On the contribution of the senses to food emotional experience

Emotions are an important component of our daily lives and contribute to behavior as well as general well-being. Foods are prominent sources of emotions (e.g. enjoyment, disgust…). One question that may arise in food research is how the different senses interact to create a unified affective representation of food. Indeed, current research suggests that rather than a unimodal processing of each sensory aspect of a food, there is a very early and almost undistinguishable integration of the senses, especially for the construction of flavor. In the present paper, we argue that a multisensory approach is necessary to understand the way senses converge to enable an emotional experience when perceiving food. We further put an emphasis on the fact that such multisensory integration is influenced by higher-order cognitive processes and possibly by emotions as well. After presenting theories in the field as well as experimental data, we discuss some paradigms that could pave the way for future research on food-induced emotional processing.     

Sweet processed foods in Brazil: use of sugar and sweeteners,inclusion of sugar claims and impact on nutritional profile

This study characterised the main sweet beverages and food products marketed in Brazil regarding (i) the addition of sugar/sweeteners, (ii) nutritional profile and (iii) sugar claims. Results revealed that most of the beverages had added sweeteners, while food products were mainly sweetened with sugar. Moreover, >90% of the powdered products had added sweeteners. ‘Zero sugar’ (46%) and ‘light’ (55%) were the most common sugar claims in sugar-free and reduced-sugar products, respectively. Powdered products, soya drinks and baked products included claims less frequently. Regarding the nutritional profile, beverages with sugar substitution had a proportionally greater reduction in the content of carbohydrates and calories (up to 99%, for both) in relation to food (<82% and <85%, respectively). The results suggest that reducing sugar in solid foods remains a greater challenge than in beverages and that this reduction has less impact on the final energy density of foods.     

Feeding and egg-laying preferences of the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis: Beyond cereals and cereal products

The insect's response to various living substrates is an important determinant for their life history and demography reflected in their feeding and egg-laying preferences. However, research on polyphagous stored product insects such as the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), are largely focused on cereal grains neglecting its alternative hosts. Therefore, this study examines the effect of a range of 16 host substrates including dry fruits, nuts, oil and legume seeds on insect development, survival, and adult emergence of the sawtoothed grain beetle, besides of also determining the feeding substrate weight loss. Overall, the feeding substrates exhibited a significant and different effect on O. surinamensis, except egg incubation time and length of the pupal period. The longest larval periods were observed on legumes followed by oilseeds and (dry) fruits. The highest survival and adult emergence were recorded on fruits and nuts, except raisin, but significantly lower than when fed on legume seeds, including soybean. The losses in fruits and nuts were higher, particularly on almonds and cashew. Larva development was inversely correlated to survival and adult emergence, which were positively correlated to substrate loss. Our study indicated that several non-grain commodities such as (dry) fruits and nuts are rather suitable substrates for the population growth of O. surinamensis, an additional concern for in international trade.     

Yes I can cook a fish; effects of a five week sensory-based experiential theme course with fish on 11- to 13- year old children’s food literacy and fish eating behaviour – A quasi-experimental study

Danish early-phase adolescents only consume one-third of the officially recommended amount of fish. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of a five week sensory-based experiential theme course with fish on 11- to 13-year old early-phased adolescents’ food literacy and acceptance of fish. Study design was a quasi-experimental intervention. 32 Food Knowledge school classes were recruited from the eastern part of Denmark. Classes were assigned to intervention group (n = 185), control group 1 (n = 123), only baseline and follow-up survey, or control group 2 (n = 75): one oral lecture between baseline and follow-up survey. Mixed methods strategy was applied: baseline and follow-up survey, participant observation, telephone-, and group interviews. Before between study group analysis control groups were pooled. The following key effects of the intervention were observed: knowledge on fish and cooking increased within specific areas, skills related to fish and cooking increased, especially in girls. Furthermore, the social dimension and helping each other were important elements. In the intervention group no positive effects were observed for liking or assessment of fish disgust; however, theme course evaluation showed that 47% had become curious on tasting other kinds of fish and 38% stated a higher liking for fish after participation. Furthermore, teachers reported an increase in acceptance of fish in the children as a result of participating. In conclusion food literacy and fish acceptance were increased through participation in a five week sensory-based experiential theme course with fish.     

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.     

The prevalence of olfactory deficits and their effects on eating behavior from childhood to old age: A large-scale study in the French population

Olfaction is crucial for many aspects of daily life and its alteration is quite common. Here, we set up a large-scale investigation of olfactory deficits in a sample of French individuals in order to examine the prevalence of smell dysfunction and its effects on eating behavior across lifespan, by combining self-reports and psychophysical testing. In a sample of 3685 male and female individuals aged 4 to 89 years old, we showed that the overall prevalence of olfactory dysfunction as measured by psychophysical testing was 17% and varied with age and gender: from 10% in 4–12 year-old children to >30% after 60 years of age; overall, women were less often affected than men. When olfactory abilities were self-evaluated, the prevalence was 6%, suggesting that a large majority of participants were unaware of their olfactory disorder. The prevalence of qualitative smell disorders (parosmia and phantosmia) was much lower (1%). In terms of eating behavior, the effects were present but small: olfactory deficits impact eating behavior of people in different age groups differently. Taken together, these findings highlight the high prevalence of olfactory dysfunctions in the general population, not only in the elderly. They also emphasize the potential consequences of smell dysfunctions on eating behavior. The present results should attract health services’ attention since smell dysfunctions may have consequences on nutrition and health especially in the elderly.     

Crisis communication,anticipated food scarcity,and food preferences: Preregistered evidence of the insurance hypothesis

Whereas large-scale consumption of energy-dense foods contributes to climate change, we investigated whether exposure to climate change-induced food scarcity affects preferences toward these foods. Humans’ current psychological mechanisms have developed in their ancestral evolutionary past to respond to immediate threats and opportunities. Consequently, these mechanisms may not distinguish between cues to actual food scarcity and cues to food scarcity distant in time and space. Drawing on the insurance hypothesis, which postulates that humans should respond to environmental cues to food scarcity through increased energy consumption, we predicted that exposing participants to climate change-induced food scarcity content increases their preferences toward energy-dense foods, with this effect being particularly pronounced in women. Three experiments—including one preregistered laboratory study—confirm this notion. Our findings jointly demonstrate that receiving information about food shortages distant in time and space can influence current food preferences.     

When less is more – Effects of providing simple vs. refined action-knowledge interventions to promote climate-friendly food consumption in German consumers

A crucial challenge in global climate protection involves figuring out how to promote climate-friendly (CF) food consumption in high-income countries. Improving consumers’ ability to identify CF food is a promising way to reach this goal. Previous research has shown that providing action-knowledge is an intervention technique that can effectively improve the mentioned ability if relevant preconditions are considered. The present study (further) examined such preconditions and possible refinements of this intervention technique in a representative sample of German consumers (N = 510). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups (EG1 received simple guidelines for CF food consumption; EG2 received refined guidelines for CF food consumption) or a control group (CG) without any intervention. Altogether, the present study clearly demonstrates that simple guideline-provision is a promising and easy-to-use tool for interventions aimed at improving consumers’ ability to identify CF food in daily life.     

Cellulose nanoparticles synthesised from potato peel for the development of active packaging film for enhancement of shelf life of raw prawns (Penaeus monodon) during frozen storage

In this study, the cellulose nanoparticles (CNP) isolated from potato peel were used for reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based active packaging film. The above film was used to pack the raw prawns (Penaeus monodon) at −20 °C, and the colour change, protein content, TVB-N, TMA and microbial analysis were done at regular interval for prawns stored in CNP-PVA active packaging film. A significant difference was observed in the quality of prawns stored in potato CNP-PVA film compared with prawns packed and stored in polyethylene film. The newly designed active packaging with CNP and fennel seed oil enhanced the shelf life of prawns up to two months for both HOSO (head on shell on) prawn and PD (peeled and deveined) prawn. Hence, the study recommends the potato peel CNP-PVA film with fennel seed oil as better choice to extend the shelf life of the prawns during storage compared with polyethylene packaging.     

Patterns and stability of food preferences among a national representative sample of young,middle-aged,and elderly adults in China: A latent transition analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns and stability of, as well as the predictors for, Chinese adults’ food preferences. With the panel data set derived from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), latent class analysis (LCA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were employed to analyze the data of 8850 adults aged 18–40 years (young), 41–60 years (middle-aged) and 61 years above (elderly) over a 4-year period (year 2011 as baseline and year 2015 as follow-up). Latent class analysis revealed three types of food preferences: preference for fruits and vegetables, preference for a varied diet and low food preference. Gender, dietary knowledge, residence, education, and BMI were revealed as significant predictors of the class memberships. From baseline to follow-up, the most stable status in young adult group was preference for fruits and vegetables as it had a high transition probability 0.764 of remaining in the same class. While low food preference and preference for a varied diet statuses were unstable, they had transition probabilities of 0.590 and 0.554, respectively, moving to the preference for fruits and vegetables in year 2015. For middle-aged and elderly groups, the most stable and unstable statuses were preference for fruits and vegetables and preference for a varied diet, respectively. The unstable classes all had over 50% probability of moving to the preference for fruits and vegetables after four years. Potential explanations and implications are also discussed.