Sandwiches and milk with varying fat and sodium contents: What is the best combination?

Saltiness and fattiness were systematically varied in combinations of wheat bread (unsalted vs regular-salt), spread (none vs regular-salt and regular-fat), cheese (low-salt and low-fat vs low-fat). All possible combinations, amounting to sixteen samples of sandwich and milk, were presented to 43 subjects for ratings of pleasantness. The subjects also rated the pleasantness of individual components. The unsalted bread without spread but with low-salt, low-fat cheese and any of the milk types received the lowest hedonic ratings, whereas the regular-salt bread with spread and with any of the cheese and milk options received the highest. The pleasantness of individual components predicted the pleasantness of a combination by only 10–40% (multiple regression analysis). Thus the pleasantness of an entity depended on the pleasantness of components only to a very limited extent. The absence of major elements, such as spread on bread or the salty taste in bread, had major effects on acceptance.     

Perception of chemosensory stimuli and related responses to flavored yogurts in the young and elderly

This study examined the effects of chemosensory performance of two age groups on ratings of the just-right intensity of odor, flavor and coolness. Two experiments were conducted: (1) creation of a sensory profile by a trained panel and (2) hedonic testing of the yogurt samples by young (n=47, 20–35 years) and elderly (n=45, 65–82 years) subjects, who also participated in tests measuring their chemosensory performance. Eight yogurt samples (2×2×2 factorial design) were flavored with 6 or 10% sucrose, 0.2 or 0.8% lemon aroma and 0.004 or 0.012% menthol. Young subjects outperformed elderly in the olfactory, gustatory and trigeminal perception tests. Their performance in the chemosensory tests affected hedonic ratings of yogurts, especially in the case of the elderly. Among the elderly, just-right flavor was affected by the performance in olfactory, gustatory (sweet, sour) and trigeminal (menthol) tests. Just-right coolness was affected by olfactory perception and by identification of sweet taste. Pleasantness was affected by olfactory and menthol perception. Thus, stimulus-specific losses in chemosensory acuity of the elderly may lead to distorted perception of foods.     

Identity and overall acceptance of two types of sour rye bread

Response surface methodology was employed to study the influence of four recipe variables (wheat: rye flour ratio, bread acidity, ash content of rye flour and sodium chloride content) on the identity and overall acceptance of two rye bread types (soft and crisp rye bread). The subjects ( n = 79) rated attribute intensities, the extent to which the salient sensory properties and the overall sample corresponded to their expectations of rye bread, and the overall acceptance (pleasantness and purchase intentions). The acidity and ash content contributed the most to the extent to which a sample met subjects' expectations. The NaCl content was not critical. Consumer acceptance was affected by ash content, and by the interactions, NaCl content × acidity and wheat:rye ratio × ash content. The non-significance of NaCl content should encourage the baking industry to put low-salt rye products on the market.     

Sensory Attributes and Preference Mapping of Muesli Oat Flakes

ABSTRACT: A trained sensory panel rated 8 muesli oat flakes—6 experimental (with 3 thickness levels and 2 heat treatments) and 2 commercial (regular and organic)—as such or with milk for attribute intensities; and 3 consumer groups–young adults, 18 to 25 y; adults, 35 to 49; elderly, 58 to 85—rated the same oat flakes for preference. To appeal to the majority of the consumers, the flakes should not adhere to teeth and should not need too much mastication. In addition, large enough milk absorption is preferred. The elderly preferred an easy eating experience more than the younger consumers. Thus, it is important to recognize that different types of muesli appeal to different consumer segments.     

Consumer responses to an off-flavor in juice in the presence of specific health claims

Adult US subjects (n=78) tasted and rated three juice samples containing 0, 0.3, and 0.6% KCl blind and informed. Three subgroups were informed that the juices contained functional ingredients to improve either (1) physical endurance and energy (2) mental alertness and memory, or (3) mood and emotional well-being. A control group received no information. Degree of liking and likelihood of consuming the juice once, twice or four times a day, for a total of four or 16 times, were rated. Adulteration with KCl decreased all ratings of liking, while information about health benefits increased ratings of liking in subgroups 1 and 2. Likelihood of consumption decreased with increasing KCl, with the increasing number of times per day, and with total dose regimen. The data suggest that the consumption of a functional food will be inversely related to the severity of off-flavor and to the required frequency and duration of consumption. No support was found for the notion that a slight off-flavor is a positive marker of health benefits to consumers.     

Old Product in a New Context: Importance of the Type of Dish for the Acceptance of Grünkern, a Spelt-Based Traditional Cereal

Sensory properties and consumer acceptance of an unfamiliar cereal, Grünkern — Spelt that has been harvested while the grain is still green, and dried with smoke — were examined. A laboratory panel ratedGrünkern the most similar with boiled wheat and the least similar with white rice. Consumer acceptance was tested young (mean age 25 y) Finnish subjects (n=41). The samples were presented as cooked grains (‘starches’) and as a soup (Grünkern Suppe), and they were compared with similar foods that were familiar to the subjects (dark rice and leek-potato soup, respectively). The subjects rated the pleasantness of appearance, texture and flavour of the samples. Half of the subjects were given information about the samples before evaluation while the others rated the samples uninformed. The subjects' degree of food neophobia (FNS) was determined. Overall, information and FNS did not affect the ratings of pleasantness of starches while both variables affected ratings of both soups, either by increasing them (information) or by decreasing pleasantness ratings of texture and flavour (neophobia). Furthermore, neophilic subjects considered the texture and flavour of unfamiliar soups more pleasant than neophobic subjects. The data suggest that the form in which a new product is served has a major impact on responses to an unfamiliar food.     

Authentication of berries and berry-based food products

Berries represent one of the most important and high-valued group of modern-day health-beneficial “superfoods” whose dietary consumption has been recognized to be beneficial for human health for a long time. In addition to being delicious, berries are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and several bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and hydrolysable tannins. However, due to their high value, berries and berry-based products are often subject to fraudulent adulteration, commonly for economical gain, but also unintentionally due to misidentification of species. Deliberate adulteration often comprises the substitution of high-value berries with lower value counterparts and mislabeling of product contents. As adulteration is deceptive toward customers and presents a risk for public health, food authentication through different methods is applied as a countermeasure. Although many authentication methods have been developed in terms of fast, sensitive, reliable, and low-cost analysis and have been applied in the authentication of a myriad of food products and species, their application on berries and berry-based products is still limited. The present review provides an overview of the development and application of analytical chemistry methods, such as isotope ratio analysis, liquid and gas chromatography, spectroscopy, as well as DNA-based methods and electronic sensors, for the authentication of berries and berry-based food products. We provide an overview of the earlier use and recent advances of these methods, as well as discuss the advances and drawbacks related to their application.     

Glass transition and water plasticization effects on crispness of a snack food extrudate

Abstract

A crispy snack model, composed of maltodextrin, wheat flour, salt, and water, with a clearly measurable glass transition was designed and produced by extrusion. The material was used to investigate effects of glass transition and water plasticization on mechanical properties and sensory crispness. Water sorption and the glass transition temperature range were determined gravimetrically and using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for samples stored at 0 to 85% relative humidity (RH), respectively. Mechanical properties were determined for extradates rehumidified at 0 to 76% RH. Three sensory panels evaluated crispness intensities of extrudates rehumidified at 33 to 76% RH by either breaking samples with fingers (Finger Task), biting using the incisor teeth (Bite Task), or biting and chewing (Bite‐and‐Chew Task). The extrudate was plasticized by water, as observed from a typical decrease of Tg with increasing water content. Changes in mechanical properties and loss of crispness occurred at an intermediate water activity level coinciding with the extent of plasticization depressing the Tg to below ambient temperature. The changes in mechanical properties and sensory crispness intensities with increasing water activity had sigmoid shapes following the Fermi's model. Loss of crispness as a result of water plasticization is likely to apply to a number of low‐moisture food materials, although various mechanical and sensory properties do not necessarily change in unison as the materials undergo a glass transition.     

A new approach to Kanerva's sparse distributed memory.

The sparse distributed memory (SDM) was originally developed to tackle the problem of storing large binary data patterns. The model succeeded well in storing random input data. However, its efficiency, particularly in handling nonrandom data, was poor. In its original form it is a static and inflexible system. Most of the recent work on the SDM has concentrated on improving the efficiency of a modified form of the SDM which treats the memory as a single-layer neural network. This paper introduces an alternative SDM, the SDM signal model which retains the essential characteristics of the original SDM, while providing the memory with a greater scope for plasticity and self-evolution. By removing many of the problematic features of the original SDM the new model is not as dependent upon a priori input values. This gives it an increased robustness to learn either random or correlated input patterns. The improvements in this new SDM signal model should be also of benefit to modified SDM neural network models.