Sensory characteristics and cross-cultural consumer acceptability of Bulgogi (Korean traditional barbecued beef)

Improving γ-Oryzanol and γ-Aminobutyric Acid Contents in Rice Beverage Amazake Produced with Brown, Milled and Germinated Rices

Rice is an important source of γ-oryzanol (GO) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which are bioactive compounds that may benefit blood lipid and pressure control. Both GO and GABA can be improved by germination and fermentation. Fermentation with A. oryzae produces Koji, a rice-based starter for Amazake, a naturally sweet beverage. Germinated rice (brown and milled rice), were tested to improve those bioactive compounds during the fermentation process. The resulting Koji was optimised to GO and GABA through a response surface methodology; α-amylase activity and starch content were also assessed. The different rice matrix resulting from the germination largely impacted the biosynthesis of GABA, α-amylase and starch contents. Amazake, obtained by germinated rice, has increased GO and GABA contents when compared to the one obtained from milled rice (from a non-detectable value to 27.65 ± 0.23 mg/100 g for GO and from 163.95 ± 24.7 to 271.53 ± 5.7 mg/100 g for GABA). A panel of 136 Portuguese consumers tasted the beverage in a blind overall tasting test followed by an informed test, using 9-point scales. The consumer scores had a mean value of 4.67 ± 1.9 and 4.9 ± 1.8, meaning that cultural differences may play an important role with regard to liking and accepting Amazake.

A Comprehensive Review with Future Insights on the Processing and Safety of Fermented Fish and the Associated Changes

As an easily spoiled source of valuable proteins and lipids, fish is preserved by fermentation in many cultures. Over time, diverse types of products have been produced from fish fermentation aside from whole fish, such as fermented fish paste and sauces. The consumption of fermented fish products has been shown to improve both physical and mental health due to the composition of the products. Fermented fish products can be dried prior to the fermentation process and include various additives to enhance the flavours and aid in fermentation. At the same time, the fermentation process and its conditions play a major role in determining the quality and safety of the product as the compositions change biochemically throughout fermentation. Additionally, the necessity of certain microorganisms and challenges in avoiding harmful microbes are reviewed to further optimise fermentation conditions in the future. Although several advanced technologies have emerged to produce better quality products and easier processes, the diversity of processes, ingredients, and products of fermented fish warrants further study, especially for the sake of the consumers' health and safety. In this review, the nutritional, microbial, and sensory characteristics of fermented fish are explored to better understand the health benefits along with the safety challenges introduced by fermented fish products. An exploratory approach of the published literature was conducted to achieve the purpose of this review using numerous books and online databases, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and PubMed Central, with the goal of obtaining, compiling, and reconstructing information on a variety of fundamental aspects of fish fermentation. This review explores significant information from all available library databases from 1950 to 2022. This review can assist food industries involved in fermented fish commercialization to efficiently ferment and produce better quality products by easing the fermentation process without risking the health and safety of consumers.

Quality Properties of Bulgogi Sauce with Crust Derived from Dry-Aged Beef Loin

This study aimed to determine the physicochemical properties (proximate composition, color, pH, salinity, water holding capacity (WHC), curing yield, and shear force) and sensory properties (electric nose and sensory evaluation) of Bulgogi sauce with added crust derived from dry-aged beef loin. Increasing the amount of crust in the Bulgogi sauce tended to increase the protein content, fat content, and pH. Uncooked Bulgogi also tended to have elevated fat content, ash content, pH, and shear force. Increasing the crust content tended to decrease the water content, lightness, redness, and yellowness of Bulgogi sauce. The yellowness of uncooked Bulgogi with 6%-12% crust in sauce was significantly lower than that of the control (no crust) and the sample with 3% crust in sauce (p<0.05). The redness of the cooked control Bulgogi was significantly lower than that of the samples with crust in sauce (p<0.05). The WHC of uncooked Bulgogi with 6%-12% crust in sauce was significantly higher than that of the control and the sample with 3% crust in sauce (p<0.05). The flavor, texture, and overall acceptability of the Bulgogi with 9% crust in sauce were significantly higher than those of the control (p<0.05). These findings showed that the crust did not degrade the physicochemical properties of Bulgogi sauce and meat. The sensory characteristics of Bulgogi marinated with 9% crust in sauce were rated the best as persensory evaluation. Therefore, crust is a suitable flavor enhancer for Bulgogi sauce, and a 9% addition amount is optimal in terms of quality.

Effect of chargrilled flavoring on the sensory perception and consumer acceptability of bulgogi (Korean barbecued beef)

As the home-meal replacement food industry grows, there is an increasing need for smoky flavorings that can satisfy the diverse tastes of consumers. In particular, the industry requires chargrilled flavorings that complement Korean foods. In this study, chargrilled flavoring was applied to bulgogi (Korean barbecued beef) and its effects on consumer liking, sensory perception, familiarity, and flavor congruency with the bulgogi were investigated. Eight formulations (one control and seven flavorings) were tested by 78 Korean subjects. A rate-all-that-apply test was conducted to profile the sensory attributes of the food from the consumers' perspectives. The samples with weaker woody and smoky flavors were preferred; the samples with strong woody and smoky flavors were perceived as being artificial and Western-styled, as well as less familiar and incongruent with bulgogi. This study shows that flavorings that are congruent with a food system can improve consumer liking and the perception of familiarity.

Cross-Cultural Consumer Acceptability for Ethnic Fermented Sauce Products: Comparisons among Korean, UAE, and US Consumers

The present study investigated the drivers of liking ethnic sauces in a cross-cultural context. Experiments were conducted to understand the acceptance of salad dressings and dipping sauces developed from Korean fermented seasonings among consumers with different ethnic backgrounds, including: South Korean, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and American. The samples of interest included four types of salad dressings made from fermented soybean paste (doenjang) and four types of spicy dipping sauces made from fermented chili pepper paste (gochujang). The salad dressings were preferred by Korean and US consumers. Koreans liked the nutty-flavored salad dressings, whereas UAE and American consumers commonly liked the spicy type. There was a stronger cross-cultural agreement in liking dipping sauces rather than salad dressings. Both Korean and American consumers liked spicy dipping sauces that elicited a sweet taste. UAE consumers tended to prefer the less spicy dipping sauce samples. Consumers in all three countries generally liked spicy dipping sauces more than salad dressings. Cultural differences were observed between the responses depending on the presence and level of spiciness in the two different food types. For product development with ethnic fermented flavors or chili spices, the contextual appropriateness and consumer familiarity with the corresponding flavor should be taken into account.

The Effect of Plating, Ingredients, and Cooking Processes on the Acceptance and Authenticity of Ethnic Rice Dishes

Familiarity and ethnic authenticity have a significant influence on the liking of ethnic food. Thus, it is crucial to identify the degree to which a dish can be modified in order to increase hedonic responses and familiarity without the loss of ethnic authenticity. This study determined the degree to which perceptions of the Korean rice dish, bibimbap, would vary upon modification of its ingredients, cooking process, or plating using the Southeast Asian market as a model system. The dish was prepared in Korean style or as Nasi Goreng, the Southeast Asian style. Eight formulations (2 ingredients × 2 cooking methods × 2 plating styles) were tested by panels, including 77 Southeast Asians and 72 Koreans. Hedonic responses, familiarity, ethnic authenticity, and purchase intent were evaluated using a nested analysis of variance. Ingredients and cooking methods had a significant influence on liking and perceived ethnic authenticity. In addition, plating had a substantial effect on the perception of ethnic authenticity and expected liking. Overall, the rate of positive responses increased when region-specific cooking processes and plating were matched. Taken together, our results suggest that modification of familiar dishes needs to be carefully considered as it can have complex effects on liking and perceived ethnic authenticity.

The Importance of Sensory Lexicons for Research and Development of Food Products

A lexicon is a set of standardized vocabularies developed by highly trained panelists for describing a wide array of sensory attributes present in a product. A number of lexicons have been developed to document and describe sensory perception of a variety of food categories.The current review provides examples of recently developed sensory lexicons for fruits and vegetables; grains and nuts; beverages; bakery, dairy, soy and meat products; and foods for animals. Applications of sensory lexicons as an effective communication tool and a guidance tool for new product development processes, quality control, product improvement, measuring changes during product shelf life, and breeding new plant cultivars are also discussed and demonstrated through research in the field.

Temporal dominance of sensations and preferences of Brazilians and Slovakians: A cross-cultural study of cachaças stored with woods from the Amazon rainforest

BACKGROUND

Brazilians and Slovakians evaluated the temporal profile and the acceptability of cachaça stored with different woods (Cumarurana (CM), Jatobá (JT) and, Louro-vermelho (LV), which are found in the Amazon rainforest, and also oak), with the aim of performing a cross-cultural comparison of the dynamic profile of the attributes perceived in the cachaças and the sensorial acceptance of the samples.

RESULTS

Important differences were observed between the temporal sensorial profiles generated by the two groups and their preferences. Brazilians preferred cachaças stored with the traditional wood, oak, followed by those stored with JT and CM. In contrast, Slovakians preferred cachaças stored with JT, followed by those stored with LV and oak. For both countries, the dominance of wood flavor and vanilla attributes at the end of the analysis time was positively associated with acceptance, while the dominance of off-flavors and the wood flavor attribute at the beginning of the analysis time was negatively associated with acceptance for Brazilians and Slovakians, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Brazilians preferred cachaça stored with oak wood, and Slovakians preferred cachaça stored with JT wood, with acceptability being strongly associated with the dominance of wood flavor and vanilla attributes at the end of the evaluation time. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

US consumers' acceptability of soy sauce and bulgogi

This study investigated acceptability and consumer segmentation of soy sauce and famous Korean dish, bulgogi. A total of 123 participants evaluated intensity of 18 attributes and sensory liking of 4 commercial soy sauce samples and bulgogi samples made by aforementioned soy sauces. The overall results showed that appearance liking was the only significant different attribute among soy sauce samples and there were no significant differences among bulgogi samples. Furthermore, there was little correlation between overall liking of soy sauce and bulgogi samples. However, different segments of consumer groups were found by cluster analysis. Four and five subgroups of consumers were identified on evaluation of soy sauce samples and bulgogi samples, respectively. These results demonstrated that consumers' different preference pattern. In conclusion, this study specified characteristics of commercial soy sauce perceived by consumers and consumers' acceptability toward soy sauces and bulgogi made using soy sauces.

Comparison of consumer perception and liking of bulgogi marinade sauces between Korea and Japan using flash profiling

This study compared the perception of and preference for seven bulgogi marinade sauces between Korean and Japanese consumers. Flash profiling (10 panelists each) and consumer test (97 Japanese and 102 Koreans) were conducted. Results showed that both Korean and Japanese panelists perceived the samples similarly but described using different terms. There were significant crosscultural differences in most liking and just-about-right attributes, except texture liking and sweetness. Both consumer panelists preferred sweeter samples, but Japanese consumers rated liking for less sweet samples higher than Korean consumers. Japanese consumers considered strong saltiness, umami, and soy sauce flavor as "just-about-right," whereas Korean consumers considered the same levels as "much too strong". Familiarity showed a significantly positive correlation with both Korean and Japanese consumers' liking, but authenticity was only significantly correlated with Korean consumers' liking. This indicates that perception of authenticity might not have a strong impact on Japanese consumers' liking.

Virulence Factors of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Korean Pork bulgogi: Enterotoxin Production and Antimicrobial Resistance

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of and the enterotoxin gene distribution in 4 strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S10-2, S10-3, S12-2, and S13-2) isolated from 90 bulgogi samples. The S. aureus enterotoxin H gene (seh) was found in all the strains, while the S. aureus enterotoxin A gene (sea) was found only in 3 of the 4 strains. The S10-2 strain expressed a combination of enterotoxin genes - seg, seh, sei, sej, selm, and seln. The strains S10-2 and S13-2 were resistant to ampicillin and penicillin G, and all the isolated strains were resistant to tetracycline. The S10-2 strain was the only mecA-positive strain; it was also resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Thus, genes encoding enterotoxin as well as those conferring antibiotic resistance were identified in the S. aureus strains isolated from pork bulgogi. These results represents the potential occurrence of MRSA in pork bulgogi, and the need for a monitoring system for pork bulgogi in order to prevent an outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning.

The 9-point hedonic scale and hedonic ranking in food science: some reappraisals and alternatives

The 9-point hedonic scale has been used routinely in food science, the same way for 60 years. Now, with advances in technology, data from the scale are being used for more and more complex programs for statistical analysis and modeling. Accordingly, it is worth reconsidering the presentation protocols and the analyses associated with the scale, as well as some alternatives. How the brain generates numbers and the types of numbers it generates has relevance for the choice of measurement protocols. There are alternatives to the generally used serial monadic protocol, which can be more suitable. Traditionally, the 'words' on the 9-point hedonic scale are reassigned as 'numbers', while other '9-point hedonic scales' are purely numerical; the two are not interchangeable. Parametric statistical analysis of scaling data is examined critically and alternatives discussed. The potential of a promising alternative to scaling itself, simple ranking with a hedonic R-Index signal detection analysis, is explored in comparison with the 9-point hedonic scale.

Identifying the drivers of liking by investigating the reasons for (dis)liking using CATA in cross-cultural context: a case study on barbecue sauce

BACKGROUND

The present study cross-culturally investigated the drivers of liking for traditional and ethnic chicken marinades using descriptive analysis and consumer taste tests incorporating the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Seventy-three Koreans and 86 US consumers participated. The tested sauces comprised three tomato-based sauces, a teriyaki-based sauce and a Korean spicy seasoning-based sauce. Chicken breasts were marinated with each of the five barbecue sauces, grilled and served for evaluation. Descriptive analysis and consumer taste tests were conducted. Consumers rated the acceptance on a hedonic scale and checked the reasons for (dis)liking by the CATA method for each sauce. A general linear model, multiple factor analysis and chi-square analysis were conducted using the data.

RESULTS

The results showed that the preference orders of the samples between Koreans and US consumers were strikingly similar to each other. However, the reasons for (dis)liking the samples differed cross-culturally. The drivers of liking of two sauces sharing relatively similar sensory profiles but differing significantly in hedonic ratings were effectively delineated by reasons of (dis)liking CATA results.

CONCLUSION

Reasons for (dis)liking CATA proved to be a powerful supporting method to understand the internal drivers of liking which can be overlooked by generic descriptive analysis.