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Hotel toiletries are complementary items found in hotels around the globe. Though this is true, toiletries are not an area of emphasis in hotel research. The hotel toiletry category encompasses an assorted set of products such as shampoo, lotions, soap, makeup wipes, and considerably more. While some interesting research is available, much of the hotel industry research is conducted using more informal methods with little regard for consumer expectations and perceptions. The hotel industry could benefit from a consumer‐targeted approach to hotel toiletry research. The field of sensory and consumer science has a multitude of avenues for evaluating consumer opinions and perceptions, and even describing and optimizing hotel toiletry products. This review outlines current sensory and consumer methods used by the hotel industry to analyze hotel toiletries and other aspects of the industry, as well as highlights future research opportunities. Practical Application: This review summarizes the available published research on the hotel industry that uses sensory and consumer science to analyze hotel toiletries. This review aims to cover and present how the hotel industry can utilize sensory evaluation methods to evaluate hotel toiletries and identify gaps as well as future research using these approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hotel toiletries are standard complementary items found in hotel bathrooms. These commodities are important to consumers, yet minimum research has been conducted on consumers' perception of these hotel toiletries, nor the variables that can influence their preferences. Four focus group sessions were conducted with frequent hotel guests. These groups were separated based on the type of hotel toiletry (shampoo or lotion) and the category of hotel the consumers most regularly visited (i.e., luxury or economy). By the end of all four sessions, a list of 34 attributes for hotel shampoos and 29 attributes for hotel lotions was generated. Perceived differences were discovered such as economy guests testing the products before use, while luxury hotel guests had a "trust" factor in which testing was unnecessary. Additionally, relaxing "spa" like scents for shampoos and thick textures for lotions were important features. Follow‐up research has been published to validate the information quantitatively. Practical Applications: Articles publicly accessible on hotel toiletries are narrow. The investigation provides the groundwork for additional research to be conducted on the hotel toiletry category. The research resulted in various attributes to describe hotel shampoos and lotions, and how economy and luxury hotel guests use hotel toiletries. From the study, hotel owners and managers can explore the various opinions and perceptions of luxury and economy hotel guests regarding hotel shampoos and lotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various features of hotel toiletries can influence a consumer's decision to use them during their stay. Hotel toiletries have rarely been evaluated by exploring consumers' perception of the features themselves. Two surveys were conducted with frequent hotel guests in which they were asked to choose their most and least important hotel toiletry (i.e., shampoo or lotion) feature. The surveys were separated by the type of hotel toiletry they used most often during their hotel stay (i.e., shampoo or lotion). A list of attributes for hotel shampoos and lotions were used to determine the most and least important features. Key take‐aways included that the "ideal" hotel lotion should be nongreasy, moisturizing, and lightly scented. Hotel shampoos should be moisturizing, should lather, and have a relaxing, spa‐like scent. These findings provide important consumer perceptions of hotel toiletries, which can be used to create the "ideal" hotel shampoo and lotion. Practical applications: The published articles on hotel toiletries are limited. The research provides the foundation for further research to be conducted on the hotel toiletry category. From the research, features of hotel shampoos and lotions are determined to help the hotel industry gain a better understanding on the features of hotel toiletries they should provide to maximize hotel guest's satisfaction. The research determined that, there are a handful of attributes that are highly recommended to be present in a hotel shampoo or lotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective and behavior‐based research on men's personal care products has not been abundant in published research. As the market for men's personal care products grows, specifically the skin care category, more research is required to better understand this consumer group. Eighteen in‐depth interviews with male consumers ages 18–49 were conducted with light and heavy users in two markets, Olathe, KS and Los Angeles, CA, to understand baseline information on men's perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes related to skin care. Key take‐aways included that men generally appreciate easy, fast skin care routines, use affordable and readily available products, and desire to maintain the look and/or health of their skin. Though some skin care claims can be appealing, many of the men were somewhat skeptical of typical marketing strategies. These findings help to show how brands are succeeding and failing at meeting male consumer expectations of skin care products and demonstrate the need for more exploration into this demographic. Practical Applications: The available, published resources on men's skin care, and personal care as a whole, are few and far between. This work provides a qualitative example of personal care research in the men's skin care space. By presenting this primary research on how men talk about and interact with skin care products, sensory scientists will have a baseline understanding of the category before diving into more specific research questions. The manuscript provides a foundation on which future sensory and consumer research can build. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee has a complex volatile compound profile, which can be influenced by technical processes like roasting and brewing. The changes in the volatile compound profile can affect the perceived aromas. Headspace‐solid‐phase microextraction technique (HS–SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) were used to achieve the objectives of this study: (1) to develop gas chromatography–olfactometry vocabulary for coffee brews, and (2) to analyze aroma active compound perception in differently roasted and brewed coffee. The GC–O vocabulary included 23 different aromas and 30 aroma‐active compounds. The main aroma attributes in all samples were sweet, musty, leather, skunky, burnt, and nutty. Aroma active compounds in medium roasted coffee presented floral, sweet notes, while light coffee had more nutty and roasted aroma attributes. The data from GC–MS–O suggested that roasting degree and brewing technique can influence the aroma perception of aroma active compounds. Dark roasted coffees had the least varied aroma attributes but had a higher concentration of aroma contributing compounds like 2,2′‐methylenebis‐furan (musty) and 4‐ethyl‐2‐methoxyphenol (smokey). The results also revealed that overall volatile compound composition could change the aroma perception of some coffee brew volatiles. Practical Applications: The development of olfactory vocabulary and aroma active compound perception analysis can be useful for further coffee aroma analysis, characterizing volatile compound aroma changes depending on roasting and brewing technique. For the coffee industry, the olfactory vocabulary could bring an additional understanding of aroma active compound perception in differently roasted and brewed coffees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the next 10 years, a generational group known as the Baby Boomers will become America's senior citizens and account for 22% of the country's population. Aging challenges such as sensory impairment may cause older adults to develop eating habits that may not align with developing medical conditions. This review addresses prevalence and severity of impairment for the five senses and the role of texture as human's age, such as the decline of olfactory acuity and the increase in basic taste thresholds. Despite the heterogenous impact of sensory impairment on older adults, it is not associated with reduced food liking. The food industry can implement strategies to help older adults overcome age‐related sensory decline to make food choices that promote healthy aging. Food products should be evaluated holistically, from packaging to last bite, to better guide and encourage food purchase, consumption, and liking toward healthy aging among older adults. Practical Applications: Understanding the implications of age on the accuracy of senses helps the industry develop better strategies to encourage healthy food purchases and consumption toward healthy aging. Product development strategies should address both intrinsic and extrinsic attributes to overcome sensory impairment and to promote healthy nutrition and aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the inclusion of different protein binders and sorghum crisps in cereal bars for dogs and their effect on sensory properties, product texture, and dog preference. Fifteen cereal bars were developed in which three crisp sources (rice crisp, white and red sorghum crisp) and five sources of binders (corn syrup, spray dried plasma, gelatin, albumin, and egg product) were evaluated. An interaction effect between binder and crisp sources was found for textural properties (p <.05). A total of 103 volatile compounds were identified and semi‐quantified in the cereal bar samples, with aldehydes being the most represented. Unlike crisp source, protein binders played a major role on sensory properties and impacted the dog's preference. This study suggests that sorghum crisps and protein binders may be used in cereal bars for dogs; however, considerations regarding sensory attributes and dog's preference should be taken to maximize product acceptance. Practical applications This is the first study to report information regarding the use of novel ingredients in a cereal bar application for dogs. The findings observed wherein provide a comprehensive understanding about product development and the impact of ingredients on final product quality, sensory properties, and animal preference. The methodologies and outcomes of our work can be directly translated to the pet food industry to aid in the development of dog treats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a continuous need to explore how consumers engage with healthy and sustainable eating behaviors. "Guilt" is a complicated belief that impacts consumers' eating behavior. Consumer‐based characteristics of food that might aid in identifying the perceptions of "guilt‐free," "less guilt," or "guilt" were investigated using focus groups. A sorting task was applied to identify product‐grouping patterns by consumers based on different levels of guilt perceptions they had with 18 food and beverage products. Four categories of 45 factors were identified that could elicit guilt perceptions, including (a) intrinsic and (b) extrinsic product characteristics, (c) situational factors, and (d) social‐cultural factors, indicating the complexity and multidimensionality of the "guilt" concept. Moreover, guilt perceptions were found to have a potential impact on leading consumers to seek healthier and sustainable food solutions by positively impacting their food choice, eating and drinking behavior. Practical applications: This study showed the importance of understanding the role of guilt in eating behavior, and how guilt is related to product, situational, and social‐cultural factors. The findings set up the theoretical foundation for next step, building up new scales to measure quantitatively food‐related guilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions affect the choices and behaviors of consumers toward products. However, there have been limited studies discussing the emotions of pet owners and pets (as perceived by their owners). The objectives of this study were to generate emotions terminology from both pets and pet owners and to investigate body language and signs perceived by pet owners related to pet emotion. Two focus groups were conducted for dog owners and two for cat owners. The participants were asked to provide activities that they share with their pets. Next, the participants voted on two positive and two negative activities to serve as situational backgrounds for providing how they and their pets feel when sharing specific activities. Lists of 39 and 53 emotion terms were generated for dogs and cats, respectively. In addition, lists of 33 and 60 emotion terms were created for dog owners and cat owners, respectively. Examples of emotion terms for dogs included excited, happy, anxious, and embarrassed, and calm, happy, angry, and fearful for cats. Overall, this study provided a general view of emotions experienced by pet owners and their pets, which may be helpful for the pet food industry and related areas to understand the pet food consumers further. Practical applications: The results from this study provide understanding on the range of emotions perceived by both pets and their owners. This information is needed to understand the human‐animal relationship and to improve services in pet care, health care, animal wellness, and human wellness areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: The objective of this study was to develop an aroma attributes lexicon for retorted cat foods. Total of 40 retorted cat foods were subjected to descriptive sensory analysis using a highly trained descriptive panel. The cat foods chosen varied in processing, ingredients, and packaging. The attributes were determined, defined, and referenced. In general retorted packaged cat foods can be described as meaty, brothy, and cooked, sometimes with processed, vitamin and barnyard aromatics, and depending on the formulation, with beefy, poultry, seafood, liver, and heated oil aromatics. Additional attributes detected included musty/dusty, earthy, grainy, brothy‐vegetable, pungent, vegetable, herb, hay‐like, sulfur, yeast, and butyric. Multivariate analysis revealed product development opportunities on the product maps. This research may help pet food industry better understand the retorted cat food sensory properties, market, and its opportunities. Practical applications: The pet food industry is continuously growing and is serving more than 150 million pets in the United States. It is important to understand which sensory characteristics are important in these products and what kind of product development opportunities exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the sensory characteristics and consumer acceptance of gelato made with six black walnut cultivars: Davidson, Emma K, Football, Pounds, Sparks 127, and Vandersloot. The descriptive sensory panel found that black walnut ID, overall nutty and sour ( P ≤ 0.05) attributes were different among gelato samples. The gelato samples were evaluated by 103 consumers for overall liking. Three clusters of consumers were found: one cluster of consumers ( n = 29) liked milder black walnut flavour, while another ( n = 20) liked more intense black walnut and overall nutty flavour. The third cluster of consumers ( n = 54) liked all of the gelato samples. Consumer variation seeking tendency information was also collected. No significant differences in overall liking between the different types of variety seeking consumers. Gelati made with Pounds and Sparks 127 cultivars were accepted by all consumers indicating that these may be good cultivars to include in novel consumer products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the physiological activation and genetic variation of the sweet taste receptor (T1R) can improve formula optimisation for products intended for a population of genetically diverse people. Computer modelling and cell culture techniques have thoroughly described the structure and binding sites of the T1R. The structure contains two subunits (T1R2 and T1R3) with multiple domains where sweet molecules can interact. The interaction takes place between individual molecules and amino acid residues of the T1R. The residues with which individual molecules interact differ between sweeteners. Person-to-person differences in the residue sequence of the T1R can arise from variation in the genes that encode the T1R, potentially effecting the function of the receptor. As a result of the specificity of the binding interactions, a specific genetic variation may affect sensitivity to some sweeteners, while sensitivity to other sweeteners remains normal. Therefore, it can be hypothesised that the level of person-to-person sweetness sensitivity variation may differ for each sweetener depending on the binding site of the molecule and site of T1R variation. The T1R structure, binding sites and genetic variation will be reviewed, as well as potential parameters to predict the degree of sensitivity variation and formulation strategies to minimise the effects of sensitivity variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine the effect of technological treatment on pomegranate juice flavor characteristics, aromatic compounds and physicochemical properties. Fresh, fresh frozen, pasteurized and reconstituted juice samples were made from Wonderful variety pomegranates. The samples were analyzed for their flavor profiles, aromatic compound content and physicochemical parameters (total soluble solids, pH, acidity and total phenolic content). RESULTS The results indicated differences among the samples' flavor characteristics. The most differentiated was the reconstituted sample with fermented and brown flavors, while fresh, fresh frozen, and pasteurized samples did not vary as much. Concentration of aromatic compounds was lower than expected. However, this finding was in line with the flavor profiles of the samples. Some flavors as well as total phenolic content were found to be lower than what has been previously reported, and this may be the result of a number of variables such as the season, growing region and subspecies of the fruit variety. CONCLUSIONS Processing has an effect on pomegranate juice properties; however, the effect is different depending on the processing method chosen. Drying and reconstituting pomegranate seeds have an impact on flavor and aromatic compounds, as well as total phenolic content. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pet food palatability depends first and foremost on the pet and is related to the pet food sensory properties such as aroma, texture and flavor. Sensory analysis of pet foods may be conducted by humans via descriptive or hedonic analysis, pets via acceptance or preference tests, and through a number of instrumental analysis methods. Sensory analysis of pet foods provides additional information on reasons behind palatable and unpalatable foods as pets lack linguistic capabilities. Furthermore, sensory analysis may be combined with other types of information such as personality and environment factors to increase understanding of acceptable pet foods. Most pet food flavor research is proprietary and, thus, there are a limited number of publications available. Funding opportunities for pet food studies would increase research and publications and this would help raise public awareness of pet food related issues. This mini-review addresses current pet food sensory analysis literature and discusses future challenges and possibilities. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rye bread constitutes a major part of the Northern European cuisine and is known for its flavor versatility. Due to the large flavor difference between rye bread from Northern Europe and the United States, this study was designed to develop and evaluate a lexicon which acts as a tool for understanding the flavor profile of rye bread consumed in the United States and Northern Europe. A highly trained panel developed, defined, and referenced a lexicon with 28 flavor attributes using a consensus descriptive analysis method with 32 Northern European and U.S rye bread. The lexicon was tested with 18 representative samples. The data were analyzed using correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis. The results confirmed the high versatility in flavor among rye breads and revealed clear differences between Northern European rye breads and the U.S rye breads. Northen European rye bread flavor was spread over a wider flavor range than the U.S. products, and scored higher in sweet, overall grain, bran, and rye than U.S. rye breads. Practical applications: The development of this lexicon for rye bread can help researchers to better understand the flavor profile of rye bread and support manufacturers in differentiating their products from competitors as well as improving existing products on the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]