食品脂肪味科学研究的文献计量分析

目的 对食品脂肪味研究进行文献计量分析,为有针对性地深入开展脂肪味的基础研究及其应用提供理论基础。方法 采用文献计量分析方法对脂肪味研究的主要研究现状、学术脉络和研究热点进行可视化分析。结果 脂肪味研究的发文量呈现逐步增长趋势,年引文次数增长迅速;中国的相关研究起步较晚,数量优势逐渐明显,国际合作频次占据优势,但有影响力的专家和机构偏少,国内相关研究报道很少;脂肪味研究不仅涉及食品风味和肉类食品,还涉及营养学、生理学、心理学、化学、医学、食品接触材料、口腔加工和食品物理学等多学科交叉领域;关键词的共现分析、聚类分析和突现分析等进一步揭示,脂肪味研究的热点领域包括脂肪味觉感知与敏感度分析、食品品质、健康、消费者喜好和脂肪酸;后续值得研究的难题包括脂肪味的健康效应、感知阈值、物质基础及其与受体相互作用。结论 我国与其他国家相比虽存在较大差距,但发挥的作用及国际合作趋势正在不断加强。后续我国可以从脂肪味是否是基本味觉的认识,脂肪味对健康的积极或消极影响规律,脂肪味的感知与喜好阈值,不同脂肪酸与脂肪味受体的相互作用方式等食品风味共性科学问题入手进行多学科交叉融合研究。     

New product,familiar taste: Effects of slogans on cognitive and affective responses to an unknown food product among food neophobics and neophilics

Food neophobia is considered a potential barrier for the introduction of new food products. This study investigated how advertising slogans could influence cognitive and affective responses to a new product in food neophobics and food neophilics. An unknown dairy product was used to examine the effectiveness of three different slogans that stressed (1) product newness, (2) product familiarity, and (3) both of these attributes simultaneously. The study used a 2 × 3 between-subjects experimental design (N = 222). Food neophobics showed overall lower hedonic responses to the product than food neophilics. Slogan manipulation affected neophobics and neophilics differently. For neophobics, the slogan stressing familiarity of the product increased their perception of the product as “known”, but did not increase product attractiveness. For neophilics, the slogan conveying newness increased taste expectations and purchase intentions. The mixed slogan showed only partial effectiveness in increasing product attractiveness for neophilics. The results suggest that for the introduction of new food products it may be efficient to target neophilics and neophobics separately with different strategies. Concise slogans that convey only one message seem to work better than a paradoxical combination of statements in a combined slogan. Slogans aimed at food neophilics need to stress the newness of a product. However, slogans alone seem to be inefficient for neophobics.     

Haptic exploration of plateware alters the perceived texture and taste of food

We report two naturalistic citizen science experiments designed to highlight the influence of the texture of plateware on people’s rating of the mouthfeel and taste of food (specifically, biscuits) sampled from that plateware. In the first experiment, participants tasted a biscuit from a pair of plates, one having a rough and the other a smooth finish. In the second experiment, participants tasted biscuits and jelly babies; participants rated the mouthfeel and taste of the two foodstuffs. The results both confirm and extend previous findings suggesting that haptically and visually perceived texture can influence both oral-somatosensory judgments of texture as well as, in this case, the reported taste or flavour of the food itself. The crossmodal effects reported here are explained in terms of the notion of sensation transference. These results have potentially important implications for everything from the design of the tactile aspects of packaging through to the design of serviceware in the setting of the restaurant.     

Sweet and bitter near-threshold solutions activate cross-modal correspondence between taste and shapes of cups

Recent studies have pointed out some cross-modal correspondences between flavoured beverages, as well as basic taste solutions, and specific geometric visual cues. Some of them associate known drink tastes to shapes of receptacles. In particular, sweetness is associated with curved receptacles and bitterness with sharp-angled ones. Our study aimed to test the hypothesis according to which near-threshold solutions might also activate this cross-modal correspondence. We used two different cup forms, one curved and the other sharp-angled, with pure sweet and bitter solutions just above sensorial thresholds. We designed two tasks using a two-alternative forced-choice test. Participants had to decide which drink was sweeter, Task 1, and bitterer, Task 2, from the curved and sharp-angled cups. Results showed the cross-modal correspondence but only when participants drank first from the curved cup and second from the sharp-angled cup. The effect disappeared when participants drank first from the sharp-angled cup and second from the curved cup. This suggests that the correspondence emerges using sweet and bitter near-threshold solutions in specific conditions. On the other hand, results also showed that confidence level of responses was significantly higher in the bitter task than in the sweet task. We discuss these complex results in the light of different theoretical proposals to explain this cross-modal correspondence.     

Stability in consumer responses to familiar and new chocolates during a period of exposure

The aim of this paper is to study the effects of exposure to different types of chocolate on consumer responses. Three different chocolates were considered, one established market leader and two new chocolates from a product development project. A group of consumers participated two times in a central location test and were exposed to different chocolates over a 4 weeks period between the two occasions. Main focus is on informed liking with the inclusion of brand name. Both average effects and individual differences in consumers’ responses are discussed. The main conclusion of this study is that the liking of the established chocolate was similar before and after exposure (with a slight decrease in liking) while the liking went significantly up for one of the new products.     

The impact of sugar-related claims on perceived healthfulness,caloric value and expected taste of food products

Food packaging usually includes multiple cues, including claims about nutrients that may modulate how the consumer perceives (and behaves towards) the product. In the current work, we systematically examined how different types of claims about sugar influenced the perception of food product categories (i.e., yogurts, ice creams, cookies, and breakfast cereals). In two experiments (combined n = 406), participants were asked to evaluate the perceived healthfulness, caloric value, and expected taste of products with (vs. without) sugar-related claims. Specifically, the claims were on the sugar content (“0% sugar”, “sugar-free”, “no added sugars”, “low sugar” - Experiment 1) or on the type of sugars or sweeteners of natural origin (“sucrose”, “cane sugar”, “honey” and “stevia” - Experiment 2).Experiment 1 revealed that all products with sugar-related claims were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than the regular alternatives. Still, products with the “low sugar” claim were perceived as the least healthy, most caloric, and tastiest. In Experiment 2, we observed that products with “stevia” claim were rated as healthier, less caloric, and less tasty than regular products. In both experiments, the frequency of consumption of products with sugar-related claims was positively associated with the general perception of these products, the influence of nutritional information on consumption decisions, attention to sugar intake, and interest in nutrition.Overall, our results show that sugar-related claims may influence consumer's perceptions about food products, but the direction of that influence depends on the type of claim and evaluative dimension.     

Package images modulate flavors in memory: Incidental learning of fruit juice flavors

The effect of package images on incidental flavor memory for fruit juice was investigated. Ninety-two participants were allocated to three experimental conditions: (1) apple-label, (2) peach-label, and (3) control-label. In each condition, participants tasted a target flavor stimulus, a 1:1 mixture of 100% pure apple juice and 100% pure peach juice with pictures attached to the cups. Ten minutes later, participants were confronted with samples consisting of varying ratios of 100% peach to 100% apple juice, and were asked to rate their similarity to the target stimuli. Participants were also asked to rate how congruent the juice flavor and the image were at the initial tasting. Apple images modulated memories of the flavors of target stimuli: they shifted toward that of apples. This modulation occurred in participants who perceived the label and flavor as congruent. Peach images did not modulate memories, possibly because the subjects had significantly less experience of drinking peach juice than apple juice. These results reveal that flavor memory can be biased toward that of the image labels during initial tasting. However, memory bias depends on the perceived congruency between labels and flavors, and tasters’ prior experiences.     

The role of sour and bitter perception in liking,familiarity and choice for phenol-rich plant-based foods

Among factors influencing food preferences and choices, individual differences in taste perception play a key role in defining eating behaviour. In particular, sour and bitter responsiveness could be associated with the acceptance and the consumption of phenol-rich plant-based foods recommended for a healthy diet. The aim of this study was to investigate, in a large population sample, the associations among sour and bitter responsiveness and liking, familiarity and choice for plant-based foods characterized by these target tastes. Adults aged 18 to 60 years (n = 1198; 58% women) were tested for their sour and bitter responsiveness both in water solutions and in food models (pear juice-based beverages modified in citric acid content to induce different levels of sourness: 0.5, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 g/kg; chocolate pudding samples modified in sucrose content to induce different levels of bitterness: 38, 83, 119, 233 g/kg). Familiarity, stated liking and choice for fruit juices and vegetables varying for sour/bitter taste (high in bitter/sour taste: e.g. grapefruit juice and cauliflower; low in bitter/sour taste: e.g. zucchini and pineapple juice) were measured. Results showed a significant positive correlation between bitter and sour taste perception in water solutions and model foods, as well as a positive correlation between the perceived intensity of the two taste stimuli. Subjects characterized by high responsiveness to the two target stimuli were found to give lower liking scores to foods characterized by sour/bitter tastes and tended to choose less sour/bitter foods compared to less responsive subjects.Thus, food choice for phenol rich plant-based products could be associated with a reduced responsiveness to bitter and sour tastes and a consequent higher acceptance of food products characterized by these taste qualities.     

A bittersweet symphony: Systematically modulating the taste of food by changing the sonic properties of the soundtrack playing in the background

We report an experiment designed to investigate the consequences of manipulating the pitch of the background auditory stimulation on the taste of food. The participants in the present study evaluated four pieces of cinder toffee while listening to two auditory soundtracks, presented in a random order. One soundtrack was designed to be more crossmodally (or “synaesthetically”) congruent with a bitter-tasting food whereas the other soundtrack was designed to be more congruent with a sweet-tasting food instead. The participants rated each sample using three computer based line scales: One scale was anchored with the words bitter and sweet. The second scale required participants to localize the taste/flavour percept elicited by the food (at the front vs. back of their mouth). The third scale involved participants giving a hedonic evaluation of the foodstuff. As expected, the cinder toffee samples tasted while listening to the presumptively ‘bitter’ soundtrack were rated as tasting significantly more bitter than when exactly the same foodstuff was evaluated while listening to the ‘sweet’ soundtrack instead. These results provide the first convincing empirical demonstration that the crossmodal congruency of a background soundtrack can be used to modify the taste (and presumably also flavour) of a foodstuff.     

Rapid analysis of cyclamate in foods and beverages by gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD)

A rapid method for determination of sodium cyclamate in foods and beverages was developed. Sodium cyclamate was converted to N,N-dichloridecyclohexylamine by reaction with sodium hypochlorite under acid condition. N,N-dichloridecyclohexylamine was subsequently extracted by n-hexane and determined by gas chromatography. Conditions such as derivatization time, the concentration of sodium hypochlorite and sulphuric acid were optimised. Amino acids, aliphatic amines, and food additives such as preservatives, dyes and sweeteners showed no interference for quantification of cyclamate. The correlation coefficient of calibration curve was 0.9993 in the range of 5.0–250 mg/L. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were calculated as three or ten times the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), respectively. The LOD and LOQ for yellow wine and fruit juice were 0.05 and 0.2 mg/L, respectively. The LOD and LOQ for cake and preserved fruit were 0.25 and 0.8 mg/kg, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day RSD were 0.28% and 1.1% (n = 5), respectively. The method was successfully applied for determination of cyclamate in yellow wine, cake, fruit juice and preserved fruit. This method was simple, fast, and sensitive. It was suitable for the determination of cyclamate in foods and beverages for safety and quality control inspections.     

Evaluating taste contribution of brown sugar in chicken seasoning using taste compounds,sensory evaluation,and electronic tongue

In this study, the taste contribution of brown sugar in chicken seasoning was evaluated. Chicken seasonings containing brown sugar (AB), white sugar (AW), and liquid sugar (AL) were compared by the detection of taste compounds, sensory evaluation, and electronic tongue measurements. The correlation model of the three kinds of data was built by partial least squares regression (PLSR). The contents of the taste compounds in sample AB was higher than in sample AW and lower than in sample AL. Sample AB had the strongest “umami” and “full-body” taste and the highest response values for the UMS and GPS sensors. Combined with the PLSR results, brown sugar could be used to balance the taste of chicken seasoning. In conclusion, brown sugar had a positive effect on flavor quality and could help to improve chicken seasoning recipes.     

Determination of ascorbic and isoascorbic acid in beverages and additives to meat products by capillary isotachophoresis

 A isotachophoretic method with conductivity detection was developed to directly determine ascorbic acid in food samples. The leading electrolyte contained hydrochloric acid (10 mmol/l), β-alanine (pH 3.0), and methylhydroxyethylcellulose (0.1%). The terminating electrolyte was 5 mmol/l caproic acid. The method is suitable for determining ascorbic acid in juice, beers, and as additives to meat products. The method was also applied for the determination of isoascorbic acid in additives to meat products. Received: 21 February 2000 / Revised version: 15 May 2000     

Perception of taste intensity in solutions of random-coil polysaccharides above and below c

Sensory paired comparison tests were used to study differences in taste intensity in solutions of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) at concentrations above (1.0% w/w) and below (0.2% w/w) c^*, the coil-overlap concentration (the point at which viscosity changes abruptly with increasing thickener). The sweetness intensities of aspartame (250 ppm), sucrose (5% w/w), fructose (4.5% w/w) and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (39 ppm) and the saltiness of sodium chloride (0.35%) were all found to be significantly reduced in the more viscous HPMC solution. There was no significant effect of HPMC concentration on the acidity of citric acid (600 ppm) or the bitterness of quinine hydrochloride (26 ppm). The sweetness intensities of sucrose and aspartame were likewise investigated in two further hydrocolloid solutions, guar gum and λ-carrageenan. Experiments were designed so that the ratios of the thickener concentrations (above and below c^*) to their measured c^* values remained constant. The sweetness of sucrose was found to be significantly reduced in the more viscous guar gum solution (P<0.05) and that of aspartame was reduced in the λ-carrageenan above c^* (P<0.001). A multiple paired comparison design was used to show that the perceived sweetness of 6.5% sucrose in 1.0% HPMC did not differ significantly from that of 5% sucrose in 0.2% HPMC. The magnitude of effect with aspartame was broadly analogous.     

Cup texture influences taste and tactile judgments in the evaluation of specialty coffee

It has been demonstrated previously that the surface textures of product packaging and servingware can impact the perceived taste and mouthfeel of various different foods and beverages. The present study was designed to investigate whether coffee cups with different surface textures would influence the judgment of taste and mouthfeel attributes in specialty coffee by experts (Q-graders) and amateur consumers alike. A total of 231 participants were tested in one of the three studies. A preliminary test conducted at a specialty coffee event in Russia indicated that rubbing a swatch of sandpaper whilst drinking coffee influenced perceived body and aftertaste qualities. In the two main studies (Experiment 1 for Q-graders, and Experiment 2 for amateurs), the participants evaluated a sample of specialty coffee (a different coffee in each study) served in either a smooth or a rough ceramic cup. The coffee was rated by the Q-graders as tasting significantly more acidic when sampled from the rough cup, as opposed to the smooth, whereas the amateurs perceived the coffee as being significantly sweeter when tasted from the smooth cup rather than from the rough cup instead. Both Q-graders and amateurs judged the aftertaste as significantly dryer when tasted from the rough rather than from the smooth cup. The perception of body was not significantly affected in any of the experiments. These results demonstrate that haptic cues influence the judgment of basic tastes as well as mouthfeel attributes in specialty coffee, for both experts and amateur consumers. Such results should be considered by the industry when designing innovative coatings for coffee cups. In addition to innovation, though, it is important to create cups that convey some functional and/or perceptual benefit for the coffee drinking experience.     

Determination of β-damascenone in alcoholic beverages by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

A new method of analysis was previously developed by this group for the determination of β-damascenone in beer samples. The method consisted of a beer steam distillation, followed by an extraction/concentration step using a C₁₈ SPE column and, finally, analysis by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with detection of β-damascenone at its 227 nm UV-absorption maximum. This work describes further developments of the previous methodology and its application to the identification and quantification of β-damascenone in some other beverages, such as wine, whiskey and brandy. β-Damascenone concentration was monitored during a forced ageing assay of several wines from different regions of Portugal and the influence of heat treatment of wine on β-damascenone concentration was studied. The effect of pH on β-damascenone concentration is also discussed.     

An assessment of the effects of wine volatiles on the perception of taste and astringency in wine

The objective of this work is measuring the effect of different volatile extract compositions on the perception of taste, astringency, global intensity and persistence of wine. Six Spanish wines, two from Chardonnay and four from Tempranillo grapes, all of them showing different chemical and sensory characteristics, were selected. Wines were separated into volatile and non-volatile fractions by solid phase extraction and lyophilisation and further liquid extraction, respectively. Eighteen “reconstituted wines” were prepared, combining different volatile extracts and different non-volatile matrices and adjusting ethanol content to 12% (v/v), and were further described by a specifically trained sensory panel. Taste attributes (sweetness, acidity, bitterness), astringency, aroma intensity, global intensity and persistence were assessed in both, original and “reconstituted” wines by using a numerical category scale. The sensory properties of the original wines were retained by their corresponding “reconstituted samples”. The sensory assessment of the “reconstituted wines” showed that the addition of volatile fruity extracts from white wines brought about a decrease in astringency and bitterness and an increase in sweet perception in all cases. While global intensity and persistence of white wine matrices were also increased, they did not change in red wine matrices, which suggests that the volatile fraction plays only a secondary role in these attributes of red wines. Similarly, the effects of replacing the volatile fraction of a red wine by volatile extracts from other red wines were small and inconsistent, which confirms that taste and astringency are primarily driven by non-volatile molecules in these wines.     

What can cognitive psychology and sensory evaluation learn from each other?

Two questions are addressed in this paper: What can cognitive psychology bring to sensory evaluation? And what can cognitive psychology learn from sensory evaluation? In the first part, I will argue that one important contribution from psychology to sensory evaluation is to interpret flavor as a cognitively unified system made of three anatomically separated systems (smell, taste, and the trigeminal system). In the second part, I will argue that the applied field of sensory evaluation stresses the importance of using ecologically valid, naturalistic stimuli. Sensory evaluation also provides results that challenge accepted interpretations in psychology, especially in the field of evaluation of expertise.     

The residual occurrences of Bacillus thuringiensis biopesticides in food and beverages

In 2006, 54 pasteurized full fat milk samples, 40 ice-cream samples, and two green-tea beverage samples were analyzed and a total of 19 Bacillus thuringiensis-like strains were isolated, nine from seven pasteurized milks, one from an ice-cream with peach pulp and juice, and nine from two green-tea beverages. These strains were classified as B. thuringiensis, contained the cry1A gene and produced crystal inclusions during sporulation. All strains were characterized by a serotyping test, SDS-PAGE, random amplified polymorphic DNA, and enterotoxic gene PCR analysis. Most isolates produced bipyramidal crystals and belonged to serotypes H_3a3b, H_5a5b, or H₇. Furthermore, two strains from pasteurized full fat milks and three strains from green-tea beverages were indistinguishable from the B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strains isolated from commercial biopesticides (Kaiyan®, Qiangdi®, Lvpuan® and Sutai®), suggesting the residual occurrences of B. thuringiensis from biopesticides in food and beverages.