Understanding middle-aged consumers' perceptions of meat using repertory grid methodology

Visible Fat Content of Hotpot Beef Acceptability by New Zealand Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Consumers

Hotpot meat is a popular way of meat consumption in some Asian countries. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of visible fat content on consumer acceptability of hotpot meat. Hotpot beef with six visible fat levels (11%–35%) was produced and digitally photographed, and the images were ranked by panels of New Zealand Chinese (110), Japanese (145), and Korean (118) consumers. For all the nationalities, a preference for visible fat was influenced by both gender and age. The Chinese preferred the visibly fattiest hotpot beef, whereas the Koreans preferred the leanest with the Japanese preferring the two fat extremes equally. For individuals in the age range of 19–30 years, both Chinese males and females preferred the higher fat meat (35%), while their Japanese and Korean counterparts preferred the second visibly leanest (14%). For those over 50 years, Chinese females preferred the lower fat meat compared to their male counterparts, whereas there was no gender difference at this age for the Japanese and Koreans preference for the visibly lean hotpot beef. This study indicates that there are subtle differences between nationalities in terms of their preference for the fat content of hotpot beef that may have implications in meat merchandising, product development, and health policies.

Validation of rapid descriptive sensory methods against conventional descriptive analyses: A systematic review

A major drawback of conventional descriptive profile (CDP) in sensory evaluation is the long time spent in panel training. Rapid descriptive methods (RDM) have increased significantly. Some of them have been compared with CDP for validation. In Health Sciences, systematic reviews (SR) are performed to evaluate validation of diagnostic tests in relation to a gold standard method. SR present a well-defined protocol to summarize research evidence and to evaluate the quality of the studies with determined criteria. We adapted SR protocol to evaluate the validation of RDM against CDP as satisfactory procedures to obtain food characterization. We used "Population Intervention Comparison Outcome Study - PICOS" framework to design the research in which "Population" was food/ beverages; "intervention" were RDM, "Comparison" was CDP as gold standard, "Outcome" was the ability of RDM to generate similar descriptive profiles in comparison with CDP and "Studies" was sensory descriptive analyses. The proportion of studies concluding for similarity of the RDM with CDP ranged from 0% to 100%. Low and moderate risk of bias were reached by 87% and 13% of the studies, respectively, supporting the conclusions of SR. RDM with semi-trained assessors and evaluation of individual attributes presented higher percentages of concordance with CDP.

Impact of Cooking Procedures and Storage Practices at Home on Consumer Exposure to Listeria Monocytogenes and Salmonella Due to the Consumption of Pork Meat

The objective of this research was to analyze the impact of different cooking procedures (i.e., gas hob and traditional static oven) and levels of cooking (i.e., rare, medium, and well-done) on inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in pork loin chops. Moreover, the consumer's exposure to both microorganisms after simulation of meat leftover storage at home was assessed. The results showed that well-done cooking in a static oven was the only treatment able to inactivate the tested pathogens. The other cooking combinations allowed to reach in the product temperatures always ≥73.6 °C, decreasing both pathogens between 6 log₁₀ cfu/g and 7 log₁₀ cfu/g. However, according to simulation results, the few cells surviving cooking treatments can multiply during storage by consumers up to 1 log₁₀ cfu/g, with probabilities of 0.059 (gas hob) and 0.035 (static oven) for L. monocytogenes and 0.049 (gas hob) and 0.031 (static oven) for Salmonella. The key factors affecting consumer exposure in relation to storage practices were probability of pathogen occurrence after cooking, doneness degree, time of storage, and time of storage at room temperature. The results of this study can be combined with prevalence data and dose-response models in risk assessment models and included in guidelines for consumers on practices to be followed to manage cooking of pork meat at home.

Prediction of the conditions for the consumption of game by Polish consumers

Due to the changing needs of consumers and the increased risk of diet-related diseases, today's consumers are forced to seek alternative types of meat. It should, on one hand be tasty, and on the other will improve the health of the consumer. Game is considered to be such a meat. Although Poland is one of the leading producers and exporters of game in Europe, the level of its consumption is very low at about 0.08kg/person/year. Based on quantitative data from 1000 respondents a model predicting the consumption of wild game based on logistic regression has been prepared. It was demonstrated that consumers are likely to increase their consumption of game, provided that it will have a higher quality and greater commercial availability. A higher propensity to change eating habits in respect of game was displayed mainly by men, city dwellers and those who evaluated their own knowledge on nutritional and diet higher than others.

Ethics, Risk and Benefits Associated with Different Applications of Nanotechnology: a Comparison of Expert and Consumer Perceptions of Drivers of Societal Acceptance

Examining those risk and benefit perceptions utilised in the formation of attitudes and opinions about emerging technologies such as nanotechnology can be useful for both industry and policy makers involved in their development, implementation and regulation. A broad range of different socio-psychological and affective factors may influence consumer responses to different applications of nanotechnology, including ethical concerns. A useful approach to identifying relevant consumer concerns and innovation priorities is to develop predictive constructs which can be used to differentiate applications of nanotechnology in a way which is meaningful to consumers. This requires elicitation of attitudinal constructs from consumers, rather than measuring attitudes assumed to be important by the researcher. Psychological factors influencing societal responses to 15 applications of nanotechnology drawn from different application areas (e.g. medicine, agriculture and environment, food, military, sports, and cosmetics) were identified using repertory grid method in conjunction with generalised Procrustes analysis. The results suggested that people differentiate nanotechnology applications based on the extent to which they perceive them to be beneficial, useful, necessary and important. The benefits may be offset by perceived risks focusing on fear and ethical concerns. Compared to an earlier expert study on societal acceptance of nanotechnology, consumers emphasised ethical issues compared to experts but had less concern regarding potential physical contact with the product and time to market introduction. Consumers envisaged fewer issues with several applications compared to experts, in particular food applications.

Food preferences of middle aged and elderly subjects in a Brazilian city

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to assess data on the consumption frequency of some food items and the places they are purchased, especially by adults and elderly subjects, and finally to determine their food preference using cluster and correspondence analyses as a diagnosis and prevention factor.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Town of Serranópolis do Iguaçú, State of Paraná, Brazil, city with 4,854 inhabitants of which 22% are over 50 years old.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred and ninety five randomly selected subjects (96 men and 199 women), between 51 and 91 years old.

MEASUREMENTS

A socio-demographic and food frequency questionnaire was applied via home visits including questions on socioeconomic, anthopometric and health characteristics concerning the consumption frequency of 45 food items and the places they were purchased, using a five point category scale to obtain consumption data as well. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the Quetelet Index and compared with the World Health Organization Report Consultation on obesity. The cluster and correspondence statistical analysis were used to determine their food preference.

RESULTS

From the correspondence mapping (which explained 89.1 % of the variance), it was possible to determine aspects regarding the non-consumption of instant soups, frozen vegetables, cookies, crystallized fruits, canned fruit, distilled drinks and beer.

CONCLUSIONS

The dimensional representation structure demonstrated that the population of Serranópolis, who were 62 % overweight, preferred high fat content products, suggesting a reevaluation of their eating habits in the expectation of preventing non transmissible chronic diseases. The value given to farm production in Serranópolis do Iguaçú was also observed.

Role of intrinsic search cues in the formation of consumer preferences and choice for pork chops

This study investigates the role of drip, colour, marbling and fat cover as intrinsic search cues in the formation of pork chop preferences and individual determinants. Data are collected from a sample of 443 pork consumers in Belgium through using repeated selection of chops from randomised photobooks and questionnaires including socio-demographic, attitudinal and behavioural variables. Data analysis includes mixture regression analysis, bivariate descriptive statistics and the estimation of multivariate probit models. Consumers sampled in this study prefer pork chops without fat cover. Preference for fat cover is stronger among male, 35+ aged consumers with lower levels of awareness of the relation between food and health and who like pork for other reasons than taste and nutritional value (all p<0.05). Preference for colour is equally consistent within an individual, though fifty-fifty light-dark, with dark chops being more preferred by 35+ aged consumers (p<0.05). Preferences for marbling and drip are not consistent and not determined by joint socio-demographic, attitudinal and behavioural factors. Preferences for cue levels are not correlated, except a weak relation between preference for dark chops without drip (r=0.116). Preferences are apparently formed by deductions with the use of single cues as key information, mainly based on fat cover or colour, and random choice on marbling and drip.

Factors influencing societal response of nanotechnology: an expert stakeholder analysis

Nanotechnology can be described as an emerging technology and, as has been the case with other emerging technologies such as genetic modification, different socio-psychological factors will potentially influence societal responses to its development and application. These factors will play an important role in how nanotechnology is developed and commercialised. This article aims to identify expert opinion on factors influencing societal response to applications of nanotechnology. Structured interviews with experts on nanotechnology from North West Europe were conducted using repertory grid methodology in conjunction with generalized Procrustes analysis to examine the psychological constructs underlying societal uptake of 15 key applications of nanotechnology drawn from different areas (e.g. medicine, agriculture and environment, chemical, food, military, sports, and cosmetics). Based on expert judgement, the main factors influencing societal response to different applications of nanotechnology will be the extent to which applications are perceived to be beneficial, useful, and necessary, and how 'real' and physically close to the end-user these applications are perceived to be by the public. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11051-012-0857-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Game and venison - meat for the modern consumer

This review focuses on how game meat from southern Africa and venison that are increasingly being imported into Europe and the US addresses consumer issues as pertaining to production (wild, free range or intensive production) and harvesting methods, healthiness (chemical composition, particularly fatty acid composition), and traceability. Although African game meat species are farmed extensively, deer species are farmed using extensive to intensive production systems. However, the increasingly intensive production of the cervids and the accompanying practices associated with this (castration, velvetting, feeding of balanced diets, etc.) may have a negative impact in the near future on the consumer's perception of these animals. These alternative meat species are all harvested in a sustainable manner using acceptable methods. All these species have very low muscle fat contents consisting predominantly of structural lipid components (phospholipid and cholesterol) that have high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This results in the meat having desirable polyunsaturated:saturated and n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios. The South African traceability system is discussed briefly as an example on how these exporting countries are able to address the requirements pertaining to the import of meat as stipulated by the European Economic Community.

Assessing the predictive value of means-end-chain theory: an application to meat product choice by Australian middle-aged women

Means-end-chain theory seeks to understand how consumers make links between products and self-relevant consequences and values. To date, means-end-chain theory has remained a descriptive process and has not been applied to predicting product choice. Within the context of cooking meat, the main objective of this research was to assess the predictive value of the means-end-chain theory. In a two part study, we first undertook a laddering study (n=58 middle-aged women) focusing on cooking three different meat products, using small group administration and paper-and-pencil responses to elicit mean-end-chains (MEC). In the second part, we considered all the MEC independently and incorporated them into a questionnaire, which was also comprised of psycho-social predictors from a range of behavioural models. Responses were elicited from a sample of middle-aged women (n=247). Although MEC explained little of the variance in self-reported behaviour, they were shown to be an important predictor of attitude. Contrary to expectations, the least abstract levels of the MEC appeared to be the most predictive. A critical examination of the data suggested a need to reconsider the means-end-chain theory since it appears to take the respondents beyond their own awareness of their behaviours.