (15%, 30% and 50% m/v), while negative expressions of emotion decreased. The provided information of kefir modified valence and arousal in subjects, and it can be said that to 30% of kefir can be added to yogurt without compromising its sensory acceptability. Thus, health benefits alone cannot improve product acceptance, since participants found a 50% addition of kefir to be unpleasant when tasted during a blind test. Mixed beverages may present a probiotic beverage alternative for consumers who dislike kefir milk, but want to include it in their diets. The implications of liking and purchase intent and how they are linked to emotions are discussed in this paper as well.

A Systematic Review of Emoji: Current Research and Future Perspectives

A growing body of research explores emoji, which are visual symbols in computer mediated communication (CMC). In the 20 years since the first set of emoji was released, research on it has been on the increase, albeit in a variety of directions. We reviewed the extant body of research on emoji and noted the development, usage, function, and application of emoji. In this review article, we provide a systematic review of the extant body of work on emoji, reviewing how they have developed, how they are used differently, what functions they have and what research has been conducted on them in different domains. Furthermore, we summarize directions for future research on this topic.

EmojiGrid: A 2D Pictorial Scale for the Assessment of Food Elicited Emotions

Research on food experience is typically challenged by the way questions are worded. We therefore developed the EmojiGrid: a graphical (language-independent) intuitive self-report tool to measure food-related valence and arousal. In a first experiment participants rated the valence and the arousing quality of 60 food images, using either the EmojiGrid or two independent visual analog scales (VAS). The valence ratings obtained with both tools strongly agree. However, the arousal ratings only agree for pleasant food items, but not for unpleasant ones. Furthermore, the results obtained with the EmojiGrid show the typical universal U-shaped relation between the mean valence and arousal that is commonly observed for a wide range of (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) affective stimuli, while the VAS tool yields a positive linear association between valence and arousal. We hypothesized that this disagreement reflects a lack of proper understanding of the arousal concept in the VAS condition. In a second experiment we attempted to clarify the arousal concept by asking participants to rate the valence and intensity of the taste associated with the perceived food items. After this adjustment the VAS and EmojiGrid yielded similar valence and arousal ratings (both showing the universal U-shaped relation between the valence and arousal). A comparison with the results from the first experiment showed that VAS arousal ratings strongly depended on the actual wording used, while EmojiGrid ratings were not affected by the framing of the associated question. This suggests that the EmojiGrid is largely self-explaining and intuitive. To test this hypothesis, we performed a third experiment in which participants rated food images using the EmojiGrid without an associated question, and we compared the results to those of the first two experiments. The EmojiGrid ratings obtained in all three experiments closely agree. We conclude that the EmojiGrid appears to be a valid and intuitive affective self-report tool that does not rely on written instructions and that can efficiently be used to measure food-related emotions.

EmojiGrid: A 2D pictorial scale for cross-cultural emotion assessment of negatively and positively valenced food

Because of the globalization of world food markets there is a growing need for valid and language independent self-assessment tools to measure food-related emotions. We recently introduced the EmojiGrid as a language-independent, graphical affective self-report tool. The EmojiGrid is a Cartesian grid that is labeled with facial icons (emoji) expressing different degrees of valence and arousal. Users can report their subjective ratings of valence and arousal by marking the location on the area of the grid that corresponds to the emoji that best represent their affective state when perceiving a given food or beverage. In a previous study we found that the EmojiGrid is robust, self-explaining and intuitive: valence and arousal ratings were independent of framing and verbal instructions. This suggests that the EmojiGrid may be a valuable tool for cross-cultural studies. To test this hypothesis, we performed an online experiment in which respondents from Germany (GE), Japan (JP), the Netherlands (NL) and the United Kingdom (UK) rated valence and arousal for 60 different food images (covering a large part of the affective space) using the EmojiGrid. The results show that the nomothetic relation between valence and arousal has the well-known U-shape for all groups. The European groups (GE, NL and UK) closely agree in their overall rating behavior. Compared to the European groups, the Japanese group systematically gave lower mean arousal ratings to low valenced images and lower mean valence ratings to high valenced images. These results agree with known cultural response characteristics. We conclude that the EmojiGrid is potentially a valid and language-independent affective self-report tool for cross-cultural research on food-related emotions. It reliably reproduces the familiar nomothetic U-shaped relation between valence and arousal across cultures, with shape variations reflecting established cultural characteristics.