Conditioning specific positive states to unfamiliar flavours influences flavour liking

Food products can have significant influence on consumers’ affective states. Flavours can be used to evoke affective states, and affective information has been shown to influence how much of a beverage is consumed. In this study we investigated whether novel flavours could be conditioned to two different specific positive states (“feeling active” and “feeling relaxed”). We associated flavours with these states by using different types of positive film clips and tested how this influenced liking and different behavioural attributes using implicit measures, in particular self-focus and activity. Participants consumed one of two unfamiliar flavoured drinks (one liked and one neutral) for five consecutive days while watching film clips evoking active, relaxed, or neutral states. We examined the levels of activity and self-focus evoked by the conditioned drinks using implicit measures. Activity was higher in the active film clip condition than in the neutral control condition. For the liked flavour, positive conditioning reduced initial liking, compared to the control condition. The pattern was different for the neutral flavour. Results show that it is possible to condition flavours to induce specific positive states and that this process affects product liking.     

On the consistency of liking scores: a validation study run in France and Germany

A validation study was performed to confirm the findings of a previous experiment, by enlarging it at younger age groups. The study was conducted in France and Germany. Monadic preferences for seven orange juices were recorded. Three of the samples were replicates of the same juice (RJ). The four others were RJ slightly spiked with chemicals. Each subject then performed a paired preference test composed of RJ and the modified juice whose score was the furthest from the RJ score. Finally, subjects had to choose one among eight reasons why they preferred that sample. The effects of age, gender and country on the consistency of liking scores were examined. Most of the findings of the previous study were confirmed. Moreover, French adults tended to be less consistent than German adults, whereas the opposite pattern was found regarding children. However, country had no effect on the ability to identify the reason for preference.     

Dynamic aspects of liking: post-prandial persistence of sensory specific satiety

The time dependence of the liking of foodstuffs was investigated in a study with 25 subjects, consisting of three parts: (1) on day one, a sensory specific satiety study, which was extended until 125 min after consumption; (2) on days two to seven, a repeated in home taste and evaluation study; (3) on day eight, a second sensory specific satiety study as in 1.In parts 1 and 3, subjects were asked to eat either cheese biscuits or pears in light syrup to satiety. The change in liking of both foodstuffs, after eating one of the two foodstuffs to satiety, was followed during 125 min. In part 2, the same subjects were asked to taste and evaluate each product at home, every day for six days.In the sensory specific satiety studies (parts 1 and 3) a significant decrease in liking was observed for the product eaten to satiety, as long as 125 min after consuming that product to satiety. For both products contrast effects were observed: the liking of the uneaten product increased after eating the other product to satiety, while the liking of the eaten product decreased. This contrast effect lasted longer after eating cheese biscuits to satiety, than after eating pears to satiety.In the in home taste and evaluation study, a significant and linear decrease in liking was observed for both products during six days. There was a significant effect (p < 0.05) of eating cheese biscuits to satiety in the sensory specific satiety study on day 1, on the liking ratings of the in home consumption study. No such effect was observed for the pears.The results indicate that sensory specific satiety is relatively strong for more than 2 h after consumption and can have effects on liking ratings for more than 24 h. These effects were different for the products tested. Based on these results, we suggest that combining eating a product to satiety and in home evaluation over several days, could possibly be useful as an accelerated method to predict changes in liking upon repeated consumption.     

Creating memorable products: Actual liking and remembered liking

Product choice is influenced by the remembered liking for that product at the time that the choice is made. Little research has been carried out on memory for the liking of foods, and yet remembered liking at the time of purchase may be more influential on choice than liking ratings obtained during actual product consumption. A recent study examines how liking ratings made during consumption are integrated to produce an overall remembered evaluation. Its results enable quantifying differences between actual and remembered liking experiences.

Introduction

Product choice is partly influenced by the remembered liking for that product at the time of consumption. The relationship between actual and remembered liking has received almost no attention in the food literature. How do my hedonic responses, made ‘on-line’ as I consume the product, become integrated to form a holistic retrospective memory? If we understood this process, we could design products so as to maximize remembered liking in order to ensure repeat purchase and use.From pain research it is known that the pattern of the pain intensity interferes with memory: an acute pain pattern with a peak just before the end of the pain experience scores higher on remembered pain intensity than a chronic pain pattern with no peak at the end (the so-called ‘peak-at-end effect’; Ariely, 1998 and Kahneman et al., 1993). The present study was an initial attempt to extrapolate these negative effect findings from pain research to the positive affective experiences in the food domain. We hypothesised that products that deliver the maximum of the sensory stimuli at the end (peak-at-end rule) of the eating experience will score higher on remembered liking than products that follow a constant or a different liking pattern. The food product used was a crunchy cheese snack filled with soft processed cheese. The cheese filling varied in salt and cheese flavour intensity (Low and High) to examine four different sensory patterns: (1) a high constant pattern, (2) a low constant pattern, (3) a peak-at-end pattern and (4) a drop-at-end pattern (see Table 1).     

On the consistency of liking scores: insights from a study including 917 consumers from 10 to 80 years old

Preference for 7 orange juices was recorded monadically. Three of the samples were replicates of the same juice (RJ). The 4 other samples were RJ slightly spiked with either sucrose, or citric acid, or quinine or an orange flavor. Each subject then performed a paired preference test composed of RJ and the modified juice whose score was the furthest from the RJ score. Finally, subjects were asked to choose one among 8 reasons why they preferred that sample. A number of individual statistics were computed in order to compare the consistency of liking scores within session, across ages and between genders. Women were slightly more consistent than men. However, no significant effect of age nor gender was found in the coherence between the first hedonic test and the paired preference test. Moreover, children and seniors found it more difficult than other consumers to identify the reason for their preference.     

Comparison between linear and nonlinear PLS methods to explain overall liking from sensory characteristics

The influence of sensory characteristics on overall liking can be statistically studied with Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression methods. To correctly model nonlinear dependence relationships, some nonlinear PLS extensions are useful. The purpose of the present paper is to compare performances and results of three PLS methods, using a real data set: regular PLS with sensory attributes as explanatory variables; PLS with attributes and their respective squares; and a new nonlinear PLS extension, called ASPLS. In case of a nonlinear dependence relationship between sensory characteristics and hedonic responses, this last method is shown to be worth considering.     

小麦分层剥皮与碾皮制粉差异分析

传统的碾皮制粉与分层剥皮、裸麦制粉在胚乳与皮层的剥离设备原理上有着根本的区别。前者存在诸多缺陷。后者可缩短润麦时间、简化设备、减少投资、降低能耗、提高面粉粉色、降低灰分,它的应用与推广将引发小麦制粉工艺的一场革命。     

Relationship between udder and leg hygiene scores and subclinical mastitis

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between udder and leg hygiene scores of lactating dairy cattle and measures of subclinical mastitis. Study animals (n = 1250) consisted of lactating dairy cows from eight commercial dairy farms. Herds were enrolled during December 2000 and January 2001 and were visited bimonthly for a total of five visits per herd. Udder and leg hygiene scores were recorded by one person using a four-point scale ranging from one (very clean) to four (very dirty). Udder and leg hygiene scores were compared to bacteriological cultures of milk samples and monthly individual SCC values. Mean hygiene scores were 2.09 and 2.33 for udders and legs, respectively. Udder hygiene scores (UHS) were significantly associated with leg hygiene scores and varied among farms. Linear somatic cell scores increased as udder hygiene score increased. Significant differences in somatic cell scores were observed for all contrasts of udder hygiene score, except between scores of 1 and 2 and of 3 and 4. Linear somatic cell scores were associated with leg hygiene scores, but the only significant contrast was between leg hygiene scores of 2 and 4. There was a significant association between the prevalence of intramammary contagious pathogens and udder hygiene score. The prevalence of intramammary environmental pathogens was significantly associated with udder hygiene score and was 7.7, 10.0, 10.6, and 13.5% for UHS of 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The prevalence of environmental pathogens was not associated with LHS. Cows with udder hygiene scores of 3 and 4 were 1.5 times more likely to have major pathogens isolated from milk samples compared with cows with hygiene scores of 1 and 2.     

Consumer liking of refined and whole wheat breads

ABSTRACT:  Preference for refined bread is often cited as a reason for the relatively low consumption of whole wheat bread; only a few studies, however, have examined consumer preferences between refined and whole wheat breads, and the results of these studies are inconclusive. Our objective was to determine if refined wheat bread is preferred to whole wheat bread. We hypothesized that people would prefer refined wheat bread. We conducted a taste test with 89 people. They rated their liking of 9 different breads chosen to represent several comparisons between equivalent refined and whole wheat breads. The participants also rated the intensity of 6- n -propylthiouracil (PROP) and completed a questionnaire about their bread preferences and purchasing habits. We classified the participants by their bread preference and their PROP taster status, and then examined the liking patterns of these subgroups. People preferred refined bread to whole wheat bread when both were made using equivalent ingredients and procedures. They liked the commercial samples of refined and whole wheat breads equally well. When people were classified by their bread preference, those who preferred refined bread liked the refined bread better in all comparisons. PROP nontasters liked all refined and whole wheat breads equally. Sensory preferences are a barrier to whole wheat bread consumption, but ingredient or processing modifications can improve liking of whole wheat bread to the level of refined bread.     

Adolescents' responses to cigarette advertisements: links between exposure,liking, and the appeal of smoking

OBJECTIVE—To evaluate adolescents'' responses to cigarette advertisements for different brands.DESIGN—Adolescents were shown one print advertisement for each of five cigarette brands (Camel, Marlboro, Kool, Benson & Hedges, and Lucky Strike). They indicated on a structured questionnaire how many times they had seen the advertisement (or one almost like it), how much they liked it, whether or not they thought it made smoking more appealing, and whether or not it made them want to smoke cigarettes of that brand.SETTING—Middle school and high school classrooms, seven schools in four states in the United States (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas). The classrooms were selected randomly within each school.PARTICIPANTS—534 adolescents in grades 6-12 (ages 11-18 years) from seven schools in four states, 54% female, 76% white.RESULTS—The advertisements for Camel and Marlboro were more likely than the advertisements for the other brands to be seen, to be liked, to be viewed as making smoking appealing, and to influence adolescents to want to smoke cigarettes of that brand. More than 95% of the adolescents had seen an advertisement featuring Joe Camel or the Marlboro Man at least once, and more than 50% had seen these advertisements six or more times. Nearly half believed that the Joe Camel advertisement makes smoking more appealing, and 40% believed that the Marlboro Man advertisement makes smoking more appealing. Adolescent smokers were more likely than non-smokers to believe that the advertisements for Camel and Marlboro make smoking more appealing.CONCLUSIONS—The advertisements most popular among adolescents are for two of the brands they are most likely to smoke—Marlboro and Camel. The results of the study are consistent with the view that certain cigarette advertisements enhance the appeal of smoking to many adolescents.     

从厨柜设计看家具功能与造型的关系

从厨柜设计的角度，分析家具功能和家具造型之间的关系，并根据在哈尔滨地区厨柜市场的实践经验加以论证。     

The relationship between children’s and mothers’ vegetable liking in Chile,China and the United States

This study analyzed children’s (n = 384), 5 to 12 years old, and their mothers’ (n = 321) vegetable liking in three countries (Chile, China and the USA). Liking measures were collected using tasting sessions in which fourteen different vegetables were tasted. Three factors were tested: country (Chile, China, USA), status (mother/child) and products (vegetables). The results showed that mothers gave higher liking vegetable scores than their children when all the participants were analyzed together (p < 0.05). However, some differences were found between countries when they were analyzed individually. Specifically, American mothers like vegetables more than their children, while Chinese and Chilean mothers like vegetable the same amount as their children. Moreover, it was observed that Chilean mothers liked a smaller variety of vegetables than their children. The use of the 7-point hedonic scale to rate the vegetables was also analyzed. Children in the three countries and Chilean mothers showed a polarized use of the scale (with mostly extreme like and extreme dislike ratings), while mothers in China and the USA showed a pattern of use of the upper part of the scale. Three preference segments were uncovered for children in Chile and China, and two for US children. The variety of the children’s diets, the amount of vegetables eaten at lunch/dinner, and the level of the mothers’ satisfaction with their children’s vegetable intake were factors used to characterize the different child preference segments according to their level of liking (p < 0.05).     

Patterns of sweet liking in sucrose solutions and beverages

While preferred levels of sweetness are known to differ across individuals, investigations of hedonic responses to sweetness across multiple concentrations in both model system and beverage are limited. The objective of this study was to classify people according to their preferred sweetness in sucrose solutions and beverages. The stimuli were water and flavored beverages, each containing five levels of sucrose. A total of 200 female subjects rated liking and intensity of sweetness for sucrose solutions, and they conducted paired preference tests using the Monell forced-choice, paired-comparison, tracking procedure. These tests were replicated for the beverage. These evaluations were conducted on two separate occasions, once while the subjects were hungry and once relatively sated. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters based on the hedonic ratings. Cluster 1 showed positive hedonic ratings with increased sucrose concentration in both systems. Cluster 2 showed positive ratings to sucrose increases in the beverage, but not in the sucrose solution. Cluster 3 showed an inverted-U shaped pattern. These patterns were confirmed by the result of the Monell test. Similar trends were observed when the subjects were asked to rate liking of chocolates and in ratings of preferences for commonly consumed sweet and savory food items.     

大理石花纹评分与淮南猪背最长肌感官特性的关系研究

通过研究不同大理石花纹猪肉的感官特性,进一步阐明大理石花纹与猪肉感官特性的内在联系。根据第5~6根肋骨背最长肌横切面的大理石花纹分布程度,进行感官评分;以肉色相近且含有不同大理石花纹的淮南猪背最长肌腰段为原料,各大理石花纹等级随机选择10条,测定它们的肉色、肌内脂肪含量、剪切力、多汁性和风味等。结果表明:大理石花纹分为3级,1级、2级和3级的肌内脂肪含量范围分别是<2%、2%~4%和﹥4%。随着大理石花纹等级的增加,L*值、b*值和肌内脂肪含量明显增加(P<0.01),剪切力值明显降低(P<0.01)。大理石花纹等级3与等级1、等级2之间的风味和多汁性存在显著性差异(P<0.05)。因此,大理石花纹评分越高,则肌内脂肪含量越高,剪切力值越低。多汁性和风味随着大理石花纹评分的增加而得到改善。