Importance of sensory quality signals in consumers’ food choice

Three decades of research on wine marketing

The goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of the academic research into wine marketing over the last three decades. Data from 1135 wine marketing-related research documents published 1990-2022 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases were employed. Using mainly co-word analysis and bibliographic coupling, the key themes of the discipline were identified. A longitudinal analysis identified the topic's evolution and current research trends. Results show that wine marketing research has grown sharply in recent years. From the pioneering studies that examined consumers' behaviours and wine price drivers, the discipline evolved to address burgeoning themes such as sustainability, social media (digital marketing) and wine tourism, which evidences the interest that academics have shown in enhancing knowledge in the area.

Design of equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging for postharvest cabbages preservation based on introducing available active sites into film materials as gas transport channels

This work aims to explore an available avenue to design an equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) by the modification of gas permeability of material. In this work, the introduction of available active sites endowed materials with adjustable gas permeability properties. With varying concentrations of the resulting materials with various gas permeability, the CO2 and O2 gas permeability of the blending films were modified at the range of 3.92 ∼ 17.84 barrier and 0.65 ∼ 3.46 barrier, respectively. On this basis, the films were used as EMAP to preserve postharvest cabbages. The results indicated that each EMAP achieved an equilibrium atmosphere containing 6.8 % ∼ 3.8 % CO2 and 2.1 % ∼ 5.2 % O2 within 15 h and maintained it continuously. In these atmosphere, the respiratory rate of the preserved cabbages was significantly inhibited, thereby delaying the deterioration of their storage quality. As the results, sensory scores of the preserved samples were maximally maintained. Declines of color indexes and texture indexes were obviously inhibited. Chemical variations in chlorophyll content, total phenolics content, total flavonoids content, ascorbic acid and nitrite content were significantly suppressed. The overall findings revealed that this method is suitable and promising to develop EMAP for the postharvest vegetables.

Quality Evaluation of Hainan Robusta Coffee Bean Oil Produced by Ultrasound Coupled with Coconut Oil Extraction

This study investigates the treatment of coconut oil using thermosonic treatment in combination with green coffee beans. Under a defined ratio of coconut oil to green coffee beans, the effect of different thermosonic time on the quality parameters, active substance content, antioxidant capacity, and thermal oxidative stability of coconut oil were investigated as a strategy to potentially improve the quality of oil. Results showed that the β-sitosterol content of CCO (coconut coffee oil) treated with the thermal method combined with green coffee bean treatment reached up to 393.80 ± 11.13 mg/kg without affecting the lipid structure. In addition, DPPH clearance equivalents increased from 5.31 ± 1.30 mg EGCG/g to 71.34 ± 0.98 mg EGCG/g, and the ABTS clearance equivalent was 45.38 ± 0.87 mg EGCG/g versus 0 for the untreated sample. The improvement in thermal oxidation stability of treated coconut oil is also significant. The TG (Thermogravimetry) onset temperature was elevated from 277.97 °C to 335.08 °C and the induction time was elevated up to 24.73 ± 0.41 h from 5.17 ± 0.21 h. Thermosonic treatment in combination with green coffee beans is an ideal option to improve the quality of coconut oil. The results of this article provide new ideas for the development of plant-blended oil products and the new utilization of coconut oil and coffee beans.

The unhealthy-tasty intuition in dining out situations: the role of health inferences and taste expectations

Introduction

Increasing obesity rates around the globe have challenged policymakers to find strategies to prompt healthier eating habits. While unhealthy eating takes place in many different contexts, dining out is a context where individuals often choose an unhealthy option despite the availability of healthier alternatives. One possible explanation for this behavior is the unhealthy-tasty intuition, which refers to the belief that unhealthy food is tastier than healthy food. Nevertheless, many policymakers and restaurant managers follow the - in this context - counterintuitive approach of using health claims to nudge people towards more healthy eating choices or habits.

Methods

The current research employs an online experiment with 137 participants and investigates how health claims and sensory claims impact on the purchase intention of healthy options for desserts. Furthermore, it explores how health inferences and taste expectations mediate the intention to purchase.

Results and discussion

Findings from the online experiment confirm that health claims prompt positive health inferences, while also stimulating unfavorable taste expectations, resulting in a lower intention to purchase. Surprisingly, we found no effect of a sensory claim on taste expectations. The findings of our experiment contradict the unhealthy-tasty intuition by revealing a significant positive correlation between taste expectations and health inferences. While both health inferences and taste expectations impact positively on purchasing intentions for the health-claim condition, the indirect effect of taste expectations was stronger than the indirect effect of health inferences.

Drivers of Consumer Preference Derived from Active Volatiles for Cooked Eriocheir sinensis

Consumers' perception of volatiles determines their preferences and choices of food. Furthermore, various factors, such as varieties, origin, gender, and edible parts, may influence volatiles. The perception of edible parts of E. sinensis in two origins (Chongming and Taixing) regarding overall hedonic score (9-points), just-about-right scale (5-points), and intensity of attributes (7-points) were analyzed. The results showed that consumers preferred the hepatopancreas odor of female crabs in Chongming, with an overall preference of 6.84 and R_MAT (calculate the R-index by matrix) values >52.93%. The crabs' origin (different feeding and rearing condition) was the primary reason for the odor profiles. The appropriate meaty and toasted odor in the hepatopancreas increased the overall preference by approximately 14.65-20.60%. Furthermore, 2-acetylthiazole, a volatile compound with a fatty odor, may significantly affect preferences and consumption behavior.

Does Allulose Appeal to Consumers? Results from a Discrete Choice Experiment in Germany

Reducing the sugar content in food is an important goal in many countries in order to counteract obesity and unhealthy eating. Currently, many consumers eat a number of foods with too much sugar content. However, mankind has an innate preference for sweet foods, and thus one strategy is to have food products which taste sweet but consist of a reduced calorie and sugar content. Allulose is a rare monosaccharide and is considered a safe ingredient in foods, for example in the US, Japan, Singapore, and Mexico, while in Europe, it is in the approval process as a novel food. Thus, it is relevant to find out how consumers perceive the different attributes of allulose in comparison to other sweeteners. Therefore, an online survey consisting of a choice experiment was conducted in Germany to find out consumer preferences of sweeteners. The survey data were analyzed using a mixed logit model. The results reveal that taste is the most important attribute for sweeteners, which explains about 40% of the choice. In the attribute level, a typical sugar taste is preferred. As allulose has a typical sugar taste, the likelihood that it appeals to consumers is high. The second most important attribute is the base product.

Segmentation of Consumer Preferences for Vegetables Produced in Areas Depressed by Drought

The megadrought in Chile’s north and central zones has impacted the horticultural production of family farming. One way to mitigate these effects is by adding value to vegetables. However, no studies show the main attributes consumers value of vegetables produced in the megadrought zone. The study’s objective was to evaluate consumer preferences and identify segments based on the extrinsic attributes of vegetables grown in areas depressed by drought. We surveyed 946 vegetable buyers from the Antofagasta, Valparaiso, and Maule regions. Through the conjoint analysis technique, we identified that the main attributes preferred by consumers were presentation (45.3%) and type of vegetables (21.8%), followed by labeling (15.9%), producers (10.3%), and origin (6.7%). The cluster analysis revealed the existence of three segments. The largest segment is motivated by the way vegetables are presented (49.7%), followed by a second segment that values multi-attributes (31.9%) and a smaller segment that is interested in labeling (18.4%). These findings can help position these products in the market and raise awareness of family farming and the economic and production problems that they currently face.

Olfactory and gustatory disorders caused by COVID-19: How to regain the pleasure of eating?

Background

Recently, anosmia and ageusia (and their variations) have been reported as frequent symptoms of COVID-19. Olfactory and gustatory stimuli are essential in the perception and pleasure of eating. Disorders in sensory perception may influence appetite and the intake of necessary nutrients when recovering from COVID-19. In this short commentary, taste and smell disorders were reported and correlated for the first time with food science.

Scope and approach

The objective of this short commentary is to report that taste and smell disorders resulted from COVID-19 may impact eating pleasure and nutrition. It also points out important technologies and trends that can be considered and improved in future studies.

Key findings and conclusions

Firmer food textures can stimulate the trigeminal nerve, and more vibrant colors are able to increase the modulation of brain metabolism, stimulating pleasure. Allied to this, encapsulation technology enables the production of new food formulations, producing agonist and antagonist agents to trigger or block specific sensations. Therefore, opportunities and innovations in the food industry are wide and multidisciplinary discussions are needed.

Impact of food choice and consumption profile on the perception of food coloring on kefir labels: Insights of the projective technique of Product Personality Profiling

As consumer awareness of food expands, as does the understanding of the correlation between nutrition and health benefits, consumers are increasingly looking for healthier foods. One of these aspects can be observed in the search for foods with clean labels and with the removal/replacement of artificial additives, such as coloring. However, there are still no studies on the perception of foods with a positive reputation, such as fermented dairy. The present work aimed to evaluate the consumers' perception (n = 121) of kefir labels with the addition of food dyes from different origins (KN = natural kefir / no dye; KCA = kefir added with artificial coloring; KCN = kefir added with natural coloring; KCR = kefir added with coloring from fruit residues), associating data obtained through Product Personality Profile (PPP) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Based on FCQ's data, consumers were subdivided into three distinct clusters with specific profiles - Conscious, Balanced, and Flexible - and had their perceptions of each of the kefir labels described by PPP and Multidimensional Alignment Analysis (MDA). By consensus, the groups associated the KN label with individuals concerned about healthy eating and diets, reaffirming the positive commercial positioning of kefir. At the same time, for KCA, a contrasting association was observed. The Conscious group noted the samples better, emphasizing the correlation of KCR (with added fruit residue dye) with an adult female, married and engaged in physical activity. KCN was correlated with a young, single, student and gym or running target group stands out for the Balanced group. The Flexible one also associated the consumption of KCA with a young audience, ranging from athletic to overweight, with a normal to unbalanced diet. In summary, different impacts on the perception of kefir labels could be elicited with the correlation of FCQ, PPP, and MDA, emphasizing the importance of exploring market segments and design strategies for the target audience.