Dynamic texture perception in plant-based yogurt alternatives: Identifying temporal drivers of liking by TDS

As texture properties in novel food categories have a crucial role in consumer acceptance, mouthfeel profile of different plant-based yogurt-like semi-solid products were studied and compared to dairy yogurts. Mouthfeel properties of five plant-based yogurt-like products and two dairy yogurts were analyzed using temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) with consumers (n = 87). The attributes evaluated were thick, thin, creamy, watery, sticky, and foamy. Following TDS, overall liking and mouthfeel liking were evaluated using a 7-point hedonic scale. Temporal drivers of mouthfeel liking were studied using correspondence analysis and penalty-lift analysis with different time points during mastication. For penalty-lift analysis TDS data was analyzed as check-all-that-apply (CATA) data. Results from the present work show that mouthfeel perception in non-dairy yogurt alternatives is a dynamic process. Attributes typically used to describe dairy yogurts are also relevant for describing non-dairy yogurt alternatives. Yogurt alternatives and dairy yogurts can be similar and equally liked by their mouthfeel profile. Temporal drivers of liking in plant-based products are thickness and creaminess and temporal drivers of disliking are thinness and wateriness. In this study, the first dominant attributes were found to have a stronger impact on mouthfeel liking than the dominant attributes perceived later during mastication.     

Consumer preferences for new fermented food products that mix animal and plant protein sources

Consumers are being encouraged to increase the proportion of plant protein in their diets to enhance the sustainability of food systems. One approach is to develop plant-protein-rich foods that are acceptable to consumers. This study examined French people’s reactions to cheese alternatives—new fermented products that mixed animal and plant protein sources. We conducted experimental sessions with 240 French participants to assess their responses to three fermented products containing different percentages of yellow pea and cow’s milk. First, we asked the participants to blind-taste the three products and solicited hedonic scores of products. We then provided the participants with simple information about the products’ composition and asked them to taste and score the liking of the products a second time. We also asked consumers to estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) for each product before and after revealing additional information about the nutritional or environmental benefits of consuming pea-based foods. The product with the lowest percentage of pea and the highest percentage of milk received the highest hedonic scores, and WTP was correlated with the hedonic scores. The additional information about the nutritional and environmental benefits of pea-based foods led to significant increases in WTP for two of the fermented products, but not for the least preferred product, namely the one with the highest percentage of pea. This finding suggests that participant reactions to information depended on hedonic preferences.     

Influence of pineapple,apple and melon by‐products on cookies: physicochemical and sensory aspects

Physicochemical and sensory effects were investigated regarding the partial substitution of wheat flour in cookies with flours made of pineapple, apple and melon by‐products, in the concentrations 5%, 10% and 15%. Cookies with 15% of melon flour were prominent in relation to the nutritional aspects, especially about the contents of fibres (4.67–6.46%) and ash (1.74–2.25%). The use of these by‐products resulted in slightly darker cookies, with variations in diameter and in the expansion factor. There was a positive influence of the use of the pineapple by‐product concerning consumers' preference. Additionally, the cookies with 15% of pineapple by‐product presented the highest acceptance rate (97%) and buying intention (53%). Therefore, the use of fruit by‐products in the development of cookies is a viable alternative which can be explored for nutritional, technological and sensory purposes by the food industry.     

Comparison of two sensory profiling techniques based on consumer perception

Eight chocolate milk desserts with different formulation were evaluated by two groups of consumers. Fifty consumers evaluated the samples and indicated their overall liking and answered a CATA question. Meanwhile, 40 consumers elicited up to four words to describe the desserts and completed a projective mapping task. Projective mapping and the check-all-that-apply question provided very similar sensory profiles for the evaluated milk desserts. Differences in the sensory characteristics of the samples were explained by differences in their formulations, which suggest the validity of the sensory profiles given by consumers. Projective mapping and the CATA question consisted on valuable tools to understand their perception of the sensory and hedonic characteristics of the desserts. These methodologies could consist on useful and interesting complimentary techniques to trained assessors’ data, being CATA question easier to understand and less time consuming for consumers.     

The silver sensory experience – A review of senior consumers’ food perception,liking and intake

It is commonly assumed that sensory impairments occurring with age negatively affect older people’s intake of foods in terms of both quality and quantity. This review discusses evidence published on the effects of age on sensory perception and the consequences for independently living seniors’ perception, liking and intake of food products. Because of anatomical changes in all the senses involved in human food perception, on average seniors perceive a lower flavour intensity than younger adults, are less sensitive to changes in the flavour profile of foods, and show a decreased ability to discriminate between different intensity levels of flavour and/or taste attributes. However, despite these differences in their sensory perception of foods, young adults and seniors seem to differ less in their initial hedonic appraisal of food products. Nonetheless, more research is needed to determine whether multisensory enrichment of foods across different modalities may lead to increased food liking in seniors both with and without olfactory impairment. Although limited, the current evidence suggests that sensory performance may be positively associated with BMI or body weight in specific senior populations. In addition, seniors fail to show a decreased appreciation of an eaten food, thereby increasing the risk of a monotonous diet. Taken together, these findings highlight the need for appropriate interventions and/or foods to improve and maintain adequate quantity and quality of food intake among independently living seniors, and especially those with low sensory performance. Such interventions should be holistic rather than focused on one modality and may also incorporate hedonic modulators such as past experiences, affective factors and external cues, e.g. brand names, labels or food packaging. In interventions and product development, segmentation of the senior consumer market is strongly advised to identify more homogeneous subgroups in order to deal with the large heterogeneity between independently living seniors. It is concluded that one size of the silver food experience will most likely not fit all senior consumers!     

Influence of preparation method on the hedonic response of preschoolers to raw,boiled or oven-baked vegetables

Aim of this study was to assess how different preparation methods influence the hedonic response to vegetables of preschoolers aged four to five. Children (n = 52) scored for liking on a 5-point non gender facial scale six vegetables (carrot, tomato, zucchini, spinach, fennel and Catalogna chicory) prepared in three different ways: raw, boiled and oven-baked.A trained sensory panel determined the sensory profile of vegetable dishes. Significant differences in liking (P < 0.001) were found across dishes. Vegetable liking depended significantly on the vegetable type, the method of preparation which modulates the effect of vegetable type, and the heterogeneity in individual children response. Suitability of preparation method was specific to individual vegetable and could not be generalized to all types of vegetables.Neophobia and familiarity with specific vegetable types had a significant effect (P < 0.001) on liking.Nearly one child out of two related vegetable acceptance to sensory characteristics of vegetables. For sensory oriented children, sweetness and original colour intensity affected positively vegetable acceptance while bitterness, brown colouring and tough texture lowered acceptance.These results help to optimize the sensory properties preferred by children through the selection of the most appealing preparation method for a given vegetable.     

The ability of 10–11-year-old children to identify basic tastes and their liking towards unfamiliar foods

The involvement of children in sensory evaluation and consumer research continues to increase and has become crucial in the food industry, as children sensory perceptions differ from adults. Research on basic taste sensitivity in children provides contradictory results, with most of the studies not considering the familiarity aspect of the food samples. Familiarity can lead children to memories of the food which are able to influence their taste perception and liking. This study aims to investigate the ability of 10 to 11-year old children in identifying sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness in unfamiliar food samples. The taste identification data was collected from 98 children using 19 food samples representing the four basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. For each food sample, the children evaluated their familiarity, the basic taste(s) they perceived using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method and scored their liking. Their basic taste identification ability was investigated by comparing their results to trained panellists as a reference. The food samples were unfamiliar to most of the children (never tasted by 85% of the children on average). Correspondence Analysis (CA) showed that children were able to identify the basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter in the unfamiliar foods, with a high congruency to the trained panellists. However, children’s identification ability was lower when combinations of dominant basic tastes occurred. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated a positive correlation between the presence of sweet taste and the children’s liking while sour and bitter tastes showed the opposite.     

Acceptance and purchase intent of US consumers for nonwheat rice butter cakes

ABSTRACT:  This study evaluated consumer acceptance and purchase intent of nonwheat butter cake formulations prepared with Thai jasmine rice flour. Three nonwheat rice butter cakes were prepared with varying amounts of powdered emulsifier (propylene glycol ester:diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglyceride, 8:2) at 0% (product A), 7.5% (product B), and 15% (product C) of the margarine content (15%) in the cake formulation. A commercial wheat-based butter cake served as the control. Consumers ( n = 400) evaluated acceptability of 9 sensory attributes using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptance and purchase intent were determined with a binomial (yes/no) scale. At least 81% of consumers accepted products B and C, of which 42.1% and 47%, respectively, would purchase the products if commercially available. Product A was neither liked nor disliked with an overall liking score of 5.39. The butter cake products were differentiated by textural acceptability (overall texture, softness, and moistness) with a canonical correlation of 0.71 to 0.79. Overall liking and taste influenced overall acceptance and purchase intent. Odor influenced purchase intent ( P = 0.0014), but not overall acceptance. The odds ratio of overall liking was 3.462 for purchase intent, indicating the probability of the product being purchased is 3.462 times higher (than not being purchased, P < 0.0001) with every 1-unit increase of the overall liking score. Based on the logit model, overall acceptance and purchase intent could be predicted with 89.3% and 83.3% accuracy, respectively. The study demonstrated feasibility of completely substituting wheat flour with Thai jasmine rice flour for production of butter cake products acceptable to American consumers.     

Physical and sensory characteristics of cookies prepared with flaxseed flour

BACKGROUND: Flaxseed has many health benefits and is considered a functional food ingredient. Flaxseed flour (0–18%) was used to partially replace wheat flour in cookies and its effects on the physical and sensory characteristics of the cookies were investigated. A correlation analysis was conducted between the instrumental and sensory data. RESULTS: The cookie dough stickiness significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in relation to higher percentages of flaxseed flour. The 18% flaxseed cookies had the firmest texture, darkest color and lowest water activity. The 18% flaxseed cookies had the greatest spread ratio. However, this resulted in cookies of unacceptable quality properties. In consumer acceptance tests, cookies made with 6% and 12% flaxseed flour had the highest rating among all sensory attributes, while the 18% flaxseed cookies had the lowest sensory scores. The flavor attribute was most highly correlated with the overall acceptability (r = 0.90). CONCLUSION: Results indicated that flaxseed flour can be incorporated in cookies as a partial replacement up to 12% of wheat flour without negatively affecting the physical and sensory quality. The correlation results suggest that the flaxseed flavor attributes best predict consumer preference for overall acceptability, though texture and color attributes also contribute. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comparison of the labeled magnitude (LAM) scale,an 11-point category scale and the traditional 9-point hedonic scale

Schutz and Cardello [Schutz, H. G. & Cardello, A. V. (2001). A labeled affective magnitude (LAM) scale for assessing food liking/disliking. Journal of Sensory Studies, 16, 117–159] proposed the labeled magnitude (LAM) scale for measuring food acceptance. The LAM is a line scale anchored at its end points with the phrases “greatest imaginable like” and “greatest imaginable dislike” and uses as intermediate anchors the nine phrases of the traditional hedonic scale. In this study, three hedonic scales were compared, including the widely-used 9-point hedonic scale, the LAM scale, and an 11-point category scale using the LAM’s verbal anchors as category labels. Three groups of consumers (N = about 100 each) used one of the three scales to evaluate the acceptability of highly liked foods (orange juices, potato chips, cookies, and ice cream, with four samples of each). Scales were evaluated primarily on their ability to show differences in acceptability, the correspondence of acceptance ratings to preference ranking and the correspondence of stated product usage (e.g., purchase of pulp vs. non-pulp orange juice) to the product scoring highest. All three scales performed equally well, with no one scale showing a consistent superiority over another. All three scales were able to differentiate acceptability of the orange juices, chips and cookies. No scale differentiated among the ice creams, which had equal and high acceptability. All scales showed a strong correspondence between liking and preference rankings and also between the product rated highest and the type of product usually consumed, within each of the product categories.     

Sugar reduction in probiotic chocolate-flavored milk: Impact on dynamic sensory profile and liking

Reducing the sugar content of processed products has been claimed to be one of the most efficient strategies for decreasing sugar intake. The present work aimed at studying the influence of sugar reduction on the dynamic sensory profile and consumers' liking of probiotic chocolate-flavored milks using a novel temporal methodology, and to evaluate two alternatives (vanilla flavor and thaumatin) to attenuate the sensory changes caused by sugar reduction. Probiotic chocolate-flavored milks were formulated with different reductions in added sugar (0, 20, 40 and 60%). Vanilla flavor and thaumatin were added to the sugar-reduced samples at two concentrations. Samples were evaluated by trained assessors using Temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA). Additionally, consumers evaluated the dynamic sensory profile of a subset of the samples using TCATA and indicated their overall liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. Results from the present work showed that the main effect of sugar reduction on the dynamic sensory profile of the probiotic chocolate-flavored milks was related to changes in sweetness, bitterness and thickness. A reduction in added sugar of 20% led to changes in sweetness intensity, which were perceived by both trained assessors and consumers. However, consumers' liking was not significantly affected by sugar reduction up to 40%. The addition of vanilla flavor at suprathreshold concentrations was not efficient in increasing sweetness perception in chocolate-flavored milks with the lowest sugar reduction percentage, suggesting that it may not be a feasible alternative for reducing sugar in this product category. These results suggest that in many situations sugar content of food products could be decreased without a relevant impact on consumers' sensory and hedonic perception.     

Identifying drivers for consumer acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla

ABSTRACT:  The traditional production of corn tortilla has been modified by new processing technologies to make possible a commercial-scale production; this practice has resulted in products having sensory properties different from those produced by the traditional method. There is no published information on sensory attributes driving acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. Identifying sensory drivers for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas will help commercially produce products that satisfy consumers' expectations. A consumer study was conducted to evaluate acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas and determine drivers of acceptance and purchase intent of the products. Ten samples of corn tortillas were selected to represent a variety of corn tortillas available in the Mexican market. Three hundred Mexican consumers evaluated acceptability of appearance, color, thickness, rollability, resistance to tearing, aroma, chewiness, taste and aftertaste, and overall liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptance and purchase intent were determined with a yes/no scale. Analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance revealed that consumers were able to differentiate differences in sensory acceptability among 10 samples. For example, 2 homemade and 1 small commercial-scale samples, with an overall liking score of 6.6 to 6.7, were more acceptable than others. Rollability, resistance to tearing, and chewiness were attributes underlying overall differences among 10 samples. Attributes determining overall acceptance of corn tortillas were chewiness and overall liking. Purchase intent was influenced by overall appearance, rollability, chewiness, taste, and overall liking. This study revealed critical sensory attributes and their weights given by Mexican consumers when making decisions for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla.     

The effect of multiple yeasts co-inoculations on Sauvignon Blanc wine aroma composition,sensory properties and consumer preference

Consumer acceptance testing has been only recently applied in wine research, to assess wine sensory attributes that affect hedonic liking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Saccharomyces yeast co-inoculations on wine volatile composition and sensory profiles, and to determine if differences were sufficient enough to affect consumer acceptance. Fermentations were conducted using two- and three-yeast co-inoculations, and single strains. Yeast inocula differed substantially in volatile thiols and other flavour compounds, and in their sensory properties. Wines from four yeast inocula which showed large sensory differences were subjected to consumer testing by 120 consumers, with differences in overall liking found. Four clusters of consumers were identified, with one group strongly preferring the two-yeast co-inoculated wine with an intermediate sensory profile, while another group favoured the wine made using the three-yeast co-inoculation. This study has demonstrated that the yeast inoculum used to conduct fermentation affects consumer acceptance.     

原料特性对曲奇饼干品质和丙烯酰胺生成的影响

以面粉、油、糖为主要原料制作曲奇饼干,通过测量其水分含量、色度、质地、感官和丙烯酰胺含量,研究原料特性对曲奇饼干品质和丙烯酰胺生成的影响。实验表明:面粉中蛋白质的含量显著影响曲奇饼干的品质和丙烯酰胺的生成。与高筋粉和中筋粉相比,低筋粉粗蛋白含量仅为7.67%,其制作的曲奇饼干水分含量低,硬度小,柔软和酥松程度表现更好,品质最佳且丙烯酰胺生成量最低。普通黄油和发酵黄油制作的曲奇饼干酥脆,香味浓郁,品质优良,发酵黄油在焙烤过程脂肪氧化较为缓慢,生成的丙烯酰胺含量低为212μg/kg。红糖制作的曲奇饼干呈棕褐色,具有独特的香味,但丙烯酰胺含量高达828μg/kg。白砂糖、冰糖和绵白糖制作的曲奇饼干品质差异较小,其中白砂糖制作的曲奇饼干感官评价得分最高,丙烯酰胺含量最低为230μg/kg。综上,低筋面粉、发酵黄油和白砂糖制作的曲奇饼干品质较优,丙烯酰胺生成量较少。     

Effect of expectations and the definition of product category on the acceptance of unfamiliar foods

Expected and actual acceptance of three unfamiliar vs. three familiar foods were examined among US subjects to determine the extent to which positive information about their origin, nutritional properties and flavor, in the presence or absence of product category information, contributed to their acceptance. Subjects (n=160) were divided into the following four conditions: (1) ‘NOI' Unfamiliar foods, no verbal information; (2) ‘INFO' Unfamiliar foods, positive information without product category; (3) ‘INFO+' Unfamiliar foods, positive information including product category; and (4) ‘CTR' Familiar foods, no information, control group. The subjects rated their expected liking/disliking prior to tasting (based on information in conditions 2 and 3, and based on appearance in all conditions), their actual liking, and the degree to which the foods matched/mismatched their sensory and hedonic expectations after tasting. Generally, positive information enhanced ratings of unfamiliar samples, but product-specific information effects were large, and no proof was obtained for the superiority of the INFO+ (compared to INFO) condition in the enhancement of liking. Actual liking was best predicted by expected liking based on either verbal information or on seeing the product. The expected liking was mainly predicted by the degree of liking and frequency of use of the specific familiar reference products. Thus, the acceptance of an unfamiliar food is largely determined by how it relates to familiar foods that are part of an individual's current diet.     

CONSUMER EVALUATION OF SOY INGREDIENT–CONTAINING COOKIES

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate consumer acceptability of cookies prepared using four different soy ingredients including two types of extruded and expelled soy flours (INTSOY and Insta–Pro), a soy protein isolate and a soy protein concentrate. Chocolate chip cookies were prepared replacing 20% of the wheat flour with the soy ingredient. Cookies were evaluated by 75 consumers for color, flavor, texture and overall liking using a 9–point hedonic scale. Data were subjected to ANOVA. Flavor scores of cookies prepared with INTSOY texturized soy protein were significantly higher (7.2) than those of the other three types of cookies (<6.6). There were significant interactions between the degree of color liking of cookies and gender (P < 0.01) and overall liking of cookies and age (P < 0.01). Women liked isolate–containing cookie color better than men; no gender difference existed between other treatments. Consumers over 41 years of age gave Insta–Pro containing cookies higher overall liking scores than other cookies while no difference existed between cookie treatments for consumers between 26 and 40 years of age. The mean scores for color, texture, flavor and overall evaluation for all four cookies were between 6 (like slightly) and 7 (like moderately) on a 9–point scale, indicating that the panel, in general, liked the cookies somewhat, however, room for improvement existed.