Search

Drying-off practices to reduce milk production before dry-off are gaining attention because high milk yields at dry-off are becoming more common and increase the risk to cow health and welfare during the dry period. Incomplete milking for the last days before dry-off is one approach for reducing milk production. We conducted an online survey to determine the currently used drying-off practices on Swiss dairy farms and to identify the adoption potential of integrating incomplete milking before dry-off. In March 2021, the online survey was sent to a representative sample of 1,974 Swiss dairy farmers. A total of 518 completed questionnaires were analyzed. The mean number of dairy cows per farm was 39 (range: 11–140 cows). Thirty-five percent of cows produced considerable quantities of milk (>15 kg/d) at dry-off, and milk yield at dry-off increased with increasing annual milk yield. Abrupt dry-off was applied on 45% of the farms. The participants reported observing behavioral changes of cows such as increased vocalizations and decreased lying time associated with dry-off. Selective dry cow therapy was applied on 74% of the farms, and 44% of the participants indicated the use of antibiotics at dry-off as being "rather often," "often," or "always." Correlation analysis revealed that with increasing annual milk yields, the frequency of observed behavioral changes and antibiotic use at dry-off increased as well. Therefore, drying-off approaches that reduce milk production while supporting cow welfare are needed. We found that farmers showed an interest in testing the presented drying-off approach of incomplete milking. In addition, the farmers indicated that they would be more willing to test incomplete milking before dry-off if it became available for automated use in milking parlors or robots. Uncertainties regarding udder health appeared to be the main barrier for the adoption potential of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, personal hygiene behaviours such as proper handwashing have gained significantly more attention and interpersonal contact is performed with great care. Disgust, as a disease-avoidance mechanism, can play an important role in the promotion of hygiene behaviour. We know from previous research that pathogen disgust can be a predictor of an individual's behaviour in the pandemic. Given that the pandemic greatly affects our food and eating behaviour, the current study aims to add to the existing evidence and to complement it by investigating the role of food-specific disgust in the pandemic. For that, we conducted an online survey in Germany in April 2020, while the pandemic was spreading in Europe. A total of 519 participants completed the survey and provided information about their COVID-19-related attitudes and behaviours and about their food disgust sensitivity. The results show that food disgust sensitivity is an important predictor for an individual's feelings, shopping behaviour, and disease-preventive behaviour related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the success of political measures to fight the pandemic critically depends on the population to support and follow the proposed measures, a better understanding of the factors driving individual behaviour is key. Implications for pandemic management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between people's food disgust sensitivity and their food hygiene behaviour. We asked 1066 participants in Switzerland to complete an online survey. They provided information on how often they performed certain hygiene behaviours, how likely they would be to eat different food items after they had passed their expiration dates, and, using a specific scenario, how they would decide whether milk was safe to drink after they forgot to put it in the refrigerator overnight. We found that food disgust sensitivity was a significant predictor of participants' edibility assessments and their reported frequencies of hygiene behaviour after controlling for age and sex. Our data suggested that food disgust was a strong predictor of food safety behaviour in the domestic kitchen. Learning more about people's behaviour is crucial for the successful design of interventions to improve hygiene behaviour and the prevention of foodborne diseases. • Food disgust sensitivity is a significant predictor of edibility assessments. • Disgust can be used for food safety interventions. • Food disgust sensitivity is a significant predictor of food safety behaviour. • With increasing disgust sensitivity, people choose less invasive assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We investigated the relationship between perceived bitterness, food disgust sensitivity, and sex. Participants completed the 8-item Food Disgust Scale and a 6- n -propylthiouracil (PROP) taster test and were categorised as PROP non-tasters, medium-tasters, or supertasters. An analysis of variance of between-subject factors sex and PROP taster status was conducted with disgust sensitivity as the dependent variable. We found a significant interaction of sex and PROP taster status on disgust sensitivity and an association between disgust sensitivity and PROP taster status in males but not in females. Our study provided new evidence on sex differences in food disgust and PROP taste sensitivity. Highlights • Chemosensory responsiveness and food disgust sensitivity are connected. • Regarding food disgust sensitivity, sex and PROP taster status interact. • New evidence on sex differences in food disgust sensitivity is provided. • New evidence on sex differences in PROP taste sensitivity is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tools that specifically measure food disgust sensitivity are scarce. This gap has been successfully filled with the recently developed eight-item version of the Food Disgust Scale (FDS short). In the present study, we tested the validity of this measure with three behavioural tasks that we designed. Participants ( N  = 108) filled in questionnaires before they tried three products as part of a behavioural task covered as tasting experiment. We presented these products with written scenarios, which aimed to induce disgust. For all three tasks, we found a significant correlation between the amount participants consumed and their FDS short score. In the first task, we presented participants with a meat product ( r  = −0.34, p  < .001); in the second task, it was a banana juice ( r s  = −0.26, p  < .01); and in the final task, we presented participants with an insect product ( r s  = −0.51, p  < .001). A regression analysis confirmed that participants’ FDS short score acted as a significant predictor for eating behaviour in the meat ( ß  = −0.26, p  < .05) and the chocolate task (odds ratio  =  0.51), however, it did not reach statistical significance in the juice task (odds ratio  =  0.66). In this paper, we present two important findings. First, we provide evidence for the influence of food disgust sensitivity on people’s eating behaviour as measured by the amount they consumed. Second, and more importantly, our data support the incremental validity of the FDS short as assessed through its correlation with three behavioural tasks and provide evidence for the suitability of self-report measures such as the FDS short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Our study is the first to validate the FDS short using olfactory stimuli. • The disgusting odours were significantly correlated with the FDS short. • Disgust reaction depends on the sensory channel used for the disgust stimulus. Individual disgust reactions can be elicited through different types of sensory stimuli. Most well-known scales measuring disgust are text-based, thus more cognitive stimuli. This study aimed to validate the food disgust scale using olfactory stimuli related to food. For this, 150 participants were invited to our lab to rate different odours for the level of disgust evoked. Exploratory factor analysis (principal axis factoring) revealed two factors. The seven more disgusting items loaded on a first factor, whereas the two less disgusting items loaded on a second factor. The seven items loading on Factor 1 had acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.73, McDonald's Ω = 0.72). Further, Factor Score 1 was significantly correlated with the FDS short, a food disgust sensitivity questionnaire (r = 0.40, p <.001). We conclude that food disgust sensitivity can help predict individuals' odour perception and our data support the incremental validity of the FDS short. Our study is the first to validate the FDS short using olfactory stimuli. Finally, our study indicates that there is significant potential for the creation of a food disgust odour scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Remote work was connected to both healthy and unhealthy changes. • Prepared foods (fresh and frozen) recorded the greatest losses. • Homemade bread recorded the greatest increase. • The pandemic appears to foster inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our everyday lives. To investigate these behaviour changes, an online survey was conducted with 1′028 individuals (51% female) in Switzerland between June and July 2020. The questions referred in particular to the lockdown in spring 2020. We put specific focus on the pandemic's impact on health-related behaviour, which includes food choice, physical activity and body weight management. For instance, participants reported whether and how their consumption of different foods changed during the lockdown. As a measure of healthy food choice, we chose consumption of vegetables and salad and in contrast, sweet snacks and alcohol consumption was used as a measure for unhealthy food choice. For physical activity and body weight, participants indicated whether it decreased, increased or did not change during the lockdown as compared before. In a next step, we investigated the influence of various predictors on health-related behaviour using multinomial logistic regression models. We find that the possibility to work remotely led to healthier food choices, that is, a reported increase in vegetable consumption and decrease in sweet snack consumption, but also to more unhealthy food choices and lifestyles, that is, a reported increase in alcohol consumption as well as an increase in sweet snack consumption. For weight change, the data indicated that individuals who worked remotely were more likely to gain or lose weight than individuals working from the office. Our findings demonstrate how individuals are affected differently by the pandemic and how complex the whole picture is. Further, these results are crucial in developing health recommendations for possible future lockdowns or health crises in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Product colour in virtual reality impacts flavour identification in real life. • Seeing chocolate cake but eating lemon cake, 30% indicated tasting chocolate. • Product-atypical colours impeded flavour identification. The use of virtual reality (VR) in sensory science studies can offer new possibilities for experimental design. For instance, VR allows for the modification of visual product properties without changing the product composition. In a set of two augmented virtuality studies, we investigated whether the results we obtained in real-life (RL) settings were comparable to the results we obtained in a VR environment. In Study 1, we transferred an existing sensory science experiment to a VR setting. We invited 100 participants to taste two juices and a piece of cake. In the VR environment, participants saw the product either in its original colour or in a modified, product-atypical colour. After the product tasting, we asked them to identify the most dominant flavour. Participants had more difficulties identifying the flavour when the product was shown in a modified colour than when it was shown in its original colour. In Study 2, we added an RL control condition to facilitate a direct comparison between the two conditions and to verify our findings from Study 1. A chi-square test for association revealed no significant differences between the RL and VR conditions. We conclude that sensory studies can be successfully transferred to VR and obtain a generally similar pattern of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction For nutrition and behaviour experiments, researchers often desire to change visual properties of food items. However, such changes can lead to unwanted side-effects in textural or sensory properties. With VR technology, research in food science and nutrition can draw from a novel range of possibilities that allow specific changes in visual features without altering other properties. Method Study 1 (99 participants): While wearing VR glasses, participants received two banana juices. In the virtual environment, one was coloured yellow (its real appearance) and one was brownish (indicating aging). All participants viewed both juices, either one or the other first, and the juice they tasted was the same in both cases. Study 2 (100 participants): Participants were divided into a disgust and control condition. Wearing VR glasses, those in the control condition saw chocolate appear on the table and were asked to try it. Those in the disgust condition saw a dog excrete the chocolate as feces before being asked to try it. Study 3 (50 participants): In the virtual environment, participants saw a disgusting buffet containing carrots, pasta, and meat. They were then asked to serve themselves a plate for lunch. Study 4 (100 participants): Building on previous sensory studies, participants saw in the virtual environment two juices and a cake, either in the correct or wrong colour. They were asked to try the product, identify the dominant flavour, and rate it for liking and sweetness. Results and Discussion Study 1: With increasing presence, participants tended to give higher disgust scores to the brown juice (r =.24, p < 0.05). Study 2: Four percent of participants refused consumption in the neutral condition compared to 26% in the disgust condition. With χ2(1) = 9.49, p > 0.01, the chi-square test revealed a significant association between the experimental condition and participants' willingness to eat the chocolate. Study 3: The total quantity of food that participants scooped onto their plates was significantly correlated with their presence (r = -0.37, p < 0.01) and their state disgust (r = -0.35, p < 0.05). Study 4: We were able to replicate previous findings. In summary, our studies assessed a new technology for usability in food research. Our results provided evidence that VR is a promising tool in the study of nutrition and behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Disgust can be elicited in a virtual environment. • Virtual disgust stimuli influence participants' behaviour. • Virtual reality can be used to introduce disgust elicitors. • Virtual reality is a powerful and promising tool for use in disgust research. This study was the first to use virtual reality for disgust research and pursued two aims. First, we explored whether it was possible to induce disgust in a virtual environment. Second, we examined the relationship between food disgust sensitivity, presence (a psychological state of "being there"), and participants' willingness to eat a food item after exposure to a virtual disgust cue. We asked 100 participants to eat chocolate and complete a tasting experiment within a virtual environment while wearing a head-mounted HTC Vive device. The control group (n = 50) saw a piece of chocolate appear in the virtual environment on a table in front of them before being asked to take and eat it. The disgust group (n = 50) saw a dog that walked across the table and stopped halfway to produce dog faeces that looked like a piece of chocolate. Subsequently, participants were asked to eat a real piece of chocolate. In both groups, participants were given the opportunity to refuse consumption. Participants in the experimental condition were more likely to refuse consumption than those in the control condition. Furthermore, in the experimental condition, we found that physical presence mediated the relationship between participants' food disgust sensitivity and willingness to eat the chocolate. Our data suggested that virtual reality is a valid way to evoke disgust for the purposes of research and that people who are disgust sensitive have more difficulty ignoring virtual disgust cues than people who are less disgust sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The FDPS was compared cross-nationally between Switzerland and China. • The FDPS is a valid tool to be used in Chinese samples. • Correlations between the FDPS and the FNS were similar in Switzerland and China. The Food Disgust Picture Scale (FDPS) is a newly developed picture tool that can be used to conduct cross-cultural assessments of food disgust sensitivity. It consists of eight food-related pictures, which participants rate according to the level of disgust they evoke. Due to the undeniable influence of culture on what individuals consider as disgusting, the FDPS's validity across different food cultures is an interesting topic for research. The aim of the present study was to conduct a cross-national comparison of the FDPS in Switzerland and China. In total, 576 participants were recruited in China and 538 were recruited in Switzerland. The usability and construct validity of the FDPS were compared between the two countries using confirmatory factor analyses. In the current study we present two main findings. First, dropping one of the meat-related items and thereby reducing the eight-item FDPS to seven items improved the model fit in the Chinese (CFI = 0.98) and Swiss (CFI = 0.98) samples. Furthermore, it showed that the scale is a valid tool for the assessment of food disgust sensitivity in China. Second, using nested model comparisons, the present study has provided support for the model's invariance across the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present representative survey data from 1,542 Swiss citizens. Data were collected across the three largest Swiss language regions (German, French and Italian) in autumn 2022. In the main part of the survey, we collected qualitative and quantitative data on their perception of agricultural policy goals and potential trade-offs. For this, participants were first asked to name the three most important agricultural policy goals. Next, they rated eight pre-defined agricultural policy goals for importance and how much budget they would allocate to the pursuit of each goal if they were to decide about the governmental budget or subsidies. For the goal conflicts, the eight goals were combined into 16 conflicting pairs, where participants were to decide which of the conflicting goals they preferred. Further, we collected information regarding who citizens considered as responsible for achieving agricultural policy goals. The survey was also used to collect personal information about the participating citizens including information such as gender, age, education level, place of residence or whether participant had (previous) work experience in agriculture and how they placed themselves regarding their political orientation on a left-right scale. We further collected behavioural data including diet, that is, meat consumption frequency and shopping behaviour, where we asked participants what attributes were important for them when buying food. At the end of the survey, we used existing and new scales to measure participants' perception of farmers, meat commitment and their perception regarding animal welfare and environmental protection using the Ecological Welfare Scale. For this study, ethical approval was obtained from ETH Zurich ethical commission (application EK-2022-N-174)., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This article describes the data from an online survey conducted at a farm management course in Switzerland. The survey was conducted in German and French between April and May 2021. It was emailed to teachers and students at agricultural education centres across Switzerland that offer a farm management program. In the first part, the survey investigated whether digital technologies were taught in agricultural training, and, more specifically, in basic training or in the farm management course. Next, it investigated teachers' and students' general perceptions of digital technologies in plant production and animal husbandry. The survey further included questions about information sources individuals use to learn more about digital technologies in agriculture. In a subsequent part, students who already owned or co-owned a farm were asked whether they use a farm management information system and were planning to use more digital technologies in the future. For this, we used three items investigating perceived ease of use, which were derived from a previous study and four items using a trans-theoretical model of adoption. Finally, all participants provided basic sociodemographic data and answered items related to environmental concern, based on an existing scale. The survey can be used and adapted to different contents, aiming to investigate perception and adoption of farm management information systems and study the course content, how individuals acquire knowledge or how they perceive digital technologies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)