Systematic Review of Methods Used for Food Pairing with Coffee, Tea, Wine, and Beer

Consumer's perception of food pairing products with usual, novel and unusual flavour combinations: A segmentation approach

In saturated markets, companies are continually launching new products. Food innovations particularly play a decisive role in this case. One new concept is food pairing, which signifies that the more aromatic compounds two foods have in common, the better they taste together. Food pairing offers an opportunity to develop innovative foods. However, some consumers are risk-averse or exhibit food neophobia. Studies on food neophobia indicate that innovative foods could face rejection. The factor that represents a marketing barrier is not only the sensory rejection of the products when tasting them but also the refusal to even try such innovative products. Therefore, the idea of whether consumers are generally open to food pairing is important to examine. Nonetheless, research into this issue is lacking thus far. The subject of how consumers judge usual, novel, and unusual pairing principles was investigated in this study. The topic of whether a target group for food pairing products exists and characterized the target group was also analysed. To achieve the objective of the study, an online survey of German consumers (n = 1,064) was conducted; these consumers judged the five flavour combinations of each category (usual, novel, unusual). The results revealed a four-cluster solution, with one-third of the sample expressing an openness to food pairing. The whole sample judged the usual combinations as suitable; by contrast, the novel and unusual combinations were deemed to be mainly appropriate for the food pairing cluster. The proposed measurement methodology for testing the openness of food pairing, which distinguishes between usual, novel, and unusual pairings, has demonstrated its usefulness. Those consumers who are open to food pairing have a high level of food involvement and a low degree of food neophobia. Furthermore, they show the highest organic food purchase frequency.

Studies on the Enhancement of Sparkling Wine and Chocolate Pairing through Compositional Profile Analysis

Consumers are looking to experience as many interesting culinary combinations as possible, and there is a growing tendency to associate wine with various foods. Although there are some studies associating wine with chocolate, especially red wine, no articles have been published referring to sparkling wines. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to identify the taste compatibility and sensory synergies between sparkling wine and chocolate, with a focus on identifying combinations that can enhance the tasting experience. For this experiment, 14 variants of sparkling wines obtained in Romania and 5 chocolate assortments were evaluated to identify the best culinary match. White chocolate fitted better with Chardonnay-demi-dry sparkling wine; ruby chocolate presented a good match with Fetească neagră-demi-dry; milk chocolate with 32% cocoa powder associated better with Tămâioasă românească-sweet; and dark chocolate with 70% and 95% cocoa powder had synergic matches with Fetească neagră-sweet. Wine attributes like sweetness, acidity, alcoholic strength and chocolate composition significantly impacted the level of match.

Tea pairings: Impact of aromatic congruence on acceptance and sweetness perception

Food pairing is a relevant tool for the food industry and for culinary professionals to develop successful flavor combinations and memorable experiences, but it could also be useful for encouraging consumers to adhere to a healthier diet. The general purpose of this study was to further investigate the perception of teas and butter cookies with and without aromatic congruence, deepening in sweetness perception. The experimental included: 1) a projective mapping test (30 semi-trained panelists) to group tea samples and choose representatives of each aromatic group; 2) the determination of the main volatile organic compounds using Solid Phase Micro Extraction-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) to prove the aromatic congruence of the designed tea-cookie pairings; 3) a consumer study (n = 89) to assess liking, sweetness perception, of the single samples and pairings, and the pairing principles of the congruent and non-congruent parings. Results of the projective mapping showed that the tea samples could be grouped into 3 main categories by their herbal, fruity-sweet, and brown-sweet notes, results also supported by the GCMS data. Harmony was positively correlated to liking, and Balance and Similarity seemed to be related to aromatic "congruence", although all pairings were similarly liked. Sugar content was similar in all the cookie samples and pairings, but sweetness perception was significantly influenced by the aroma of the samples, being the samples and pairings made with spearmint the least sweet ones. Pairing a tea with sweet aromas with the spearmint cookie, independently of the kind of sweet aromatics (e.g.: coconut, almond, vanilla, fruity, tropical), seemed to slightly increase sweetness perception, although significant differences were not detected with other spearmint cookie pairings. Findings of the present research sum knowledge to the food pairing area, but further research is needed in recommending appropriate methodologies for pairing assessment, as well as the potential uses of driven pairings in specific food cultures.

Consumer Studies: Beyond Acceptability—A Case Study with Beer

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world; its consumption and preference are evolving from traditional industrial beers of low complexity to novel craft beers with diverse flavour profiles. In such a competitive industry and considering the complexity of consumer behaviour, improvement and innovation become necessary. Consequently, consumer science, which is responsible for identifying the motivation behind customer preferences through their attitudes, perception and behaviour, has implemented strategies ranging from simple hedonic measurements to several innovative and emerging methodologies for a deeper understanding of the variables that affect the product experience: sensory, affective and cognitive. In this context, we offer a review inspired by previous research that explores some of the quantitative and qualitative methods used in consumer studies related to beer consumption, ranging from traditional approaches (acceptability, purchase intention, preference, etc.) to techniques that go beyond acceptability and allow a different understanding of aspects of consumer perception and behaviour (segmentation, expectations, emotions, representation, etc.). Also, innovative applications (contexts, immersive technologies and virtual reality, implicit measures, etc.) and current trends related to consumer science (Internet, social media, pairing, product experience, etc.) are addressed.

Feature Papers in Sensory Analysis of Beverages

Sensory science is a young discipline that has proven to be very useful for the food and beverage industry, not only to guarantee the quality of the organoleptic properties of raw materials and processed foods/beverages, but also to increase the probability of the success of new developments, to understand consumer response and detect potential consumer niches, and to monitor competitors [...]