Origin of human colour preference for food

The food-colour preference of humans was investigated using a subjective evaluation method for natural foods with different colours. The colour trajectory during the food decomposition process under room temperature storage conditions was recorded and compared with the preferred colour obtained from the subjective test. People tended to prefer foods with higher chroma, which indicates more vivid colour than the original food colour, whereas the chroma of most foods decreased during the decomposition process. Therefore, the colour shifts that occurred during the food decomposition process were found to be qualitatively the opposite of the food-colour preference. This result implies that the food-colour preference may have a significant association with the human tendency to select fresher and non-contaminated foods using visual perception, which may be influenced by both inherited traits and empirical learning. The results are fundamentally interesting and also practically useful in various food industry and engineering fields.     

Effect of background noise on food perception

We investigated the effects of auditory background noise on the perception of gustatory food properties (sugar level, salt level), food crunchiness and food liking. Participants blindly consumed different foods whilst passively listening to either no sound, or quiet or loud background white noise. The foods were then rated in terms of sweetness, saltiness and liking (Experiment 1) or in terms of overall flavour, crunchiness and liking (Experiment 2). Reported sweetness and saltiness was significantly lower in the loud compared to the quiet sound conditions (Experiment 1), but crunchiness was reported to be more intense (Experiment 2). This suggests that food properties unrelated to sound (sweetness, saltiness) and those conveyed via auditory channels (crunchiness) are differentially affected by background noise. A relationship between ratings of the liking of background noise and ratings of the liking of the food was also found (Experiment 2). We conclude that background sound unrelated to food diminishes gustatory food properties (saltiness, sweetness) which is suggestive of a cross-modal contrasting or attentional effect, whilst enhancing food crunchiness.     

Consumer preference,behavior and perception about meat and meat products: An overview

Meat and meat products currently represent an important source of protein in the human diet, and their quality varies according to intrinsic and extrinsic parameters that can sometimes be shaped to make a product more desirable. Because consumers are the final step in the production chain, it is useful to identify which factors affect their behavioral patterns. This would allow the meat sector to better satisfy consumer expectations, demands and needs. This paper focuses on features that might influence consumer behavior, preferences and their perception of meat and meat products with respect to psychological, sensory and marketing aspects. This multidisciplinary approach includes evaluating psychological issues such as attitudes, beliefs, and expectations; sensory properties such as appearance, texture, flavor and odor; and marketing-related aspects such as price and brand.     

Country-wise differences in perception of health-related messages in cereal-based food products

The objective of the present study was to explore the impact of health-related messages on the perceived overall healthiness and consumers’ likelihood to buy cereal-based products or non-cereal products containing beneficial compounds from grains, across four European countries. The data were collected from a sample of 2392 members of the public in Finland, Germany, Italy and the UK. The results from a conjoint task with a main effects additive model were reported. In general, the presence of a verbal health claim on foods had positive influence on respondents perception of healthiness and on likelihood to buy the products, whereas the pictorial health claims were found to have a weak influence on the two dependent variables. However, the findings showed that health-related information on food labels differently influenced the healthiness perception and the likelihood to buy the product across the four countries, suggesting that different cultures, traditions, and eating habits have to be taken into account before positioning cereal-based products containing beneficial compounds from grains on the market.     

天然香辛味精的试制

本文提出了用天然香辛调味料生姜，花椒，辣椒，大葱等，赋于普通味精香辛风味的工艺方法，并给出了八个具体配方。     

Attitudes toward chemicals are associated with preference for natural food

Consumers express concerns about chemicals in their diet. We hypothesized that general positive and negative attitudes toward synthetic chemicals and dose-response insensitivity influence consumers’ risk perceptions of chemicals in food and preference for natural food. We expected gender differences in these domains. Data was taken from a postal survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test our hypotheses. Positive attitudes toward chemicals were correlated negatively, and dose-response insensitivity was correlated positively, with risk perceptions of chemicals in food. Risk perceptions of chemicals in food were positively correlated with preference for natural food. For all variables, gender differences were observed. Our findings show that general attitudes toward chemicals influence perceptions in the food context. Consumers’ dose-response insensitivity might lead to an inappropriate perception of exposure hazards. Contaminants and additives in food are perceived differently according to their origin. Women are more sensitive than men to chemical exposure hazards.     

Effect of saliva on physical food properties in fat texture perception

Sensory properties of food drive our food choices and it is generally accepted that lipids greatly contribute to the sensory properties of many foods and consequently to eating pleasure. Many studies have investigated the mechanisms of the fat perception. Unfortunately they used a variety of methods and products, thereby making generalization very difficult. The mechanism of fat perception in oral cavity is combined of several processes. Lipid composition and its properties strongly influence food structure. During consumption food is exposed to a range of in-mouth processing steps. Oral sensation of fat texture changes with time, from a first bite to chewing, while mixing with saliva, up to swallowing and even after swallowing. The present work reviews many aspects of fat texture perception from physical chemistry to physiology. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of in-mouth lipid processing would provide new concepts to produce low-fat food products with full-fat perception.     

Chemesthesis: Pungency as a component of flavor

Long referred to as the ‘common chemical sense’ and frequently described imprecisely as ‘trigeminal sensitivity’, chemesthesis provides the burn of chili pepper, the coolness of menthol and the tingle of carbonation. This article is a brief overview of our current understanding of the nature of this sensibility, including its relationship to the senses of pain and temperature, how it interacts with taste and smell, and why, despite its capacity to produce pungency and pain, it is a prevalent and desirable attribute of flavor.     

Variables influencing food perception reviewed for consumer-oriented product development

Consumer wishes have to be translated into product characteristics to implement consumer-oriented product development. Before this step can be made, insight in food-related behavior and perception of consumers is necessary to make the right, useful, and successful translation. Food choice behavior and consumers' perception are studied in many disciplines. Models of food behavior and preferences therefore were studied from a multidisciplinary perspective. Nearly all models structure the determinants related to the person, the food, and the environment. Consequently, the overview of models was used as a basis to structure the variables influencing food perception into a model for consumer-oriented product development. To this new model, referred to as food perception model, other variables like time and place as part of consumption moment were added. These are important variables influencing consumers' perception, and therefore of increasing importance to consumer-oriented product development nowadays. In further research, the presented food perception model is used as a tool to implement successful consumer-oriented product development.     

Decrease of Pungency in "Radish Kimchi" during Fermentation

Acidity in radish kimchi increased with fermentation time, resulting in a gradual decrease in pH. Decrease of pungency was accompanied by a decrease in 4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTB-NCS) in the homogenate. Optimum flavor occurred on the third day of fermentation when MTB-NCS concentration was 6.6 × 2 μmoles/100g. The decrease in MTB-NCS concentration was accompanied by the gradual loss of 4-methylthio-3-butenyl glucosinolate (MTB-glu-cosinolate), which occurred more rapidly than the decline in total glucosinolates. Ascorbic acid-dependent myrosinase activity declined gradually until the third day of fermentation, although ascorbic acid content remained above that required for maximal enzyme activity.     

中国食品召回数据分析与消费者认知研究

食品召回是质量安全的重要监管手段,主要针对2008～2010年我国食品召回的公开信息进行数据分析,通过食品召回的模式、召回信息的发布、被召回食品的种类、引起食品召回的主要原因等方面的研究,结合对消费者的食品召回认知调研,得到我国开展食品召回存在的主要问题,提出建立和完善食品召回信息通报机制、倡导消费者举报召回模式、增加消费者认知教育的三点建议。     

Interactions between flavor compounds and food ingredients and their influence on flavor perception

Interactions between flavor compounds and food ingredients are reviewed and their influence on flavor perception is discussed. Proteins are known to bind flavor compounds. For β-lactoglobulin, the most-studied example, hydrophobic interactions with volatiles are described. The effect of the medium on the conformation of the protein and its ability to bind flavor compounds is discussed. In general, the retention of volatiles by protein is much lower than that by fat. In emulsions, however, the presence of protein at the oil/water interface induces a significant effect on flavor release and flavor perception of hydrophobic flavor compounds. For starch, an extensively studied hydrocolloid, amylose has been shown to form complexes with aroma compounds. The physical state of carbohydrates is one parameter influencing flavor retention. However, the major effect of hydrocolloids seems to be a limitation for the diffusion of aroma compounds due to changes in viscosity. Addition of fat induces significant retention of hydrophobic flavor compounds resulting in noticeable effects on flavor perception. Changing the fat content modifies the overall perception of a mixture of flavor compounds from different chemical classes. The melting point of the fats influences the solubility of aromas and thus the flavor release. Emulsification and droplet size also affect flavor release and perception. More research is required on the effects of real food samples containing mixtures of different flavor compounds.     

Mapping the Pungency of Green Pepper Using Hyperspectral Imaging

The pungency level of green peppers is dependent on the amounts of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin they contain. This study was conducted to develop a non-destructive method for the prediction and mapping of the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents in green pepper. Hyperspectral images of 200 total green peppers of three varieties were acquired in the wavelength range of 1000–1600 nm, from which the mean spectra of each pepper variety were extracted. The reference capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents of the samples were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Quantitative calibration models were built using partial least squares (PLS) regression with different spectral preprocessing techniques; the best performance was found by normalizing the preprocessed spectra with correlation coefficients (r_pred) of 0.86 and 0.59, which showed the standard errors of prediction (SEPs) of 0.09 and 0.03 mg/g for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, respectively. Seventeen and 16 optimal wavebands were selected using the successive projections algorithm; r_pred of 0.88 and 0.68 and SEPs of 0.084 and 0.027 mg/g were obtained for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, respectively, from the newly developed PLS calibration models using these optimal wavebands. The successive projections algorithm (SPA)-PLS model was used to map the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents of the green peppers. These maps provided detailed information on the pungency levels of the tested green peppers. The results of this study indicated that hyperspectral imaging is useful for the rapid and non-destructive evaluation of the pungency of green peppers.     

Modelling risk perception and trust in food safety information within the theory of planned behaviour

This study suggests a statistical strategy for explaining how food purchasing intentions are influenced by different levels of risk perception and trust in food safety information. The modelling process is based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour and includes trust and risk perception as additional explanatory factors. Interaction and endogeneity across these determinants is explored through a system of simultaneous equations, while the SPARTA equation is estimated through an ordered probit model. Furthermore, parameters are allowed to vary as a function of socio-demographic variables. The application explores chicken purchasing intentions both in a standard situation and conditional to an hypothetical salmonella scare. Data were collected through a nationally representative UK wide survey of 533 UK respondents in face-to-face, in-home interviews. Empirical findings show that interactions exist among the determinants of planned behaviour and socio-demographic variables improve the model’s performance. Attitudes emerge as the key determinant of intention to purchase chicken, while trust in food safety information provided by media reduces the likelihood to purchase.     

The influence of auditory and visual information on the perception of crispy food

The influence of auditory and/or visual information on the perception of crispy food and on the physiology of chewing was investigated. Participants chewed biscuits of three different levels of crispness under four experimental conditions: no masking, auditory masking, visual masking, and auditory plus visual masking. The order of the four masking condition blocks was randomized. The sound of chewing was masked by loud sounds on a headphone and visual masking of the food was achieved by closing the eyes. We measured skull vibration and the number of chewing cycles until swallowing. Subsequently, texture and sound attributes were scored. Auditory masking led to significant lower scores on the attributes sound and snapping, but only for the participants who started the experiments with auditory plus visual masking. The other participants were not influenced by auditory masking. The memory of the unmodified stimuli helped to maintain accurate sound perception in later trials.     

A European perception of food using two methods of correspondence analysis

In a recent issue of this journal, Guerrero et al. (2010) studied an interesting data set involving the analysis of consumer-driven associations to the word ‘‘Traditional”, from a food perspective, in six European countries. As part of their analysis, they demonstrated the sources of association between the words studied and the country of origin of those interviewed using correspondence analysis. In this paper, we focus on this association by assuming that the country of origin is a predictor of the words associated with “Traditional”. This analysis is performed using another member of the correspondence analysis family - non-symmetric correspondence analysis. This paper will also explore the use of both these correspondence analysis techniques on their data and consider the dendrogram and the semantic differential plot as alternative approaches to visually summarising the association.