Understanding Australian consumers’ perceptions of selenium and motivations to consume selenium enriched foods

Consumers’ knowledge of antioxidants, minerals and selenium (Se), their relationship to disease risk reduction, preferences for increasing Se intakes and motivations to consume Se enriched foods to reduce the risk of some cancers were measured using two separate questionnaires: (1) “knowledge” (n = 62) and (2) “preferences and motivations” (n = 212). The two groups had similar socio-demographic characteristics.Knowledge of antioxidants and their role in disease prevention was generally low and Se, as an antioxidant, unknown however associations were made between antioxidants and foods. Se was not recognized as a mineral. There was favourability towards Se enrichment of foods, particularly biofortification (Se enrichment of soils) above enrichment during manufacturing, or supplements. Supplement users (34%) were significantly more favourable towards Se enrichment of foods generally. Multiple regression analysis applied to variables within protection motivation theory found that the “importance of consuming Se enriched foods” was predicted by product efficacy (β 0.35); severity/fear of cancer (β 0.19); self-efficacy (β 0.16) and vulnerability to cancer (β 0.15; all p < 0.01; R² 0.35). However when the dependent variable was product specific (likelihood to consume Se enriched bread, dairy, etc.) the main predictor was self-efficacy (β 0.70–0.86; p < 0.001; R² 0.55–0.76) with vulnerability an additional significant predictor for some products.     

Product involvement,brand loyalty,and country-of-origin brand preferences of Japanese wine consumers

This study adds to the knowledge base on the level of product involvement, brand loyalty, and preference for country-of-origin wine brands of Japanese wine consumers. A highly structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from Japanese wine consumers from six of the eight major regional divisions across Japan. A 17-item wine product involvement scale measured consumers' involvement levels and formed the basis for analysis. Regression analysis on brand loyalty and involvement show a low positive association between them. Involvement is influenced by the age demographic, and increases with age until the 35–45-year age group (Generation-X) and then slowly decreases. A strong positive relationship exists between consumption frequency and quantity, and the level of involvement. High involvement consumers show a strong preference for Old World-produced wines, mainly from France and Italy. Consumers living in Chubu have the highest level of involvement, followed by Hokkaido and Kanto, which suggests that wine exporters should look beyond Tokyo for the opportunities in the regional areas of Japan. Further studies should be undertaken to examine the relationship between risk, brand loyalty, and wine purchase behaviour, and the way in which brand loyalty interacts with wine product involvement.     

Comparisons between Australian consumers' and industry experts' perceptions of ideal wine and cheese combinations

Background and Aims:  Despite being a common food and beverage combination today, few scientific studies have examined ideal wine and cheese matches. The current study was designed to have Australian consumers evaluate wine and cheese combinations suggested by industry experts.
Methods and Results:  Under controlled conditions, 46 wine and cheese consumers examined the 'ideal' pairings of eight different cheese and wine styles, using a structured, 12-cm 'just right' line scale. The consumers agreed with the experts about six of the eight combinations. Red table wine was marginally more versatile than white table wine for cheese pairings. Cheddar and Gruyère were the most versatile cheeses while a white mould and blue mould were dominant over the wines. The Gewürztraminer and Sangiovese wines were most complementary to the cheeses but the Sauvignon Blanc and white dessert wine were the most difficult to match.
Conclusions:  These scientific results confirm some of the anecdotal beliefs held regarding the art of wine and food matching.
Significance of the Study:  The findings will enhance wine and food service professionals' knowledge of how wine and food sensory elements interact and transform one another, promoting better gastronomic experiences for consumers.     

Number of consumers necessary for sensory acceptability tests

Basic concepts necessary to estimate the number of consumers necessary for sensory acceptability studies (N), variability data on previous consumer studies and estimations of N for different values of Type I and Type II errors are presented. The standard error of the experiment, reported as the root mean square error from the analysis of variance, was similar over 108 reported studies conducted in five countries over a wide range of food products. This allowed estimating the number of consumers necessary for future studies. These estimations are presented in a table. Considering the average standard error, an alpha value (Type I error) of 5%, a beta value (Type II error) of 10% and a difference between sample means of 10% of the sensory scale, gave an N value of 112 consumers for this particular set of parameters.     

Sweetness preferences for a sports-drink among US and Asian consumers

As the global market expands, it is critical that researchers understand how cultural factors influence the expectations and liking for a food product. The objectives of this study were to identify the optimal sweetness level for a sports-drink for consumers originating from different countries and to investigate the factors affecting the optimal sweetness level. In the first study, respondents (n=372) originated from 5 Asian countries and US tasted and evaluated the sports-drink at 4 sweetener levels. Consumers (n=256) from 3 Asian countries and US participated in the second study. Consumers evaluated the concept and sensory expectations for the ‘lemon-lime flavored’ sports-drink and other beverages. The optimal sweetness level for the sports-drink was lower for Americans than Asians. The familiarity to the product was a key factor affecting the optimal sweetener level. The results also suggested that information can differently influence the product acceptance depending on one’s familiarity with the product.     

The effects of psychological manners on visual and tactile evaluation of towel preferences of Turkish and Japanese consumers

This study investigated the visual and tactile evaluation of 10 towel samples made from different fiber contents. The survey was conducted by Turkish and Japanese panelists. It was also studied how psychological manners can change their preferences. To test these facts, two kinds of trial (blind test and open test) were applied on panelists. In this way, it was observed that some of the panelists changed their first preferences from synthetic fiber-based towel to natural fiber-based towel. This fact verified that psychological manners had a great effect on Turkish consumers’ preferences, and fiber content and thickness were the most distinctive properties. Then, the preferences of the panelists were ranked and the most preferred samples were determined and compared with Japanese consumers’ preferences. It was also found that Japanese people were more consistent than Turkish people and external factors and psychological manners were not effective on their decisions.     

Thought for food: Cognitive influences on chemosensory perceptions and preferences

Sensory and consumer research often focuses more on bottom-up than top-down influences on consumers’ perception and acceptance of foods. Yet, cognitive processes create and transform incoming sensory information originating from separate senses, including olfaction, gustation, and somatosensation, into the perception of flavour. The present paper discusses five cognitive processes that affect human chemosensory perception and responses to food flavours: Attention, language, memory, learning, and metacognition. It is argued that each of these processes are important in shaping interactions with food via the chemical senses. Attention moderates perception through its distribution across the environment, fine-tuning it for particular stimuli. Interactions among smells, tastes, and textures are acquired through learning, as are hedonic properties. Language affects food acceptability and preference, as does the memory of prior experiences with a food, even when they are not at a conscious level of processing. Metacognitive knowledge of personal capabilities indirectly influences the results of sensory evaluations. Future sensory and consumer research should take into account the significant role that these cognitive factors play in processing incoming chemosensory information.     

Food safety perceptions and behaviors of Kentucky consumers

In several areas, Kentuckians practice more risky health behaviors than most of the rest of the nation. The Health Belief Model states that individuals with lower perceived risks practice less healthy behaviors. This study sought to determine if this was true for food safety by assessing food safety perceptions and behaviors of Kentucky consumers. Data were collected through a telephone questionnaire based on a survey by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 728 respondents participated. Food safety perceptions were analyzed by examining participants' responses to confidence in the safety of the food supply, perception of likelihood of people becoming sick because of foodborne illness, and perception of where food safety problems are most likely to occur. Significant differences were found in food safety perceptions for age, gender, household income, education, and employment in the food industry. Analysis of food safety behaviors revealed differences in food handling behaviors for gender, education level, household income, race, and households with a member aged 65 years or older. Significant relationships were found between respondents' food safety perceptions and behaviors. In general, Kentucky consumers who perceived higher risks exhibited safer food handling behaviors. Strategies to increase the understanding of real and perceived food safety risks in the home combined with strategies that target specific demographic groups may be the most effective approach to improve food handling practices. A better understanding of consumers' food safety risk perceptions and behaviors could lead to more effective food safety education materials and messages.     

Consumer perceptions of, and preferences for, beverage containers

Product packaging has become a focal point in environmentalists' objections against marketing practice. Successful packaging policy critically depends upon knowledge of consumer behaviour with respect to product packaging and packaged products. The present paper addresses three relevant issues in the context of beverage containers: (1) to what extent do consumers recognize environmental aspects in their perception of product packagings; (2) to what extent do they consider environmental aspects in their preference formation; and (3) to what extent do they prefer environmental aspects consistently across different beverages. The results indicate that environmental impact of product packagings is a salient aspect of product perception, but that in preference formation consumers balance environmental aspects against personal benefits, such as convenience. Consumers differ in the importance they attach to environmental aspects, and the attached importance is highly product-specific.     

How reliable are the consumers? Comparison of sensory profiles from consumers and experts

This study compares expert and consumer sensory profiles for the same 12 perfumes in different ways: the discriminatory ability and reproducibility are analyzed through ANOVA and the panelists’ consensus through the correlation coefficients. Next, the two product spaces are first analyzed separately for each panel, and then compared through multiple factor analysis. Finally, the two panels are compared using the confidence ellipses methodology. These analyses show that the two panels give similar results with respect to the important criteria for panels (discrimination, consensus, reproducibility). The comparison of the two products spaces shows high similarity. From the confidence ellipses, it can be concluded that no significant differences exist for a given product between the two panels. Hence, in this particular case, the use of consumers appears to be a good alternative to the classical sensory profile provided by a trained panel.     

Emotions elicited while drinking coffee: A cross-cultural comparison between Korean and Chinese consumers

Consumers assess products not only based on their physical aspects but also on their emotion-evoking components. Many methods, such as EsSense Profile^®, GEOS, and ScentMove, have been developed for evaluating various kinds of products. Research has suggested the need for developing a specialized lexicon for specific food or beverage categories. The English emotion lexicon, the Coffee Drinking Experience¹(CDE), was developed specifically for coffee. However, while emotions can be expressed by words, they can also be affected by culture and context. Thus, our objectives are 1) to develop coffee emotion lexicons in Korean and Chinese, 2) to compare the differences of emotions evoked while consuming different kinds of coffee, and 3) to compare the differences between Chinese and Korean consumers while consuming the same coffee samples. To address these aims, we conducted two studies. First, we conducted a consumer-led translation of 86 emotion terms from the CDE into Korean and Chinese. Second, consumers checked the intensity of emotion terms while drinking six commercial coffee samples. The order of the Chinese and Korean consumers’ overall preferences was the same: all-in-one coffee received higher scores than black coffee. Finally, using a logistic stepwise regression analysis, the Chinese and Korean lexicons were reduced to 53 and 29 terms, respectively.     

Texture concepts for consumers: a better understanding of crispy–crunchy sensory perception

Differences in the definitions and terms used by consumers to describe their sensory sensations of crispness/crunchiness were studied, highlighting the relevance of using well-defined terms in consumer studies. A questionnaire was presented to consumers from two different Spanish-speaking countries (Spain and Uruguay, n = 200). The answers showed that the terms crispy and crunchy had different meanings or evoked different perceptions depending on the country. The crispy/crunchy food items most frequently mentioned by consumers were dry-crisp, processed products; vegetables or other wet-crisp products were not often mentioned by the consumers interviewed. The main difference between the two countries was that 38% of Spanish consumers did not know the Spanish term for “crunchy” and 17% thought that “crispy” and “crunchy” had the same meaning. The results contribute to a greater knowledge of the terminology used by the consumers to describe oral sensations related to crispness and crunchiness.