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Summary: Meat reduction, rather than total elimination, is emerging as a popular trend that fulfils most consumer demands. In this study, using survey results from 802 United Kingdom residents, we identified distinct groups of consumers based on their meat consumption habits and explored their attitudes towards meat reduction and their perception of hybrid meat products. Two distinct consumer segments were identified, named 'fans' and 'reducers'. 'Fans' were unwilling to reduce their meat consumption, considering it a right that makes them feel good. They were more optimistic regarding environmental concerns and less enthusiastic about the idea of hybrid meat products. On the other hand, 'reducers', although they consumed meat, expressed feeling bad about it and reported high levels of environmental concerns. These differences were also reflected in their willingness to eat and buy hybrid meat products, as well as the desired type of meat and meat‐to‐plant‐based ratio in their chosen hybrid meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Meatless ham alternatives were associated with a "artificial" and "unappealing" appearance. • Dominance of sweetness in meatless ham comparable to "saltiness" in conventional counterparts. • Nitrite-free cooked ham had a similar sensory profile to its conventional counterparts. • TDS, PN and UFP proved as useful tools for innovative meat products characterisation. • Differences between whole muscle and formed samples were prominent. The cooked ham market is expanding with nitrite-free and meatless alternatives gaining traction as leading trends. An understanding of the attributes that influence the sensory quality of cooked ham is crucial for developing healthier and environmentally sustainable products. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how the removal of nitrites and the use of meatless ingredients affect the sensory characteristics of cooked ham currently available in the Irish market. Sensory evaluation of selected cooked hams (n = 8), including alternatives without nitrites or based on mycoprotein (meatless), was conducted using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) for in mouth processing and Partial Napping (PN) with Ultra-Flash Profiling (UFP) for the appearance, by a trained sensory panel (n = 9). The nitrite-free cooked ham displayed a similar temporal sensory profile and appearance to the products of the same category, highlighting the opportunity for more nitrite-free products to enter the market. The meatless product was dominated by a "smoky" flavour, which was perceived as "artificial". Meatless ham had a more distinct appearance than the meat-based products and was associated with attributes such as "fake", "artificial colour" and "unappealing". In general, results revealed distinct differences between whole-muscle and sectioned and formed cooked ham products in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance. PN and UFP grouped whole-muscle cooked hams together, which were associated with terms "natural-looking", "better quality" and "healthier", while sectioned and formed cooked hams were perceived as "cheap" and "artificial". The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the sensory attributes of cooked ham products emphasising the challenges related to novel formulations, and offers valuable insights for the development of healthier and more sustainable meat products within the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global market for bacon is undergoing significant transformation, with both plant-based and nitrite-free products emerging as leading trends. Within this context, this study compared the sensory characteristics of a range of commercially available plant-based, nitrite-free, dry-cured and brine-cured bacon rashers using a combination of Temporal Dominance of Sensations and Partial Napping (PN) with Ultra-Flash Profiling (UFP) techniques. The findings showed that plant-based bacon had a distinct sensory profile, indicating that the appearance, flavour and texture could influence future uptake of these products by consumers. Meat-based bacon exhibited attributes of "saltiness", "smoky" and "chewy", while "saltiness" presented the highest citation rates for brine-cured bacon. Curing technique (dry vs brine) influenced the temporal sensory profile of bacon, while nitrite removal had no significant impact. There were differences in dominance of "saltiness" between unsmoked brine-cured and unsmoked nitrite-free samples, but these differences were not observed for their smoked counterparts. PN enabled assessors differentiate bacon based on appearance, while UFP proved valuable in explaining the nature of these differences. This study provides new information regarding the sensory profile of plant-based and nitrite-free bacon alternatives, and has implications for future product development efforts for healthier and more sustainable food products. • Plant-based bacon exhibited distinctive temporal and static sensory profiles. • Plant-based samples were characterised as "artificial" and "grey" and "brown" in appearance. • Curing technique (dry vs. brine) influenced the sensory profile of the bacon while nitrite removal had no impact. • The need for qualitative techniques to assess novel and unfamiliar products emerged. • "Saltiness" emerged as the attribute with the highest dominant rate for all the brine-cured samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been growing interest in insects as an alternative to soybean meal as laying hen feed due to nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits. Although some studies have investigated consumer acceptance and intentions towards insect-fed foodstuffs, no studies are available on eggs from insect-fed hens. This qualitative study aimed to explore consumers' attitudes and perceptions towards eggs from insect-fed hens and factors influencing intentions to consume and purchase the product. Three focus group discussions were employed with a total of 19 individuals from the UK. Results showed that the environmental, animal welfare, and food waste benefits of feeding hens with insects positively influenced attitudes. Results also indicated price and disgust towards insects as feed were the main barriers, while enhanced welfare standards (e.g., free-range labelling) and information on benefits were main drivers. Therefore, the study suggests that educating and informing consumers about the benefits of feeding hens with insects may increase intentions to consume and purchase eggs from insect-fed hens. Given this emerging area of research, this study contributes to the limited literature on insect-fed foodstuffs and paves the way for further research on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hybrid products (HP) could enable sustainable plant-forward transition. • Sensory perceptions mediate the effects of attitudes on intention to buy HP. • Environmental self-identity has a minimal effect on attitudes towards HP. • Health consciousness affects plant-based attitudes and not attitudes towards HP. • HP mitigating sensory and sustainability/health trade-offs have market prospects. Although recommendations for a transition towards more plant-forward diets have been proposed and despite consumers reporting willingness to reduce meat consumption, consumer behaviour is frequently less environmentally sustainable than recommended. This calls for simpler strategies that may lead to a more optimistic view on both supply and demand side by using less rigid and more flexible approaches, such as hybrid products, combining meat and plant-based ingredients. Against this milieu, present study examines for the first-time in a cross-cultural context (Denmark, Spain, UK) and on a large consumer sample (N = 2766), attitudes and intention to buy hybrid products, while taking into account consumers individual traits related to meat attachment, health consciousness and environmental self-identity. Results show that hybrid products could be a crucial driver for enabling a successful plant-forward transition, as the meat element in these products, together with consumers' affinity and pleasure-seeking attitudes towards meat, would facilitate consumers' acceptance of more sustainable alternatives. Indeed, our results show that sensory perceptions play a major role in mediating the effect of consumers' attitudes on intention to buy hybrid products. Conversely, consumers' environmental self-identity and health consciousness have minimal to no effect on consumers' attitudes towards hybrid products. Thus, the results of our study support the value of strategies centring on bringing the best of two worlds: the pleasurable sensory characteristics of the meat realm, and the healthiness and sustainability benefits of the plant realm. In this sense, hybrid products could be an elegant initial approach adopted by practitioners and supported by policy makers to enable a more nuanced transition from fully meat-based to plant-forward diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]