Comparing visual food images versus actual food when measuring emotional response of children

Probiotic Almond-Fermented Beverages Processed by Ultrasound: Vegan and Non-Vegan Consumer Perceptions through Packaging

Consumer perception of foods processed by emerging technologies has been scarcely studied. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of vegan and non-vegan consumers regarding probiotic almond-fermented beverages processed by ultrasound using the packaging of the products (pasteurized/conventional, processed by ultrasound, and processed by ultrasound with a claim on the label). A "Check All That Apply" test with emojis and the Food Technology Neophobia scale were used. The "processed by ultrasound" information did not impact the purchase intention and the perception of healthiness, safety, nutrition, environmental impact, flavor, texture, and price of the products. The claim inclusion increased the perceived acceptability and purchase intention and improved the emotional profile. The vegan consumers showed a more positive perception of ultrasound processing, resulting in increased perceived acceptability, higher citation frequency of positive emoji, and lower sums for the neophobia scale. Vegan and non-vegan consumers agreed that the most important attributes for consumer acceptance are almond aroma, flavor, and consistency. In conclusion, the "processed by ultrasound" information did not negatively impact the acceptability and emotional profile of probiotic almond-fermented beverages, and using a claim on the label may improve consumer perception of the products.

Children's reaction to sugar reduced dairy desserts in the context of the implementation of nutritional warning labels: An exploratory study

The aim of the present work was to explore children's reaction to sugar reduction in the context of the implementation of nutritional warnings in Uruguay. The study was composed of two sessions involving three evaluation conditions: tasting without package information, package evaluation without tasting, and tasting with package information. A total of 122 children, ages ranging between 6 and 13 years old (47% girls) were involved in the study. In the first session, children's hedonic and emotional response to a regular and a sugar-reduced chocolate dairy dessert (without other sweeteners) was evaluated. In the second session, children first evaluated their expected liking, emotional associations and choice of packages differing in the presence of warning labels for excessive sugar content and cartoon character (2x2 design). Finally, they tasted the selected sample in the presence of the package and evaluated their liking, emotional associations, and intention to re-taste it. Although sugar reduction led to a significant reduction in overall liking, the dessert with 40% sugar reduction showed a mean overall score of 6.5 in a 9-point hedonic scale and was described using positive emoji (, , ). When the desserts were tasted with package information, no significant differences in the expected overall liking of the regular and sugar-reduced dessert were found. Regarding the effect of packaging elements, the presence of a warning label highlighting excessive content of sugar did not have a significant effect on children's choice. Instead, children's choices were defined by the presence of a cartoon character. Results from the present work provide additional evidence about the feasibility of reducing the sugar content and sweetness of dairy products targeted at children and stress the need to regulate the use of cartoon characters on products with an unfavorable nutritional profile. Methodological recommendations for sensory and consumer research with children are also discussed.

Coffee Silverskin Cellulose-Based Composite Film with Natural Pigments for Food Packaging: Physicochemical and Sensory Abilities

To promote a circular economy, the use of agricultural by-products as food packaging material has steadily increased. However, designing food packaging films that meet consumers' preferences and requirements is still a challenge. In this work, cellulose extracted from coffee silverskin (a by-product of coffee roasting) and chitosan were combined with different natural pigments (curcumin, phycocyanin, and lycopene) to generate a variety of composite films with different colors for food packaging. The physicochemical and sensory properties of the films were evaluated. The cellulose/chitosan film showed favorable mechanical properties and water sensitivity. Addition of natural pigments resulted in different film colors, and significantly affected the optical properties and improved the UV-barrier, swelling degree, and water vapor permeability (WVP), but there were also slight decreases in the mechanical properties. The various colored films can influence the perceived features and evoke different emotions from consumers, resulting in films receiving different attraction and liking scores. This work provides a comprehensive evaluation strategy for coffee silverskin cellulose-based composite films with incorporated pigments, and a new perspective on the consideration of the hedonic ratings of consumers regarding bio-based films when designing food packaging.

The Effect of Response Conditions on Food Images-Evoked Emotions Measured Using the Valence × Arousal Circumplex-Inspired Emotion Questionnaire (CEQ)

In 2020, a single-response-based, valence × arousal circumplex-inspired emotion questionnaire (CEQ) was developed. Using a between-participants design, previous studies have found that a multiple response (MR) condition better discriminated test samples (e.g., written food names) based on their evoked emotions than a single response (SR) condition. This research, comprising Studies 1 and 2, aimed to determine the effect of response conditions (i.e., SR vs. MR) on emotional responses to food image samples, using a within-participants design. In Study 1, 105 Korean participants were asked to select a pair of emotion terms (i.e., SR condition) or select all pairs representing their evoked emotions (i.e., MR condition) from a list of 12 pairs of emotion terms of the CEQ, in response to the 14 food images. Both SR and MR conditions were tested within a remote (online) session. To minimize both a potential carry-over effect of the "within-participants design" and an influence of environmental factors in the remote testing, Study 2 asked 64 U.S. participants to do so over two separated sessions on two different days in a controlled laboratory setting. In both Studies 1 and 2, participants selected the CEQ's emotion-term pairs in the MR condition more frequently than in the SR condition, leading to the MR condition's higher capacity to discriminate test samples. While the configurations of the correspondence analysis biplots drawn in the SR and MR conditions were similar, those in the MR condition were more likely to be similar to the configurations of the principal component analysis biplots drawn from the ratings of valence and arousal for food image samples. In conclusion, this study provides robust empirical evidence that the MR condition can perform better in capturing sample differences in food-evoked emotions, while the SR condition is also effective in characterizing emotional profiles of test samples. Our findings will provide practical insights to sensory professionals, enabling them to effectively leverage the CEQ or its variants when measuring food-evoked emotions.

Emoji as promising tools for emotional evaluation in orthodontics

Background

Emoji are pictograms frequently used in social networks capable of expressing emotions. These tools can provide insights into people's behavior that could not be obtained with the use of textual communication. Recently, emoji have been introduced to various research fields as successful alternatives to word-based questionnaires for measure emotional responses. The objective of this study was to preliminarily evaluate the discriminating ability and relationship of these tools with different occlusal conditions/malocclusions.

Methods

Online surveys were applied to adult individuals (n = 201; mean age = 27.4 ± 5.7; 37.3% males, 62.7% females). Subjects issued acceptance scores (10-point scale) and expressed their emotional status using a 30-emoji list in relation to nine occlusal conditions: C1–crowding, C2–anterior open bite, C3–interincisal diastema, C4–increased overjet + deep bite (Class II div. 1), C5–anterior crossbite (Class III), C6–ideal occlusion, C7–unilateral posterior crossbite, C8–anterior open bite plus bilateral posterior crossbite plus crowding, and C9–deep bite (Class II div. 2). Cochran's Q and McNemar tests were used to compare the frequencies of choice of emoji between conditions. Correspondence analyses were applied to assess the association between occlusal conditions and emoji. Kendall's correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the relationship between mean acceptance scores and frequency counts of each emoji.

Results

The frequency of choice between conditions showed a significant difference for 25 of the 30 emoji (P < 0.05), indicating an adequate discriminating ability of these tools. Emoji were grouped predominantly based on their emotional valence (positive/negative) and arousal/activation (high/low). Positive emoji were associated with the most accepted conditions (i.e., C6, C3), while negative emoji with the most rejected ones (i.e., C8, C1, C2). Although only weak, positive correlations between acceptance and positively valenced emoji, and negative correlations between acceptance and negatively valenced emoji were observed (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Emoji have an adequate discriminatory ability and would allow determining emotional profiles in the face of different occlusal conditions. Further research is necessary to consolidate the use of these tools in an instrument that allows measuring emotional responses.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40510-022-00418-3.

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.

Probiotic fermented milks: Children's emotional responses using a product-specific emoji list

This study aimed to develop and validate a product-specific emoji list and use this list to analyse children's emotional responses associated with the consumption of probiotic fermented milks prepared with different probiotic strains. Furthermore, the overall liking of the products was studied during a sensory test. Six formulations were studied: Bifidobacterium BB12 (BB), Lactobacillus acidophilus L3 (LA3), Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 05 (LA5), Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis (LL), Lacticaseibacillus casei 01 (LC), and Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (CONV). A total of 132 children (7-14 years old) participated in two study phases: development (n = 32) and validation (n = 100) of the list. Fifteen emoji were selected to be included in the product-specific list, which had a high frequency of citations in the first phase. The formulations with the highest overall liking (LL, BB, LC and CONV) were correlated with positive emoji, while the least-liked formulations (LA3 and LA5) were associated with negative emoji. Furthermore, the utilisation of emoji enabled the differentiation among formulations with similar overall liking. Therefore, this study developed and validated an emoji list to be used in the evaluation of fermented milks by children. The results suggest that the type of probiotic culture impacted the sensory characteristics of fermented milks, supporting the use of Bifidobacterium, L. lactis or L. casei in these products.

Is it possible to obtain food consumption information through children's drawings? Comparison with the Free Listing

The aims of this research were 1) to study the children's drawings to obtain scientific information about food consumption; 2) to compare this method with an existing one (Free Listing); and 3) to compare fruits- and vegetables-consumed by children of different cultural groups within a same country. Children (n = 105) from two Argentinian cities (Salta in the northwest and 9 de Julio in the Pampean region), reported the fruits and vegetables they consumed, with the Free Listing and the new Free Drawing methods. Contingency tables were built and cognitive saliency indexes (CSI) were calculated. Children evoked 57 fruits and 54 vegetables by both methods, which were then grouped into 31 fruit and 27 vegetable categories. The advantages and limitations of the methods are discussed. Throughout Free Drawing, each food was defined by its name, shape and colour, which allowed better discrimination between varieties. Children from Salta reported consuming more fruits (63.7%) and vegetables (68.6%) than those from 9 de Julio (p < 0.05). Differences between cultural groups were found in 10 fruits and 7 vegetables, mentioned more frequently in Salta, where regional crops arose principally by Free Listing. The CSI did not depend on the method used but, for vegetables, they were affected by the cultural group. The fruits with the greatest CSI were banana and apples followed by orange (CSI≥0.19). Tomatoes, carrot and pumpkins showed the highest CSI in 9 de Julio; while carrot, tomatoes, varieties of lettuce and potatoes had the highest CSI in Salta (0.17 ≤ CSI≤0.33). Free Drawing is a qualitative alternative to study food consumption in children populations through a fun activity without the need for assistants.

The Meaning of Emoji to Describe Food Experiences in Pre-Adolescents

Ongoing research has shown that emoji can be used by children to discriminate food products, but it is unclear if they express emotions and how they are linked to emotional words. Little is known about how children interpret emoji in terms of their emotional meaning in the context of food. This study aimed at investigating the emotional meaning of emoji used to describe food experiences in 9–13-year-old pre-adolescents and to measure related age and gender differences. The meaning of 46 emoji used to describe food experience was explored by: mapping emoji according to similarities and differences in their emotional meaning using the projective mapping technique, and linking emoji with emotion words using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) format. The two tasks gave consistent results and showed that emoji were discriminated along the valence (positive vs. negative) and power (dominant vs. submissive) dimension, and to a lower extent along the arousal dimension (high vs. low activation). In general, negative emoji had more distinct meanings than positive emoji in both studies, but differences in nuances of meaning were found also among positive emoji. Girls and older pre-adolescents (12–13 years old (y.o.)) discriminated positive emoji slightly better than boys and younger pre-adolescents (9–11 y.o.). This suggests that girls and older pre-adolescents may be higher in emotional granularity (the ability to experience and discriminate emotions), particularly of positive emotions. The results of the present work can be used for the development of an emoji-based tool to measure emotions elicited by foods in pre-adolescents.

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.

Children's Self-Reported Reasons for Accepting and Rejecting Foods

Children's eating behavior does not necessarily align with dietary recommendations, and there is a need for better understanding the factors underlying their food choices. The aim of this study was to investigate children's self-reported reasons for accepting and rejecting foods. A questionnaire was developed with reasons based on prior research and in-depth interviews. A set of various food stimuli covering different types was evaluated by 106 girls and 99 boys aged 10-13 years by checking all reasons that apply (CATA) for either accepting or rejecting them. Results showed gender differences among reasons for both food acceptance and rejection, but also in liking and willingness to re-taste the stimuli. The most common reason for food acceptance was good taste in boys and curiosity in girls; for food rejection they were bad taste, bad smell and dislike of appearance in boys and bad taste, bad smell, dislike of appearance and texture in girls. Overall, boys liked the food stimuli more than girls and were more willing to re-taste them. Future research should focus more on the role of sensory properties in both acceptance and rejection, and the potential of children's curiosity as a driver in tasting foods should be further explored.

Changes in Lighting Source Can Produce Inaccurate Assessment of Visual Poultry Doneness and Induce Consumers To Eat Undercooked Ground Turkey Patties

Undercooked poultry is a potential source of foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. The best way to avoid eating undercooked poultry is to use a food thermometer during cooking. However, consumers who cook poultry often use visual appearance for determining doneness, which relies on extrinsic factors, including lighting conditions. Because the United States recently mandated changes in lighting to promote energy conservation, this study evaluated the effect of lighting sources on consumer perceptions of doneness and willingness to eat cooked poultry patties. Consumers ( n = 104) evaluated validated photographs of turkey patties cooked to different end point temperatures (57 to 79°C) and rated the level of perceived doneness and willingness to eat each sample. Evaluations were conducted under different lighting sources: incandescent (60 W, soft white), halogen (43 W, soft white), compact fluorescent lamp (13 W, soft white), light-emitting diode (LED; 10.5 W, soft white), and daylight LED (14 W). Lighting changed perception of doneness and willingness to eat the patties, with some of the energy-efficient options, such as LED and halogen making samples appear more done than they actually were, increasing the willingness to eat undercooked samples. This poses a risk of consuming meat that could contain bacteria not killed by heat treatment. Recent changes in lighting regulations can affect lighting in homes that affects perceptions of poultry doneness, requiring that educators place extra emphasis on the message that properly using a meat thermometer is the only way to ensure meat is cooked to a safe end point temperature.

Can front-of-pack nutrition labeling influence children's emotional associations with unhealthy food products? An experiment using emoji

Food products targeted at children are usually marketed using persuasive elements aimed at creating positive hedonic and emotional associations. For this reason, changes in children's emotional associations with unhealthy food products can discourage their consumption. In this context, the aim of the present study was to compare children's emotional associations with food products featuring different front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling schemes. A total of 492 children (6-12 years old) were randomly divided into three groups, each of which evaluated a series of packages featuring different FOP nutrition labelling schemes: guidelines daily amount (GDA), traffic light system (TLS) and nutritional warnings. For each of the six packages and three unpackaged products, children were asked to select all the emoji from a list that described how they would feel eating the product. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. FOP nutrition labelling significantly influenced the frequency of use five of the 16 emoji. In general, children who evaluated packages with directive and semi-directive schemes used emoji associated with positive emotions less frequently than those who evaluated packages with the GDA system. The effect of FOP nutrition labelling scheme on emotional associations was moderated by age and type of school. The effect of directive and semi-directive FOP nutritional schemes, in special nutritional warnings, tended to be higher for younger children and children from public schools. These results suggest that FOP nutrition labelling may contribute to discouraging consumption of products with high content of nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases among children.

Novel Fortified Blended Foods: Preference Testing with Infants and Young Children in Tanzania and Descriptive Sensory Analysis

The preference of porridge made from extruded fortified blended foods (FBFs) compared to a current nonextruded product (corn soy blend plus [CSB+]) among infants and young children was studied in Mwanza region, Tanzania. Five extruded, fortified blends were chosen as novel FBFs in this study: (i) corn soy blend 14 (CSB14), (ii) white sorghumFontanelle 4525 soy blend (SSB), (iii) white sorghumFontanelle 4525 cowpea blend (WSC1), (iv) white sorghum738Y cowpea blend (WSC2), and (v) red sorghum217X Burgundy cowpea blend (RSC). Paired preference testing between CSB+ and each novel FBF was conducted using approximately 600 children for each pair. Results showed that infants and young children prefer CSB14 and SSB over CSB+. Children did not show a preference between CSB+ and any of the 3 sorghum cowpea blends (WSC1, WSC2, and RSC) probably because of a distinct beany flavor from cowpea that they were not familiar with. This study indicated that novel FBFs have potential to be used successfully as supplementary food with higher or comparable preference compared to FBFs currently used in food aid programs.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Successful novel fortified blended foods (FBFs) can be developed with appropriate nutrition and sensory appeal from indigenous and alternative food sources. Development of such foods requires an understanding not only of the nutritional composition, but also how ingredients impact sensory properties and how they can influence preferences. From this research, novel FBFs from sorghum and cowpea were shown to be equally or preferentially preferred and should be successful. Such information is important for creating new standards and alternative formulations for FBFs.