Consumers’ perception of symbols and health claims as health-related label messages. A cross-cultural study

The package is the first contact between the food and the consumer and an excellent vehicle for communication with the consumer. Visual cues (symbols) on the package can be used to communicate health-related information. Although EU legislation provides for the use of symbols, there could be a still undiscovered or unquantified gap between the consumers’ perception of some symbols and how much these symbols appeal and convince. The objective of this research was to study the perception of symbols and their relative importance, combined with verbal health claims, in perceptions of the product’s appeal and convincingness in two countries, one Mediterranean (Spain) and the other Scandinavian (Denmark). Four symbols were employed in the study: (1) heart-plus-stethoscope, (2) olives (a symbol often used in Spain but not so much in Denmark), and two not directly linked to food products: (3) active person (a person running towards the sun), and (4) gears. Perceptions of these symbols were studied through word association, free listing and conjoint analysis. Three verbal health claims were presented as either benefits or risks in combination with the images. The results showed that the overall idea of the symbols perceived by the participants was similar in both countries but the culture influenced the connotations attached to the symbols. In addition, the symbols on the packaging were found to be more important than the verbal information.     

基于太极图形符号的现代家具设计的研究

本文首先分析了太极图形符号的构成形式和语义及现代家具设计在本土文化上的欠缺,进而运用现代设计语言去重新诠释太极符号的现代语义,提出了太极图形符号运用于现代家具设计的方法,从而启发我们从民族传统图形中去思考现代家具设计,使传统符号获得新生,同时为家具创作提供了一种思维方法。     

Analysis of residual volatiles in recycled polyethylene terephthalate

The residual volatiles in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were analyzed using headspace/GC/MS. Recycled PET samples were made from PET bottles used for beverages, alcohol and soy sauce, and they were recycled in physical recycling plants, chemical recycling plants and superclean-like recycling trials. The physically recycled PET flakes contained small amounts of volatiles such as ethanol, limonene, 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane, acetone, octanal and nonanal. Most of them originated from foods packed in bottles, and only 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane was derived from polymer impurities. In contrast, the superclean-like or chemically recycled PET contained no detectable volatiles, like new PET pellets. The PET sheets shaped from physically recycled PET had no detectable volatiles. Not only the chemically and superclean-like recycled PET, but also the physically recycled PET contained no hazardous volatiles. It was concluded that there is no safety concern about volatiles in recycled PET, for the present use.     

Consumers’ acceptance of recycled water in meat products: The influence of tasting,attitudes and values on hedonic and emotional reactions

Community opposition to potable recycled water may extend to recycled water in food production. Past research on recycled potable water indicates that the closer the risk of personal contact or ingestion, the less acceptable it is. Despite purification and expert assurances, emotional responses, including disgust, may present as major psychological barriers to the environmental and commercial benefit of recycled water use in food production. Consumers (n = 101) were presented with meat products purported to be processed or containing recycled water (3 levels of proximity to ingestion) along with a control product (containing tap water). Hedonic and 18 emotional responses were elicited. Validated survey instruments were used to measure world views (values), beliefs supportive of environmental actions and food technology neophobia seeking to explain variation in hedonic and emotional responses. Surprisingly, consumers were found to be generally accepting and willing to try foods containing or in close proximity to recycled water when that water was collected, treated and returned to drinking water standards within the factory. All hypotheses pertaining to associated values, beliefs and neophobia were rejected. The study suggests that recycling water within a food factory, when supported by a credible and trustworthy source of information, is likely to be met with positive emotional and affective responses. Using a broad range of affective and emotional responses was useful in understanding acceptance of foods that may be associated with perceived risk.     

Acceptability of genetically modified cheese presented as real product alternative

European consumers, in general, have negative attitudes towards the use of gene technology in food production. The objective of this study was to examine whether taste and health benefits influence the acceptability of genetically modified (gm) products when they are presented as real product alternatives. Consumers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden (n=738) assessed two cheeses: one was labelled as genetically modified (preferred in an earlier product test) and the other as conventional (neutral in an earlier product test). A smaller control group received two cheeses with blind codes. Labelling decreased consumers' intentions to buy the originally preferred gm-labelled cheese, but still the intentions were at the same level with the conventionally labelled option. Participants chose two gm cheeses out of five possible when given the option to take cheese home after tasting. Intentions to buy gm cheese could best be explained by respondents' attitudes towards gene technology and perceived taste benefits. General health interest was also a reinforcer of intentions for gm cheese with reduced fat content.     

Attitudes behind consumers'' willingness to use functional foods

So-called functional foods are a new category of products that promise consumers improvements in targeted physiological functions. The objective of this study was to quantify the attitudes behind consumers' (n=1158) willingness to use these products. Functional food-related statements formed seven factors describing consumers' attitudes towards functional foods. These factors were as follows: perceived reward from using functional foods, confidence in functional foods, necessity for functional foods, functional foods as medicines, absence of nutritional risks in functional foods, functional foods as part of a healthy diet and the health effects of functional foods vs. their taste. These attitude subscales differentiated between consumers (n=1158) in their reported willingness to use functional foods. The best predictor for willingness to use functional foods was the perceived reward.     

聚碳酸酯饮水桶中掺杂再生料的判定方法研究

目的 建立聚碳酸酯饮水桶中掺杂再生料的判定方法。 方法 将聚碳酸酯(PC)新料双螺杆反复熔融挤出成型,模拟食品接触用PC的循环再生过程,通过对PC新料和模拟再生料的对比分析,寻找到区分PC新料和PC再生料的关键成分酚类物质及酚类物质快速可靠的检测方法紫外可见光谱法和气相色谱-质谱联用法。最后在PC新料中掺杂不同含量的PC再生料,验证建立方法的可靠性。结果 紫外光谱筛查结合气相色谱-质谱联用的分析检测系统可以对掺杂再生料比例低至20 %的样品进行判定。结论 本文建立的紫外光谱筛查结合气相色谱/质谱联用确证的方法能够实现聚碳酸酯再生料的快速、准确的测定。     

Consumer food handling in the home: a review of food safety studies

Epidemiological data from Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand indicate that a substantial proportion of foodborne disease is attributable to improper food preparation practices in consumers' homes. International concern about consumer food safety has prompted considerable research to evaluate domestic food-handling practices. The majority of consumer food safety studies in the last decade have been conducted in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (48%) and in the United States (42%). Surveys (questionnaires and interviews), the most frequent means of data collection, were used in 75% of the reviewed studies. Focus groups and observational studies have also been used. One consumer food safety study examined the relationship between pathogenic microbial contamination from raw chicken and observed food-handling behaviors, and the results of this study indicated extensive Campylobacter cross-contamination during food preparation sessions. Limited information about consumers' attitudes and intentions with regard to safe food-handling behaviors has been obtained, although a substantial amount of information about consumer knowledge and self-reported practices is available. Observation studies suggest that substantial numbers of consumers frequently implement unsafe food-handling practices. Knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and self-reported practices did not correspond to observed behaviors, suggesting that observational studies provide a more realistic indication of the food hygiene actions actually used in domestic food preparation. An improvement in consumer food-handling behavior is likely to reduce the risk and incidence of foodborne disease. The need for the development and implementation of food safety education strategies to improve specific food safety behaviors is reviewed in this paper.     

Analysis of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and oligomers in recycled polyethylene terephthalate

Formaldehyde (FA), acetaldehyde (AA) and oligomers in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were analyzed by HPLC. All of the physically recycled PET contained detectable levels of FA, AA and oligomers, and the levels were almost the same as in used bottles. Most superclean-like and chemically recycled PET contained lower levels than new pellets. These compounds showed no decrease upon physical recycling, but showed a marked decrease upon superclean-like recycling. In PET sheets made using physically recycled PET, FA was decreased, though AA was increased by the sheeting process as same as new one. FA, AA and oligomers originated from PET resin and their levels in recycled products were almost equivalent to those in new products. It was concluded that there is no particular safety concern about their presence in recycled PET.     

以废纸为原料的造纸企业节水减排评价体系的构建

针对以废纸为原料的造纸企业尚未建立节水减排评价指标体系的现状,在广泛查阅资料的基础上,选取了评价废纸造纸企业节水减排成效的各个指标,构建了废纸造纸企业节水减排评价体系,并采用层次分析法(AHP)对废纸造纸企业进行了节水减排评价。     

论陈家祠建筑符号的特征和隐喻

本文运用建筑符号学的原理,对陈家祠的平面布局符号、空间形态符号、构件符号及建筑外墙材料及装饰工艺符号等方面,从外在的符构形式到深层的审美意蕴作了分析和阐述。     

解析现代流行服饰文化传播中的符号化特征

从符号学与流行传播学的角度,对服饰文化传播中的符号化特征及其成因进行了分析,探讨了现代服饰传播媒介运用语言或非语言的符号,把各种服饰形象和服饰文化传递给受众,使受众接受符号意义,形成符号化的情感态度和成为流行服饰及其文化传播载体的过程。在此基础上,指出了服饰文化传播符号的研究在现代服饰设计、营销、消费和服饰文化传播中的重要理论价值与意义。     

Study of barrier properties and chemical resistance of recycled PET coated with amorphous carbon through a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) process

Many studies have been carried out in order to make bottle-to-bottle recycling feasible. The problem is that residual contaminants in recycled plastic intended for food packaging could be a risk to public health. One option is to use a layer of virgin material, named functional barrier, which prevents the contaminants migration process. This paper shows the feasibility of using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycled for food packaging employing a functional barrier made from hydrogen amorphous carbon film deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) process. PET samples were deliberately contaminated with a series of surrogates using a FDA protocol. After that, PET samples were coated with approximately 600 and 1200 Angstrons thickness of amorphous carbon film. Then, the migration tests using as food simulants: water, 10% ethanol, 3% acetic acid, and isooctane were applied to the sample in order to check the chemical resistance of the new coated material. After the tests, the liquid extracts were analysed using a solid-phase microextraction device (SPME) coupled to GC-MS.     

江南丝竹乐器符号在现代家具设计中的应用

本文以中国传统文化的代表江南丝竹乐器为例,通过分析其符号的组构,寻求其意向与传统家具设计之间的内在联系,进行拓展并探索性的设计了新的家具形式,希望引导更多有价值的文化符号在现代家具设计中受到关注应用。     

甘蔗制糖废水零排放的工程实践

传统制糖生产中废水综合治理和利用方面比较粗放,水污染及资源浪费严重。本文介绍了甘蔗制糖废水的闭合循环综合利用系统,使生产中工艺用水及非工艺用水得到分类处理和循环利用,实现了生产用水零取水,工艺废水零排放。     

Psychophysical investigations into the tenderness of meat

Tenderness of five veal meat cuts was determined by two groups of subjects: a panel of skilled butchers and a consumers' panel. The butchers estimated tenderness with and without assistance of visual information. For the consumers a procedure to measure the oral sensation by a forced choice method of successive comparison was developed. It was shown that: imprecision of the opinions of the consumers was greater than that of the butchers; use of additional visual information did not affect the butchers' precision; and the butchers' views of tenderness had a poor relationship to the consumers' oral perception of this quality.     

Long term hygroscopic characteristics of polypropylene based hybrid composites with and without organo-modified clay

Recycled PP contains various impurities and has poor and variable mechanical properties compared to virgin PP. This, in general, rules out the use of recycled PP in the original applications and in other high-value applications. Hence, this study investigated the effects of polymer matrix type, weight fraction of wood flour and organoclay on the thickness swelling and water absorption behavior of PP based hybrid composites. WPCs based on polypropylene (virgin and recycled), wood flour, organoclay and maleated polypropylene (MAPP) were made using melt compounding and subsequent injection molding. Composites made from recycled polypropylene (rPP) exhibited better dimensional stability compared to the virgin (vPP) based ones. Besides, wood flour did not completely encapsulate in the polymer matrix at 50 % weight fraction. Incorporation of nanoclay exhibited a beneficial effect on both the water absorption and thickness swelling by creating a tortuous path as a result of its characteristic barrier property. The improvements in hygroscopic characteristics of hybrid composites using rPP and nanoclay were further supported by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. Conclusively, PP recycled from post-consumer applications can be used in value-added composites without accepting the expense of separating out impurities from the polymer.     

羊毛新型拒水拒油低温交联工艺

介绍了羊毛织物拒水拒油整理的概况和原理,利用新型的交联剂WR 40和Advanproof WRC-LT制定了一种适用于羊毛的新型拒水拒油低温交联整理工艺,经过大量实验确定了最佳整理工艺参数,并通过系列效果对比实验证明,该新工艺可以完全替代传统的高温焙烘拒水拒油整理工艺赋予羊毛织物耐久的三防(防水、防油、防污)效果,具有节能生产的实际意义及应用推广价值。