Multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: A systematic scoping review

Among descriptive sensory evaluation methods, temporal methods have a wide audience in food science because they make it possible to follow perception as close as possible to the moment when sensations are perceived. The aim of this work was to describe 30 years of research involving temporal methods by mapping the scientific literature using a systematic scoping review. Thus, 363 research articles found from a search in Scopus and Web of Science from 1991 to 2022 were included. The extracted data included information on the implementation of studies referring to the use of temporal methods (details related to subjects, products, descriptors, research design, data analysis, etc.), reasons why they were used and the conclusions they allowed to be drawn. Metadata analysis and critical appraisal were also carried out. A quantitative and qualitative synthesis of the results allowed the identification of trends in the way in which the methods were developed, refined, and disseminated. Overall, a large heterogeneity was noted in the way in which the temporal measurements were carried out and the results presented. Some critical research gaps in establishing the validity and reliability of temporal methods have also been identified. They were mostly related to the details of implementation of the methods (e.g., almost no justification for the number of consumers included in the studies, absence of report on panel repeatability) and data analysis (e.g., prevalence of use of exploratory data analysis, only 20% of studies using confirmatory analyses considering the dynamic nature of the data). These results suggest the need for general guidelines on how to implement the method, analyze and interpret data, and report the results. Thus, a template and checklist for reporting data and results were proposed to help increase the quality of future research.

PO2/TransformON, an ontology for data integration on food, feed, bioproducts and biowaste engineering

We are witnessing an acceleration of the global drive to converge consumption and production patterns towards a more circular and sustainable approach to the food system. To address the challenge of reconnecting agriculture, environment, food and health, collections of large datasets must be exploited. However, building high-capacity data-sharing networks means unlocking the information silos that are caused by a multiplicity of local data dictionaries. To solve the data harmonization problem, we proposed an ontology on food, feed, bioproducts, and biowastes engineering for data integration in a circular bioeconomy and nexus-oriented approach. This ontology is based on a core model representing a generic process, the Process and Observation Ontology (PO2), which has been specialized to provide the vocabulary necessary to describe any biomass transformation process and to characterize the food, bioproducts, and wastes derived from these processes. Much of this vocabulary comes from transforming authoritative references such as the European food classification system (FoodEx2), the European Waste Catalogue, and other international nomenclatures into a semantic, world wide web consortium (W3C) format that provides system interoperability and software-driven intelligence. We showed the relevance of this new domain ontology PO2/TransformON through several concrete use cases in the fields of process engineering, bio-based composite making, food ecodesign, and relations with consumer's perception and preferences. Further works will aim to align with other ontologies to create an ontology network for bridging the gap between upstream and downstream processes in the food system.

A dataset on concurrent and immediate retrospective measures of sensory perception and preferences of dark chocolates

This article describes data related to the research paper entitled "Concurrent vs. retrospective temporal data collection: Attack-evolution-finish as a simplification of Temporal Dominance of Sensations?" [1]. Temporal sensory perception data of five dark chocolates that vary in cocoa content were collected from 129 consumers who evaluated the samples in two sessions, using a different sensory evaluation method in each session. A within-subject design was set-up to compare the two data collection methods: consumers in Panel 1 (36 men and 32 women aged 19 to 63 years old) started with the Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) method, and consumers in Panel 2 (35 men and 26 women aged 19 to 61 years old) started with the Attack-Evolution-Finish dominance (AEF-D) method. For each chocolate, consumers had to report the sensations they perceived either concurrently (TDS) or retrospectively (AEF-D) to the tasting. After the descriptive task, consumers were asked to rate their liking for chocolates on a 9-point discrete scale. Finally, consumers had to answer questions related to the difficulty of the descriptive task. The dataset includes information on consumers' gender, age and frequency of consumption of dark chocolates. The dataset can be reused by sensometricians to compare methods or develop new statistical models for data analysis. It can also be reused to compare at the individual level declarative sensory measures collected either concurrently or retrospectively to tasting. Thus, the impact of cognition (due to memorization, stress or complexity of measurements) on sensory description and liking can be investigated. More specifically, this dataset can be help understand how the dynamics of perception of texture, mouthfeel and flavour attributes are integrated when using static measures.

A dataset of consumer perceptions of gustometer-controlled stimuli measured with three temporal sensory evaluation methods

This paper describes data on the consumer sensory perception of liquid mixtures including sapid and aromatic compounds. A total of 149 consumers participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to one of three panels. Each panel used a different temporal sensory evaluation method among Temporal Dominance of Sensation (TDS, n = 50), Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA, n = 50) and Attack-Evolution-Finish Rate-All-That-Apply (AEF-RATA, n = 49) to evaluate solutions delivered by a gustometer (Burghart GU002). First, four simple solutions (composed of a single compound) were delivered to the consumers to evaluate their recognition ability using Free Comment. Second, eighteen complex solutions (composed of two to five compounds varying in their sequence, intensity and duration of stimulation) were delivered to the consumers to evaluate their ability to use the three temporal evaluation methods. The compounds included sodium chloride ("salty"), saccharose ("sweet"), citric acid ("acid"), citral ("lemon") and basil hydrosol ("basil"). The data were used to assess the validity and reliability of the temporal sensory methods in an article entitled "Assessment of the validity and reliability of temporal sensory evaluation methods used with consumers on controlled stimuli delivered by a gustometer". The data could be reused by researchers interested in studying the effect of interactions between sapid and aromatic compounds on perception.

A dataset on the sensory and affective perception of Bordeaux and Rioja red wines collected from French and Spanish consumers at home and international wine students in the lab

This article describes a dataset providing temporal sensory descriptions and affective answers for red wines: two Bordeaux and two Riojas. The wines were tasted at home by French (FR, n=106) and Spanish (SP, n=98) consumers and in the lab by wine students (WC, n=47). Standardized information was displayed on the samples (country and region of origin, name, producer, vintage, alcohol content). The FR and SP panels were split into three groups, the first having no rating information, the second having expert rating information (based on Wine Advocate ratings), and the third having consumer rating information (based on online Vivino reviews). The participants first rated their expected liking for the four wines. Then, for each wine sample, they had (in order) to taste the sample while being video recorded, rate their liking, temporally describe the sequence of sensations they perceived using Free-Comment Attack-Evolution-Finish, answer several questions about familiarity and quality perception, and declare their willingness to pay (reserve price). Then, they had to rank the four wines according to their quality. General questions about wine involvement, subjective wine knowledge, valuation behaviour, purchasing, and consumption patterns were asked. Finally, an auction was resolved: participants declaring a reserve price greater than the drawn price won a bottle. The data were used to assess the influence of culture and expertise on temporal sensory evaluations in an article entitled "Using Free-Comment to investigate expertise and cultural differences in wine sensory description". The data can be reused by researchers interested in studying the impact of external information on preferences and choices or investigating the sensory drivers of liking.

A dataset of sensory perception of chocolates, guacamoles, ice teas and crisps collected with consumers using six temporal methods

This article describes a dataset providing temporal sensory perception data of four dark chocolates, four guacamoles, four crisps and four ice teas collected from 436 consumers divided in six groups. Each group of consumers has tested all products using only one sensory evaluation method among: Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS, n=70), Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA, n=73), Attack-Evolution-Finish (AEF) dominance (n=74), AEF applicability (n=75), Free-Comment Attack-Evolution-Finish (FC-AEF) dominance (n=72) and FC-AEF applicability (n=72). Each consumer evaluated all the products: guacamoles and ice tea were evaluated in the lab in one session; chocolates and crisps were evaluated at home in two separate sessions. Within each product category, one sample has been replicated. The consumers started with product descriptions, then they gave a hedonic score, and after having tasted all the products related to a same category, they answered questions about product complexity and difficulty of the task. Consumer information included in the dataset is sex, age and frequency of consumption of each product category. This dataset is unique as it addresses several temporal methods applied on four product categories with different textures and levels of complexity. Thus, it could be very useful for the sensometric community to compare the different methods and their parameters: dominance vs. applicability, periods vs. continuous time, simultaneous vs. retrospective measures, list of terms vs. Free-Comment.

Construction of a Generic and Evolutive Wheel and Lexicon of Food Textures

In the context of data management and processing, food science needs tools to organize the results of diverse studies to make the data reusable. In sensory analysis, there are no classification or wheel of textural attributes that can be used to interpret the results of sensory studies. Research from the literature and databases was used to elaborate a list of attributes related to texture. With the help of a group of experts in food texture, work on these attributes and the related concepts was conducted to classify them into several categories, including intensity levels. The classification was represented as a texture wheel, completed by a generic lexicon of definitions of texture concepts. The work can be useful as a reference in texture attributes related to foods, and thanks to implementation in a general ontology based on food processing and observation, it can help query and interpret texture-related results from sensory studies.

A dataset on concurrent and immediate retrospective methods for measuring sensory perception and preferences of lemon-flavoured carbonated alcoholic drinks

This article describes a dataset providing temporal sensory descriptions and preferences for four lemon-flavoured carbonated alcoholic drinks. The recruited Japanese consumers (97 men, 96 women) corresponded to the target for this kind of drink: aged between 20 and 40 and regular consumers of flavoured alcoholic drinks. They had to consume a whole can of each drink at home, each on a different day. For sips 1, 4 and 7, they had to check from a check-all-that-apply (CATA) list of eight attributes (alcohol, bitter, carbonated, lemon, refreshing, sour, sweet aroma and sweet taste) that were applicable during three periods of perception – “in mouth before swallowing”, “immediately after swallowing” and “aftertaste”. They were separated into two panels: the consumers in panel SIM (96 consumers) had to do the task simultaneously with the tasting, while the consumers in panel RET (97 consumers) had to do it retrospectively. They also had to rate their liking and report the number of crackers they consumed during the tasting. Once the can had been fully consumed, they had to score their satisfaction level and optionally report comments about the products and the task. The data were used to compare retrospective and concurrent temporal evaluations in a methodologically oriented article entitled “Concurrent vs. immediate retrospective temporal sensory data collection: A case study on lemon-flavoured carbonated alcoholic drinks.” The data could be reused by researchers interested in understanding interactions between alcohol, carbonation, sour, sweet and bitter or to relate temporal perception and preferences for improving product formulation.

Multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: Protocol for a scoping review

Background

Sensory perception is a temporal phenomenon highly present in food evaluation. Over the last decades, several sensory analysis methods have been developed to determine how our processing of the stimuli changes during tasting. These methods differ in several parameters: how attributes are characterized (intensity, dominance or applicability), the number of attributes evaluated, the moment of sample characterization (simultaneously with the tasting in continuous or discrete time, retrospectively), the required panel (trained subjects or consumers), etc. At the moment, there is no systematic review encompassing the full scope of this topic. This article presents the protocol for conducting a scoping review on multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis in food science.

Methods

The protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The research question was "how have multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods been implemented, used and compared in sensory analysis?". The eligibility criteria were defined using the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Study design) framework. This protocol details how the articles of the final review will be retrieved, selected and analyzed. The search will be based on the querying of two academic research databases (Scopus and Web of Science). The main topics reported in research involving sensory analyses methods will be identified and summarized in a data extraction form. This form (detailed in the protocol) will be used to report pertinent information regarding the objectives of the review. It could also be reused as a guideline for carrying out and reporting results of future research in a more standardized way. A quality appraisal process was derived from literature. It will be applied on the included articles of the review, and could also be re-used to ensure that future publications meet higher quality levels. Finally, for the sake of transparency, the limitations of the protocol are discussed.

Use of Multi-Intake Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) to Evaluate the Influence of Wine on Cheese Perception

Even if wine and cheese have long been consumed together, there is little sensory evidence on how wine can influence the perception of cheese. In this work 4 cheeses were dynamically characterized in terms of dominant sensations without and with wine consumption in between intakes. The tasting protocol was based on multi-intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) coupled with hedonic rating. Frequent wine and cheese consumers (n = 31) evaluated 4 cheeses (Epoisses, Chaource, and 2 different Comté) over 3 consecutive bites. In the following sessions they performed the same task, but taking sips of wine (rosé Riceys, white Burgundy, red Burgundy, and red Beaujolais) between bites. All cheese-wine combinations were tasted over 4 sessions. TDS data were analyzed in terms of attribute duration of dominance by ANOVA, MANOVA, and canonical variate analysis. Results showed that wine consumption had an impact (P < 0.1) on dominance duration of attributes of cheeses, particularly on salty and some aromatic notes. But, as opposed to a previous work done by the same team, wine had no impact on the preference of cheese; this stayed constant under all the evaluating conditions.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This paper aims to validate an innovative protocol on dynamic sensory data acquisition in which consumers evaluate the impact of a beverage (wine) on a solid food (cheese). This protocol is complementary to a previous one presented in this journal, where the effect of cheese was tested on wine. Together they make up an interesting approach towards developing a new tool for the food sector to better understand the impact of one food product on another. This could lead to a better description of a whole meal, something which is still missing in sensory science.

FOXE1 is a target for aberrant methylation in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Several cancer-related genes are silenced by promoter hypermethylation in skin cancers. However, to date the somatic epigenetic events that occur in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tumorigenesis have not been well defined.

OBJECTIVES

To examine epigenetic abnormalities of FOXE1, a gene located on chromosome 9q22, a region frequently lost in SCC.

METHODS

We investigated the methylation status of FOXE1 in 60 cases of cutaneous SCC by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, and comparatively examined mRNA and protein expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively.

RESULTS

We found a higher frequency of FOXE1 promoter hypermethylation in SCCs (55%), as compared with the adjacent uninvolved skin (12%) and blood control samples (9.5%). FOXE1 methylation was frequently seen in association with a complete absence of or downregulated gene expression. Treatment with the demethylating agent 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine resulted in profound reactivation of FOXE1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that FOXE1 is a crucial player in development of cutaneous SCC.

Polyamines in Nickel-Titanium Archwire-Induced Gingivitis in Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Polyamines spermine, spermidine, and putrescine are involved in a number of inflammatory diseases, but their role in the development of gingivitis and periodontitis has not been fully investigated. The goal of this investigation was to study the levels and the variations of these amines, and the main enzymes related to their metabolism, during archwire orthodontic treatment, a condition which may induce gingivitis.

METHODS

Sixty patients (age range: 11 to 27 years) were examined for gingivitis occurring during nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) archwire orthodontic treatment. Plaque and gingival indexes (PI, GI) as well as salivary polyamine metabolism before the archwire insertion (T0) and at 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 (T3) months of treatment were measured.

RESULTS

In patients in the age range of 14 to 17 years, spermine and spermidine, but not putrescine contents, as well as ornithine-decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine-decarboxylase (SAMDC) activities, significantly rose at 3 months after insertion, without any change in periodontal parameters, and further increased at 6 months reaching the maximum at 12 months. GI increased later, from 6 to 12 months, while PI did not significantly change. Spermidine/spermine-N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) activity remained unchanged from T0 to T3. On the contrary, in patients whose age was 11 to 13 or over 18 years, no significant variations in polyamine metabolism and periododontal parameters were observed at any examination time.

CONCLUSION

These data support the hypothesis that salivary polyamines might be earlier indicators of gingivitis than the gingival index score in adolescents wearing archwire appliances.

Vitreous polyamines spermidine, putrescine, and spermine in human proliferative disorders of the retina

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Many cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of retinal proliferative diseases, but none has been shown to be related to a specific disorder. The aim of this study was to provide a selective marker of diabetes induced proliferative retinopathies.

METHODS

10 vitreous samples from 10 subjects affected by quiescent proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), 20 vitreous samples from 20 subjects affected by active PDR, and 15 samples from 15 patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) were studied. Samples from 18 patients with a macular hole (n = 8) or pucker (n = 10) served as controls. Vitreous samples were obtained via pars plana vitrectomy. The polyamines spermidine, putrescine, and spermine, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and transforming growth factor 1beta (TGF-1beta) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the correlation coefficients between the vitreous polyamine content and VEGF, IL-8, and TGF-1beta levels were determined.

RESULTS

Spermidine and putrescine were expressed in normal vitreous, but spermine was not detectable. In all the test groups spermidine was 3-4 times higher than in control vitreous and putrescine was similarly lower. The spermine content was up to 15 times higher only in vitreous from patients affected by PDR. Correlation coefficients showed that the spermidine and putrescine level variations correlated with the VEGF and IL-8 content in the active PDR and PVR groups, but not in those with quiescent PDR patients, while spermine was correlated to these cytokines in PDR, but not in PVR groups.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest a significant role for spermidine and putrescine as markers of proliferative diseases of the retina. The increase in spermine, restricted to diabetic states, may indicate that this polyamine is a unique and specific index of PDR.

Age-related salivary polyamine increase in adolescents wearing orthodontic Ni-Ti archwires

Until now information about the influence of puberty on gingival tissue responses to Ni-Ti alloy haven't been available. Since our previous researches have demonstrated that Ni-Ti appliances have an influence on hyperplastic gingivopathy and data has pointed out a possible hormonal influence on the susceptibility of gingival tissue to mechanical stress, we have attempted to study the relationship between fertility hormones and the periodontal response to Ni-Ti appliances. Three groups, ranging from 6 to 17 years old, were tested for salivary polyamine concentrations and for fertility hormone levels 12 months after Ni-Ti application. Results obtained from Pearson's correlation coefficient between polyamine and sexual hormone concentrations, as well as gingival and plaque indexes, suggest that the adolescent gingival tissue undergoes an hyperplastic process after long-term use of Ni-Ti appliances in relation to the puberty age-restricted peak of fertility hormones.

Determination of polyamines in human saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of polyamines (spermine, spermidine and putrescine) in human saliva was developed. This method is based on pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA). The derivatives were separated on a Nucleosil ODS column (250x4.6 mm I.D.; 5 microm). The gradient elution was performed with two mobile phases A (water) and B (methanol) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. The column eluate was monitored by fluorescence detection (excitation, 360 nm; emission, 510 nm). The within- and between-assay coefficients of variation for all the compounds were below 5%. The detection limits for spermine, spermidine and putrescine were 0.04, 0.05 and 0.06 nmol/ml, respectively. The recovery was greater than 90%. Our analytical technique requires neither preliminary extraction with an organic solvent, nor long multi-step procedures. For saliva samples, this is a simple, rapid and highly reproducible method that can be easily applied to the routine determination of salivary polyamines, whose levels increase early in several pathological conditions.

In vivo antitumor activity of S 16020-2, a new olivacine derivative

The antitumor activity of S 16020-2, a new olivacine derivative, was investigated in vivo and compared with that of Adriamycin and elliptinium acetate in a panel of murine (P388 leukemia, M5076 sarcoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and B16 melanoma) and human (NCI-H460 non-small-cell lung and MCF7 breast carcinomas) tumor models. S 16020-2 given i.v. was active against P388 leukemia implanted i.p., s.c., or intracerebrally. The therapeutic effect of an intermittent schedule (administration on days 1, 5, 9) was superior to that of single-dose treatment, allowing the i.v. administration of high total doses of S 16020-2 and resulting in the cure of 60% of mice in the i.p. P388 model. In this model, S 16020-2 was more active than elliptinium acetate and showed a better therapeutic index than Adriamycin: > or = 8 versus 2. A good therapeutic effect of S 16020-2 was also observed in three P388 leukemia sublines displaying the classic multidrug-resistance phenotype, namely, P388/VCR, P388/VCR-20, and P388/MDRC.04, the latter being totally insensitive to vincristine and Adriamycin. However, S 16020-2 was not active against the P388/ADR leukemia, a model highly resistant to adriamycin in vivo. S 16020-2 was both more active than Adriamycin and curative in the M5076 sarcoma and Lewis lung carcinoma implanted s.c. In the B16 melanoma implanted i.p. or s.c., S 16020-2 was less active than Adriamycin. Against the NCI-H460 human tumor xenograft, S 16020-2 demonstrated activity superior to that of Adriamycin (T/C = 20% versus 43% on day 21). Against the MCF7 breast cancer xenograft, S 16020-2 was active, but less so than Adriamycin (T/C = 23% versus 9% on day 21), whereas elliptinium acetate was marginally active (T/C = 49% on day 24). The hematological toxicity of S 16020-2 given to B6D2F1 mice at pharmacological dose appeared to be less severe than that of Adriamycin, particularly in bone-marrow stem cells. These results demonstrate that S 16020-2 is a highly active antitumor drug in various experimental tumor models and is markedly more efficient than elliptinium acetate. Because of its pharmacological profile, which is globally different from that of Adriamycin, S 16020-2 is considered an interesting candidate for clinical trials.

In vivo immunopharmacological properties of tuftsin and four analogs

Four analogs of the natural macrophage-activator peptide tuftsin (T-K-P-R) were synthesized with the aim of obtaining compounds more effective in the stimulation of the immune system than tuftsin. Modifications to the parent tuftsin molecule were (i) substitution of the proline (P) residue, and/or (ii) replacement of the N-terminal residue threonine (T). The study presented here shows that the integrity of the NH2 terminus is not mandatory for a full biological tuftsin-like activity. Our data also suggest that the analogue F-(psi)-K-ABO-R, where ABO is a non-natural amino acid, is a promising agent for immunotherapy of infectious and neoplasic diseases for which tuftsin has already demonstrated some efficacy.

Sequence, biochemical characterization, and developmental expression of a new member of the TGF-beta superfamily in Drosophila melanogaster

More than 20 members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of growth and differentiation factors have been implicated in development. One member of the TGF-beta family has been previously reported from Drosophila, the decapentaplegic (dpp) gene which is involved in embryonic dorsal/ventral polarity, embryonic gut formation, and imaginal disk development. Using PCR methods, we have identified a second Drosophila gene in the TGF-beta family. It encodes a protein product that is more similar to the TGF-beta-related human bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) 5, 6, and 7 than it is to the Drosophila dpp gene product. Because of its localization on the polytene chromosome map, we refer to this gene as 60A. Expression of a 60A cDNA in Drosophila S2 cells was used to determine that 60A encodes a preproprotein that is processed to yield secreted amino- and carboxy-terminal polypeptides. The carboxy-terminal peptides are recovered as disulfide-linked homodimers. The 60A transcripts and protein are first detected at the onset of gastrulation, primarily in the mesoderm of the extending germ band. As the germ band retracts, and throughout later stages of embryonic development, the 60A transcript and protein are most readily detected in cells of the developing foregut and hindgut.

Approaches to some biochemical mechanisms of action of tuftsin and analogues

Tuftsin, T-K-P-R, is a phagocytosis-stimulating peptide described as a natural immunostimulant. Four analogues of this peptide were synthesized. These compounds were assayed for their ability to compete with [3H]tuftsin for its specific receptor from thioglycollate-elicited mouse peritoneal macrophages. They were also tested for their ability to change level in intracellular cGMP and to stimulate phagocytosis through the nitroblue tetrazolium reduction measurement. Surprisingly, all the analogues were poor competitors of [3H]tuftsin binding but possess potent tuftsin-like activities.