Comparison in Use of the 9-Point Hedonic Scale between Americans, Chinese, Koreans, and Thai

Understanding cross-cultural sensory acceptance differences are essential for developing successful products for international markets. The most common scale for acceptance testing is the 9-point hedonic scale that was developed in the United States (US) by Peryam and Pilgrim (1957)Food Technology, 11, 9–14. The objectives of this research were to compare the usage of the 9-point hedonic scale between American, Korean, Chinese and Thai consumers, as well as to examine if there were significant differences in preference between consumers of the same culture residing in the US and their country of origin. A total of 575 respondents were recruited from eight respondent cells including two from the US and six from three Asian ethnic groups (Korean, Chinese, and Thai) with two locations (residing in United States and their country of origin). All respondents evaluated sample pairs using 9-point hedonic scales translated directly from English into their respective languages. Each respondent evaluated various foods on the 9-point hedonic scale and chose the most preferred among sample pairs. Food samples were selected to cover the full range of hedonic ratings for each culture. Results indicate that Chinese, Korean, and Thai respondents use the 9-point hedonic scale differently from American respondents, irrespective of residency in the US or length of stay. These ethnic groups use a smaller range of the 9-point hedonic scale than Americans. Moreover, there were no significant differences in food preferences for Thai and Korea consumers residing in the US or their native countries. Observed differences in food preferences among Chinese residing in the US vs. Taiwan were possibly attributed to the diverse sampling of Chinese selected in the US that were not all representative of Chinese consumers from Taiwan. Additionally, length of stay in the US did not significantly affect food preference among these ethnic groups.     

Antimicrobial activity of cinnamon and clove oils under modified atmosphere conditions

Mixtures of cinnamon and clove oils were tested for inhibitory activity against important spoilage microorganism of intermediate moisture foods. Four fungal species (Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium roqueforti, Mucor plumbeus and Eurotium sp.), four yeasts species (Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia membranaefaciens, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Candida lipolytica), and two bacteria species (Staphylococcus aureus and Pediococcus halophilus) inoculated separately on agar plates were sealed in a barrier pouch and exposed to essential oil volatiles under a modified atmosphere of low O2 (<0.05-10%) and high CO2 (20% or 40%), with the balance being N2. A. flavus and Eurotium sp. proved to be the most resistant microorganisms. Cinnamon and clove oils added between 1000 and 4000 microL at a ratio of 1:1 were tested for minimum inhibitory volume (MIV) against molds and yeasts. The gas phase above 1000 microL of the oil mixture inhibited growth of C. lipolytica and P. membranaefaciens; 2000 microL inhibited growth of A. flavus, P. roqueforti, M. plumbeus, Eurotium sp., D. hansenii, and Z. rouxii, while inhibition of A. flavus required the addition of 4000 microL. Higher ratios of cinnamon oil/clove oil were more effective for inhibiting the growth of A. flavus.     

Isoflavone content in soy germ flours prepared from two drying methods

Isoflavone glucosides and aglucons in various soybean varieties (Chiang Mai‐60, S.J.‐5, Chiang Mai‐2, Srisumrong‐1, and Nakhonsawan‐1) harvested from dry vs. rainy seasons were quantified. Isoflavone contents of all soy germs ranged from 16.5 to 30.6 μmol g^?1. Regardless of varieties, isoflavone contents in germ of seeds from dry season were higher (P < 0.05) than those from rainy season. The Chiang Mai‐60 germ, having the highest isoflavone content (30.6 μmol g^?1), was selected for germ flour production. Freeze‐dried germ flour contained higher isoflavone aglucons (17.72 μmol g^?1 daidzein; 6.48 mg g^?1 glycitein; 4.28 μmol g^?1 genistein) than those (15.07; 5.59; 3.41) of drum‐dried germ flour. However, isoflavone glucoside contents in freeze‐dried germ flour (3.27 μmol g^?1 daidzin; 1.86 μmol g^?1 glycitin; 1.41 μmol g^?1 genistin) were lower than those (5.22; 3.15; 1.89) of drum‐dried germ flour. Total isoflavone contents of drum‐dried and freeze‐dried germ flours were comparable (34.32 vs. 35.02 μmol g^?1) but more than that (30.16 μmol g^?1) of unprocessed germ flour.     

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.