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Immature fruit rind colour, a key factor influencing consumer choice, is an important external quality trait in cucumbers. The application of molecular marker‐assisted selection (MAS) can significantly improve the efficiency of the cucumber breeding process that focuses on fruit rind colours. In this study, we developed a dCAPS marker Csw_dCAPS co‐segregated with cucumber white immature fruit rind regulating gene w (Csaprr2) based on its 1‐bp ‘G/‐’ sequence insertion. Both validations of marker Csw_dCAPS among 59 cucumber commercial cultivars and 41 inbred lines showed that the Csw_dCAPS marker has 100% accuracy rates in identifying the green and white coloured immature fruit rinds controlling by alleles W and w. Application of Csw_dCAPS marker in cucumber lines XNS023‐1 and XNS023‐2 revealed that the white immature fruit rind in XNS023‐1 is also caused by the 1‐bp ‘G/‐’ insertion of gene w. We discussed the derivation of gene w in cucumber XNS023‐1 according to the genetic background differences between XNS023‐1 and XNS023‐2. Besides, this newly developed marker was also compared with the previously reported linkage marker SSR06791 to underscore the precision and reliability of Csw_dCAPS. Herein, we first reported and verified a dCAPS marker Csw_dCAPS that completely co‐segregated with the white immature fruit rind regulating gene w. We concluded that this high‐accuracy dCAPS marker can effectively facilitate the MAS breeding process of new cucumber cultivars characterized by white‐coloured immature fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gluten-free bread is increasingly popular among individuals with celiac disease, and The incorporation of mushroom flour offers a novel method to enhance its nutritional profile, antioxidant content, and sensory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread with varying amounts of chaga mushroom flour (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). The total contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were measured using a spectrophotometric method. Antioxidant activity was assessed through DPPH and FRAP methods, while textural properties were evaluated using the TPA test. Bread colour was analysed using the CIELab system, and sensory evaluation was performed by a panel of trained consumers. The results showed that gluten-free bread enriched with chaga flour had increased polyphenol and flavonoid content and enhanced antioxidant activity. The highest levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, DPPH, and FRAP activity were found in bread with 20% chaga. The addition of chaga mushroom significantly affected the bread's hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. Specifically, 20% chaga flour had the most pronounced effect on hardness and elasticity, while 15% chaga flour had the greatest impact on chewiness and cohesiveness. The bread's colour darkened with higher chaga concentrations. The results of sensory evaluation showed a negative correlation between consumer preferences and bread fortified with chaga mushroom flour. The overall consumer acceptability score indicates that only a small addition of mushroom flour (up to 10%) can be used to bake gluten-free bread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) to analyze the volatile flavor compounds present in various commercially available sausages. Additionally, it conducted a comparative assessment of the distinctions among different samples by integrating sensory evaluation with textural and physicochemical parameters. The results of the GC-IMS analysis showed that a total of 65 volatile compounds were detected in the four samples, including 12 hydrocarbons, 11 alcohols, 10 ketones, 9 aldehydes, 12 esters, and 1 acids. Fingerprinting combined with principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the volatiles of different brands of sausages were significantly different (p < 0.05). The volatiles of S1 and S4 were more similar and significantly different from the other two samples (p < 0.05). Among them, there were 14 key volatile substances in the four samples, of which 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and diallyl sulfide were common to all four sausages. Combined textural and sensory evaluations revealed that smoked sausages exhibited superior characteristics in resilience, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness. Additionally, smoked sausages were found to be more attractive in color, moderately spicy, and salty, while having a lower fat content. In conclusion, smoked sausages are preferred by consumers over flavored oil sausages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of information technology, live-streaming e-commerce has risen rapidly as a new business model. However, product quality problems that exist in the development of live-streaming e-commerce continue to emerge. The influence of strategic interactions between social media influencers, live-streaming e-commerce platforms, and consumers on product quality deserves to be studied. Therefore, this paper constructs a tripartite game model of "social media influencers–the live-streaming e-commerce platform–consumers" and analyzes the dynamic evolution process of the strategy selection among subjects and influencing factors by using evolutionary game theory. This study shows that products with high functional value are more likely to stimulate consumer rights protection behavior, prompting social media influencers to shift from lax to strict quality control. But when the emotional value is high, consumers are more inclined to give up on defending their rights, which leads to the maintenance of lax quality control, and the platform supervision will be weakened accordingly. Moreover, less quality differences motivate social media influencers to choose lax quality control. An increase in quality differences will promote a shift from an equilibrium strategy to strict quality control. However, if the penalty of the platforms is not strong enough, this strategic shift will not happen. In addition, a high percentage of platform commissions can encourage influencers to implement strict quality control, while platforms can maintain weak supervision. This study's findings provide valuable guidance for understanding and managing product quality issues in live-streaming e-commerce. In the future, the government will be considered a new player in the game in studying the impact of its policies on product quality in live-streaming e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' involvement in the development of new goods and services is growing, and thus understanding food motives is crucial for various fisheries stakeholders to manage fish value chains. In addition, traceability is becoming more prominent in guiding consumers' behaviour. Yet, the latter can be considered a source of confusion, as the multiplicity of certifications and labelling systems can be overwhelming. A national web-based survey was conducted on a representative sample of Italian and Spanish consumers. From the literature, a set of 13 attributes was chosen to identify the most important factors guiding consumers' choice, and various groups in each population were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. Our findings provide valuable insights for fish value chain stakeholders, enabling them to optimize fisheries supply chains, educate consumers about diverse fish species, and promote more sustainable decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basmati rice is a premium aromatic rice that consumers choose primarily because of its distinct aroma and excellent grain quality. The grain quality of Basmati rice (GQBR) reflects the perspectives of producers, processors, sellers, and consumers related to the production, processing, marketing, and consumption of Basmati rice. Consumers, an invaluable part of the production demand and value chain of the Basmati rice industry, have the freedom to choose from different types of aromatic rice. Consumers expect their preferred Basmati rice to possess all superior rice grain qualities, including the physical, biochemical, and physiological properties. Gene functional analysis explained that a 10-base pair deletion in the promoter region of the OsSPL16 gene causes the slender grains in Basmati rice, whereas an 8-base-pair deletion in exon 7 of the OsBadh2 gene (located in the fgr region on rice chromosome 8) results in the distinct aroma. Furthermore, a combination of the genetic characteristics of the gw8 and gs3 genes has led to the creation of a long-grain Basmati-type rice cultivar. It has also been demonstrated that agricultural, genetic, and environmental conditions significantly influence GQBR. Hence, research on improving GQBR requires a multidimensional approach and sophisticated elements due to the complexity of its nature and preference diversity. This review covers the basic definitions of grain quality traits, consumer preference criteria, influencing factors, and strategies for producing superior-quality Basmati rice in the United States. This knowledge will be useful in improving the grain quality of Basmati and Basmati-type rice, as well as developing appropriate breeding programs that will meet the preferences of different countries and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Impact Statement Summary Cassava is a vital food source for millions worldwide, crucial for food security and economic stability. This study analyzed cell wall polysaccharides in cassava roots to understand their impact on cooking properties. We found these polysaccharides influence the textural attributes of cassava roots, essential for both cooking and consumption. The research highlights the need to further identify and analyze cassava cell wall components. By improving our understanding of these components, we can improve food security, affordability, and resilience in diverse regions, ultimately contributing to global food security and better aligning with consumer preferences. The textural attributes of cassava roots significantly influence preferences in cooking and consumption as a food source, yet the specific components dictating these properties remain unclear. We aimed to identify the factors shaping the cooking properties of cassava roots. We conducted a compositional analysis of 22 traits in a diverse F1 biparental population derived from soft‐ and hard‐boiling progenitors. The traits encompassed cooking qualities, starch properties, and cell wall composition. Specific cell wall components including cellulose, xylan, un‐esterified, and methyl‐esterified homogalacturonan (HG) demonstrated a correlation with cooking quality attributes: sensory assessments related to texture (SAT) and water absorption during boiling (WAB). Correlation and regression analyses revealed that these wall components collectively contribute to 20% of SAT variability and 14% of WAB variability. SAT appeared to be influenced by methyl‐esterified and un‐esterified HGs, xylan, and cellulose, impacting the tensile strength of the cell wall. Conversely, WAB appeared to be associated with methyl‐esterified HG, potentially altering water absorption properties. Although genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) were unable to identify significant SNPs for SAT and WAB, notable associations emerged for cellulose, xylan, and un‐esterified‐ and methyl‐esterified HG. Candidate genes associated with these SNPs point towards diverse cell wall‐related proteins, transcription factors, sugar metabolism‐related genes, and glycosyl hydrolases. This study provides insights into the relationship between cassava root compositions and cooking characteristics and the role of wall components in determining the cooking quality of edible cassava. This information represents a substantial contribution towards the development of protocols for selecting varieties with texture preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical Application Despite the growing interest in innovative nonanimal protein‐prepared foods, knowledge about consumer demand for these newly prepared foods and their potential scope in the market could be improved. This study reports the results of a discrete choice experiment on consumers’ (n = 1245) willingness to pay (WTP) for prepared plant‐based meat (PPBM) in the context of Chinese food culture. Consumers were randomly assigned to a treated group with additional environmental information about PPBM. The estimation results of the random parameter logit model showed that when environmental information was provided, consumer preferences and WTP for frozen meatballs with mixed meat (beef‐based and soy protein–based meat) and PBM (pure soy protein–based meat) significantly increased. However, their preference and WTP for food quality and safety attributes of meatballs decreased. Simultaneously, the availability of information reveals the heterogeneity of preferences. This study found that positive WTP for PPBM was limited to consumers with a low degree of food technology neophobia (FTN) and that consumers with a high degree of FTN may avoid purchasing meatballs made from PBM. In contrast, consumers with a higher time preference (i.e., impatient consumers) were likelier to pay for PPBM meatballs.PPBM is especially valuable in developing innovative nonanimal protein‐prepared foods, and China has the potential to become the largest PPBM food market. Understanding consumers’ preference for PPBM products and the impact of information provision on their WTP will assist food companies in devising suitable strategies for the development of new PPBM products. The findings of this study provide targeted market insights for the food industry to help guide the development of plant‐based meat products more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As countries worldwide strive to implement energy conservation and emission reduction measures, modeling consumers’ low-carbon preferences and purchasing decisions has become a crucial factor in implementing dynamic pricing strategies for firms. This paper investigates the dynamic pricing problems for a single perishable product and substitutable perishable products, respectively, where consumer is affected by low-carbon preference. We first propose the decision framework of consumer choice with low-carbon preference based on the multinomial logit model. On this basis, we establish dynamic pricing models by the dynamic programming method and obtain the optimal pricing strategies. We analytically show that consumer’s low-carbon preference has a positive effect on the optimal price for a single perishable product. Meanwhile, numerical examples illustrate that consumer’s low-carbon preference has a positive effect on the optimal prices for substitutable perishable products. Finally, we give some suggestions to increase firm’s revenue when consumer’s low-carbon preference is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regular consumption of functional dairy products offers numerous health benefits, such as anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects. This study assessed Brazilian consumers' knowledge and barriers to their consumption using the free comment (FC) method and textual analysis. FC identified 462 descriptors from 332 volunteers, including ‘cheese’, ‘dairy’, ‘health’, ‘probiotic’, ‘nutrients’ and ‘benefits’. Textual analysis organised the data, revealing consumers' knowledge and preferences. The analysis highlighted the need for strategies to address barriers to functional dairy product consumption, focusing on sensory preferences and promoting these products among consumers who currently resist them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite global uncertainties, Mexico has become the largest supplier to the United States, emphasizing its growing role in cultivating resilient supply chains. Nearshoring practices from Mexico and Canada to the U.S. present new production opportunities. Increasingly, U.S. consumers place a premium on sustainable consumption, so blue hydrogen plants must be sourced responsibly. This paper firstly goes beyond economic motivations, aiming to formulate a multi-stage methodology for assessing suppliers of municipal solid waste for blue hydrogen plants, marking a pioneering effort in catering to the environmentally conscious preferences of U.S. consumers. The purpose of this work is to examine a case study of Blue Hydrogen production in Nuevo Leon, emphasizing the importance of developing responsible sourcing criteria for waste suppliers to limited blue hydrogen plants. The developed hybrid approach integrates various methodologies, including Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), fuzzy rough sets, hierarchical fuzzy rough analysis, Fuzzy rough WASPAS, TOPSIS, and Best-Worst Method (BWM), providing a comprehensive framework for decision-making under uncertainty. Key findings include the identification of water conservation (E2) and job creation (S2) as the top environmental and social criteria, respectively. Supplier WC2 was identified as the top-performing waste collector, achieving a final score of 4.77. This structured methodology prioritizes product categories for hydrogen consumption, considering sustainability criteria and U.S. consumer preferences, thereby offering valuable insights for businesses navigating this evolving landscape. • Multi-stage method assesses waste suppliers for blue hydrogen. • Pioneer in catering to environmentally conscious U.S. consumers. • Case study on responsible sourcing in Nuevo Leon's hydrogen production. • Hybrid approach integrates various methodologies for decision-making. • Prioritizes hydrogen consumption based on sustainability and U.S. preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), big data (DB), and Internet of Things (IoT) in Society 5.0, has given rise to Marketing 5.0, revolutionizing personalized customer experiences. In this study, a systematic literature review was conducted to examine the integration of predictive modelling and sentiment analysis within the Marketing 5.0 domain. Unlike previous research, this study addresses both aspects within a single context, emphasizing the need for a sentiment-based predictive approach to the buyers' journey. This review explores how predictive and sentiment models enhance customer experience, inform business decisions, and optimize marketing processes. This study contributes to the literature by identifying areas of improvement in predictive modelling and emphasizes the role of a sentiment-based approach in Marketing 5.0. The sentiment-based model assists businesses in understanding customer preferences, offering personalized products, and enabling customers to receive relevant advertisements during their purchase journey. The paper's structure covers the evolution of traditional marketing to digital marketing, AI's role in digital marketing, predictive modelling in marketing, and the significance of analyzing customer sentiments in their reviews. The Prisma-P methodology, research questions, and suggestions for future work and limitations provide a comprehensive overview of the scope and contributions of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study identified herbal supplement usage patterns in Metro Cebu and comprehensively examined consumer education and behavior regarding these supplements. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March-July 2023 involving 316 respondents, selected through purposive sampling. The study collected data on demographic characteristics, usage patterns, sources of information, and potential hesitations related to herbal supplement use. Results indicate that the typical Metro Cebu herbal supplement user is more likely to be female, possess higher education, earn above the minimum wage, and primarily reside in Cebu City (n = 202, 63.9%). Usage of herbal supplements is driven by proactive health behaviors often influenced by social networks. Respondents generally hold a positive view of herbal supplement use, particularly those who consume them daily, attributing their preference to natural products, and their perceived cost-effectiveness and potential health benefits compared to conventional medicines. The following subgroups also tend to have more positive views about herbal supplements: [a] older age, [b] employed, [c] at a lower level of education, [d] have known illnesses, and [e] have used the product for 1-5 yr. While respondents actively verify information (n = 243, 76.9%) and inform healthcare providers (n = 180, 57%) about their supplement use, the extent to which they rely on healthcare professionals and scientific sources for guidance in shaping their behavior and product choices is limited. The study underscores the need for enhanced guidance and surveillance from healthcare providers. Furthermore, it highlights a regulatory gap in the governing framework for herbal supplement use and marketing, emphasizing the importance of revisiting or introducing regulations and guidelines to ensure safe and informed consumption practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for safe vegetables in Indonesia, the government issued certification labels to protect consumers from bad practices. However, much research has not focused on consumers' responses toward the certified fresh vegetables in emerging countries. This study identifies consumers' segments and preferences for fresh produce by using three attributes. The choice-based conjoint through a national online survey (N = 1027) indicates that most consumers prefer certified products. Meanwhile, the latent class analysis indicates the following segments: quality-minded, safety-conscious, appearance-focused, and price-conscious—each with distinct preferences. Quality-minded and safety-conscious consumers prefer certified labels but have different attention to the price. Appearance-focused consumers more consider on leaves' appearance. Price-conscious consumers choose the lowest price possible regardless of the other attributes. This paper provides practical implications for marketers and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purchasing decisions because many factors can influence how buyers act towards products or services. When buyers want to buy something, they have to go through several stages. The initial stage is problem recognition, where they know what they need. Once they know what they need, they will be encouraged to seek additional information to meet their needs. Each person has unique characteristics. There are different cultures, ages, educations, jobs, activities, and hobbies. Producers must be able to steal the attention of various consumers so that the goods they sell are purchased. Marketers must understand consumer behavior, actions and ways of thinking so they can create effective marketing strategies. Consumers will respond to marketers' actions if they have the right strategy. The ability to compete increases when marketers take over the study of consumer behavior. There are several components that influence repurchase intentions, namely 1. Consumer satisfaction: if customers are satisfied with the services provided, the company will become better in the eyes of customers, reduce purchasing costs, reduce failure costs, increase profits, and reduce trial and error purchases. so customers will prefer to buy again. 2. Brand preferences: brands are constituents of differentiation attributes that influence customers' perceptions of what they buy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobulid species are endangered globally, and the market trade for gill plates is believed to be a major threat. Successful conservation and the sustainable use of mobulids therefore require an objective understanding of consumer characteristics and preferences for gill plates. Previous studies focused on qualitative descriptions, and reliable quantitative analyses are currently lacking. We used a latent class choice experiment method and a semistructured questionnaire to provide important new quantitative information about gill plate consumer characteristics and the heterogeneous nature of demand for gill plates. From May to July 2019, we conducted a field study in Guangzhou, the primary consumption hub for mobulid gill plates in mainland China. Utilizing a simple random sampling method, we engaged in face‐to‐face interviews with 428 consumers of gill plates in the major trading markets in Guangzhou. Our results showed that 59.8% of consumers of gill plates were over 40 years old, 62.6% were female, 80.7% had annual household incomes of <200,000 yuan, and 84.5% recognized the medical and health value of gill plates and purchased them. About seventy‐two percent of consumers preferred to purchase imported and less expensive gill plates from unprotected species, but they had a strong preference for large gill plates from protected species, such as Mobula birostris. This contradiction arose from consumers' lack of knowledge of mobulids and their conservation status. We found, for example, female consumers over 40 years old had the least understanding of conservation status of mobulid species and the link between size of gill plates and rarity of mobulids. This suggests there may be opportunities to promote mobulid conservation through education and marketing targeted at this demographic. Consumers who had a positive preference for gill plates from protected species (regardless of price) (10%) may be harder to influence. Overall, we believe education alone is not enough and that the conservation of mobulids would benefit from an integrated approach that involves conservation education and strengthened trade regulations, such as the introduction of traceability systems and a stiffer legal framework for consumption of protected species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. The color of Cheddar cheese in the United States is influenced by many factors, primarily the amount of annatto added as a colorant. The US Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing its definition of the term "natural" on food labels, which may result in the use of colorants being restricted in natural cheeses. The objective of this study was to evaluate how consumers perceive Cheddar cheese color to better understand how changes to legislation surrounding colorants in natural Cheddar cheese may affect consumption. We were also interested in determining if a relationship exists between color and other perceived characteristics of Cheddar cheese. Two online surveys on Cheddar cheese color and flavor attributes (n = 1,226 and n = 1,183, respectively) were conducted, followed by a consumer acceptance test on 6 commercially available Cheddar cheeses (n = 196). Overall, consumers preferred light orange color in Cheddar cheese over dark orange or white Cheddar cheese, but segmentation was observed for Cheddar color preference. Light orange Cheddar and white Cheddar were perceived as approximately equal in terms of "naturalness." White and light orange Cheddars were perceived as more natural than dark orange Cheddars conceptually and in consumer acceptance testing. White Cheddar was considered most natural by 50.3% of n = 1,283 survey participants and 43.4% of n = 196 consumer acceptance test participants, whereas light orange Cheddar was perceived as most natural by 40.6% and 45.9% of these groups, respectively. A bimodal distribution was observed in both the online survey and in consumer acceptance testing for the naturalness of Cheddar cheese color, with a subset of consumers (31.4% of n = 1,183 survey participants and 30.6% of n = 196 consumer testing participants) indicating that white Cheddar was the least natural option. Consumers associated orange color in Cheddar cheese with a sharper flavor both in an online survey format and consumer acceptance testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanilla, a quintessential flavoring agent, experiences burgeoning demand globally, particularly for natural variants. In response, Taiwan has ventured into vanilla cultivation, aiming to reduce the energy consumption associated with international transportation by fostering domestic production. This study investigates the sensory attributes of Taiwan and Madagascar vanilla beans amid increasing global demand for natural vanilla. We extended our sensory evaluations to vanilla ice cream products to assess their quality. Employing sensory evaluation questionnaires and experimental techniques, we utilized purposive and snowball sampling methodologies for participant recruitment. Our primary aim is to discern the edible disparities between Taiwan and Madagascar vanilla beans by scrutinizing variations in consumer sensory preferences. Our findings reveal statistically significant disparities between Taiwan and Madagascar vanilla beans concerning product texture and overall aroma in sensory evaluations, while other attributes do not exhibit notable differences. This suggests that the sensory experience of vanilla ice cream products derived from Taiwan and Madagascar vanilla beans primarily diverges in terms of product texture and overall aroma, with negligible disparities elsewhere. Remarkably, Taiwan vanilla beans consistently outperform Madagascar vanilla beans across many evaluation criteria, underscoring the superior quality and competitive edge of Taiwan's vanilla beans. This empirical evidence highlights the exceptional quality and value proposition of Taiwan vanilla beans, offering insights for the expansion and deepening of sensory evaluations pertaining to vanilla beans. Furthermore, our study contributes to environmental sustainability by promoting local production and presents new avenues for Taiwan's vanilla processing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research digs into the environment of online meal delivery apps, looking at their influence, trends, and possible development opportunities. Data was obtained from a broad sample of 400 people in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu using an empirical research approach that included a questionnaire, in order to investigate user preferences, behaviours, and levels of satisfaction. First, demographic parameters such as age and gender have a direct association with consumer satisfaction or preferences, showing an individualised landscape of preferences. Swiggy ranks as the preferred platform among respondents, owing mostly to its safe and timely delivery alternatives. The research advocates including home -made food delivery, not just as a customer advantage, but also as a source of new job possibilities, especially for homemakers. This report gives a knowledge of the online meal delivery market, with practical insights for businesses to overcome hurdles, capitalise on new trends, and nurture long - term success in this dynamic and competitive sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The global demand for dehydrated onion is on the rise, driven by the increasing consumer preference for ready‐to‐eat convenience foods. This study focused on enhancing the quality and functional properties of dehydrated onion slices (cv. Pusa Shobha) through different pre‐treatment and drying conditions. Fresh onion slices were subjected to pre‐treatment using NaCl (3%, 5% and 7%) and KMS (0.3%, 0.5% and 0.7%) solutions for 10 min, followed by tray drying at 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C temperatures for varying durations of 14, 12 and 10 h, respectively. Based on physicochemical and functional properties, onion slices pretreated with 5% NaCl + 0.5% KMS and dehydrated at 60 °C for 12 h retained higher bioactive compounds like total phenols (166.32 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW), total flavonoids (28.94 mg QE g−1 DW), ascorbic acid (12.45 mg 100 g−1 DW), quercetin (172.88 μg g−1 DW) and total antioxidant activity (24.59 μmol TE g−1 DW). Additionally, it maintained superior sensory acceptability with higher pungency (7.15 μmol g−1 DW), dehydration ratio (9.25%), rehydration ratio (5.20%), lower non‐enzymatic browning (0.36) and moisture content (5.75%). Hence, the optimised treatment of 'Pusa Shobha' slices with 5% NaCl + 0.5% KMS, followed by dehydration at 60 °C for 12 h, yields dehydrated onion slices with superior bioactive compounds, sensory acceptability, and enhanced functional properties. The findings of his research offer valuable technology for the food industry, providing a practical and efficient method to produce high‐quality dehydrated onion slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a comprehensive review of current developments regarding the utilization of diverse hydrocolloids in formulating fruit fillings across different fruit types, their impact on textural attributes, rheological properties, thermal stability, syneresis, and nutritional advantages of fillings and optimization of its characteristics to align with consumer preferences. The review also focuses on the various factors influencing fruit fillings, including the selection of fruits, processing methodologies, the inherent nature and concentration of hydrocolloids, and their synergistic interactions. In depth, scientific work on the impact of the parameters such as pH, total soluble solids, and sugar content within the fruit fillings was also discussed. Additionally, this article focuses on the utilization of the diverse fruit fillings developed by using hydrocolloids in bakery products including pastry, tartlet, muffins, cookies, and so forth. The review establishes that hydrocolloids offer a spectrum of techno‐functional attributes conducive to strengthening both the structural and thermal stability of fruit fillings, consequently extending their shelf life. It further establishes that incorporating of hydrocolloids facilitates the development of healthier food products by mitigating the necessity of excessive sugar or various other less favorable ingredients. The incorporation of fruit fillings in bakery products significantly increases the value proposition of these baked goods, contributing to their overall enhancement of quality and sensory value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of varying extrusion conditions on the functional properties of hulless barley–mung bean (70:30) extruded snacks was investigated using response surface methodology with feed moisture (FM), barrel temperature (BT), and screw speed (SS) as process variables. Results revealed significant impacts on functional characteristics with varying extrusion conditions. Bulk density (BD) of extruded snacks ranged from 0.24 to 0.42 g/cm3, showing that lower FM and higher BT results in lower BD while it increased with increasing FM, SS, and BT. The expansion ratio (ER) of extruded snacks ranged between 2.03 and 2.33, showing BT and SS had a desirable positive effect, whereas increasing FM led to decreased ER. Increasing BT and SS depicted a negative effect on water absorption index, whereas FM showed positive effect, which ranged between 4.21 and 4.82 g/g. A positive effect on water solubility index was depicted by BT and SS, which ranges between 9.01% and 13.45%, as higher SS and BT led to starch degradation and increased solubility suggesting better digestibility. The hardness of extruded snacks ranged from 32.56 to 66.88 Newton (N), showing increasing FM increased hardness, whereas higher SS and BT resulted in lowering the hardness. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis revealed structural changes in extrudates in comparison with nonextruded flour, indicating starch gelatinization and pore formation affected by varying processing parameters. Shifts in absorption bands were observed in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), suggesting structural changes in starch and protein. Understanding the effects of extrusion parameters on product properties can help tailored production to meet consumers' preferences and the development of functional snacks with improved nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key packaging element in healthy snacks is the ingredient. This research highlights the use of eye tracking by companies to achieve greater effectiveness on the consumer's attention. Three healthy snacks were presented to analyze whether there are differences in their attention, choice, and purchase intention according to the type of ingredient. An eye‐tracking device and a questionnaire were applied and the results showed that the central area of the packaging of healthy snacks in which the ingredients are shown attracts more attention. Positive relationships between the choice of a snack and the intention to purchase it, and between the total fixation duration and the choice of a product were found. Food products with more hedonic components (flavor, e.g., chocolate) were much more visually attractive and captured more attention. At the same time, those products with less desirable or palatable ingredients were chosen less. Practical Applications: This research provides insights into how packaging design influences consumer perceptions of healthy snacks. Food packaging plays a crucial role in capturing consumer attention and communicating information that affects their purchasing decisions. In this context, understanding how consumers direct their attention and what information they consider when evaluating products is essential for professionals in fields such as food science, marketing and graphic design, where the use of eye‐tracking devices is key. Furthermore, resistance to less desirable or unfamiliar products hinders purchase intent, suggesting the need to improve their appeal and communicate their health benefits. This study confirms that, when designing the packaging of healthy snacks, it is necessary to focus more on the central part of the packaging, which should show the composition and its appearance with a real image of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between consumers' taste preferences—specifically sweetness and saltiness—and dietary diversity. This study utilizes consumer panel data collected by the Rural Development Administration of South Korea, in combination with a food nutrient database. The study applies long‐term purchase data to derive indices of dietary diversity and taste preferences. The objective is to examine the impact of sweetness and saltiness preferences, as a consumer attitude, on dietary diversity as a consumption behavior. The findings suggest that consumer preference for sweet and salty tastes significantly contributes to dietary diversity, while preference for sweetness has a negative impact and preference for saltiness has a positive impact on dietary diversity. Practical Applications: The utilization of long‐term consumer panel data for the calculation of household‐level dietary diversity, as an alternative to short‐term memory recall surveys, offers a more comprehensive and data‐driven approach to the measurement of dietary diversity. Furthermore, an integration of nutrient content with purchased items to quantify consumers' sweet and salty taste preferences and a measurement of preference based on nutrient intake can be employed as a more objective approach to assessing taste preferences. The results indicate that consumption behavior, specifically dietary diversity, is significantly influenced by sweet and salty taste preferences. Consumers who prefer sweetness are expected to exhibit lower dietary diversity, contributing to the association between sweetness preference and poorer health outcomes. In particular, as sweetness preference is a learned behavior, it is necessary to recognize that frequent exposure to sweetness fosters its preference and that this, in turn, negatively impacts dietary diversity. Therefore, individuals aiming for a higher level of dietary diversity should actively reduce their exposure to sweetness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwear is an intimate apparel with skin contact that impacts wearer's sensory experience. The visual and tactile properties of an underwear play critical roles in consumers' comfort and style considerations. This study concentrated on analyzing consumer perceptual preferences for underwear through surveys of bipolar word‐pairs describing the visual and tactile properties of underwear. A questionnaire on the word pairs was designed using semantic differential scales, and 60 selected participants were surveyed under five test modes, including visual observations and tactile explorations (such as touching, pressing, and grasping). Clustering analysis was utilized to categorize the word‐pairs into four clusters—"appearance," "hand," "style," and "quality"—representing vital aspects of consumer concerns about underwear. The significance of the clusters and the test modes in assessing perceived underwear values was scrutinized, and the models to predict underwear's perceived values were established through multivariate regression analysis. It was found that consumers are likely to prioritize the "appearance" and "style" clusters over the "hand" and "quality" clusters, and the visual and grasping tests over the other tactile tests. The predictive models demonstrate high reliability in estimating the perceived values of underwear. Practical Applications: The study findings highlight that, in assessing underwear products, consumers give greater importance to "appearance" and "style" than to "hand" and "quality." In addition, the visual and grasping tests prove more effective than the other three methods (i.e., palm touching, fingertip touching, and fingertip pressing). These insights are valuable for underwear designers aiming to create marketable products. Moreover, the predictive models developed in the study exhibit high reliability, offering a valuable guide for consumer purchasing decisions. This is particularly pertinent in online shopping scenarios where the physical sensing of visual and tactile features of underwear is not possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding consumers' preferences for fruit quality attributes is key to informing breeding efforts, meeting consumer preferences, and promoting increased market demand. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of fruit quality traits and hedonic sensory evaluation on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for a selection of fresh northern and southern highbush blueberry cultivars. The WTP was elicited by using a double-bounded contingent valuation conducted in conjunction with a consumer sensory test. Two types of models were estimated using either sensory evaluations (i.e., consumer preference and consumer intensity) or instrumental measurement data (i.e., measures of soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugars, acids, and firmness) as explanatory variables to model WTP. Results using sensory evaluations indicated that flavor liking, flavor intensity, and sweetness intensity are key factors that influence consumers' acceptance and WTP for blueberries. A regression analysis using instrumental measurements indicated that measures related to sweetness and acidity traits are important factors that determine WTP. Higher WTP was associated with higher total sugar content across different levels of total organic acid. The WTP increases with organic acid content, because this is needed for enhanced flavor; however, WTP declines at high concentrations of organic acid. Except for extreme values of firmness, the WTP increased as measures of fruit firmness increased, indicating a consumer preference for firmer blueberries. Overall, the results provided new insights into the relationships between consumer preference and WTP and fruit quality benchmarks to select for improved quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breeding of improved varieties of root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops has led to the release of several varieties with excellent agronomic performances, such as high yield and disease resistance. However, farmers and end users have hampered the adoption of these improved varieties of RTB crops over the years due to their processing capacity and final product quality. Across the RTB crops, the key quality and adoption criteria differ for different products. The vital quality traits that can enhance the adoption of these improved varieties have been identified for cassava, yam, and banana/plantain. Some significant traits cassava farmers and consumers prefer are early-bulking, non-bitter roots, in-ground storability, drought tolerance, good pounding capabilities, and excellent cooking and sensory qualities. The acceptance of improved yam varieties is driven by good yield, resistance to pests, good cooking quality, and admirable textural attributes for both boiled and pounded yams. Also, for banana/plantain Musa spp., farmers and end users prefer varieties with appealing sensory properties and good agronomic attributes. Farmers' and end-users' most desired traits are high yields, good cooking qualities, and climate resilience. Though the quantification of some of these quality traits is challenging, the synergized work of breeders and food scientists with the use of standardized protocols during the breeding, selection, and evaluation stages will enhance the production of cultivars that will meet the preferences of all stakeholders along the food product value chain of the RTB crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethical consumerism describes market transactions where consumers' preferences stretch beyond immediate self-interest to prosocial objectives. How such activities relate to more traditional forms of civic engagement (such as giving or activism) remains unclear; as a market-situated activity, ethical consumerism is often omitted from accounts of civic engagement or predicted to erode commitment to civic action. This paper reports findings from an empirical study of the civic identity of the ethical consumer. Using an online survey instrument, the study explores statistical relationships between individuals' actual participation in ethical consumerism at three sites (Fairtrade, TOMS Shoes and (RED)) and the extent of individuals' wider civic engagement—both philanthropic (giving, volunteering) and activist (campaigning). It finds evidence of a consistent civic identity that stretches across traditional civic engagement activities and ethical consumerism: the greater an individual's civic engagement, the more likely they are to engage in ethical consumerism. The current analytic separation of ethical consumerism and civic engagement, therefore, does not capture the experience of individuals who are expanding their prosocial repertoire from the civic sphere to the market sphere; civic engagement cuts across sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we investigated the impact of incorporating freeze-dried mealworm larvae powder (Tenebrio molitor) into wheat bread on its quality, nutritional value, and consumer acceptance. Mealworms represent a sustainable protein source that can enhance the nutritional profile of foods. Bread was prepared with varying concentrations of mealworm powder (5%, 10%, and 15%), which significantly increased the bread's protein and fat content, particularly in terms of essential amino acids and beneficial fatty acids. However, higher levels of mealworm powder also resulted in darker bread and decreased consumer acceptance, as the altered taste and texture were perceived less favourably. This study emphasizes that while mealworm powder can enhance the nutritional value of bread, it is crucial to balance these benefits with sensory qualities to maintain consumer appeal. The findings suggest that mealworm powder could be a valuable ingredient for producing nutritionally enriched bread, provided that consumer preferences are carefully considered. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on the use of insects as sustainable food ingredients. The research context involves analyzing the potential benefits derived from integrating insect protein into everyday food items. Utilizing methods consistent with established food science protocols, wheat bread was prepared with variations of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% Tenebrio molitor larvae powder, derived from larvae cultivated on brewery spent grain. A substrate selected for its superior nutritional content and a substrate with agar–agar gels were used. The tests included basic bread tests; sugar, acrylamide, amino, and fatty acid (FA) tests; and sensory acceptability. The results have shown that the acrylamide levels in bread with larvae remained below harmful thresholds, suggesting that using T. molitor can be a safe alternative protein source. The incorporation of powdered T. molitor larvae (p-TMLs) into bread was observed to increase certain sugar levels, such as glucose, particularly at higher larval concentrations. The addition of T. molitor significantly raised the protein and fat levels in bread. The inclusion of larvae enriched the bread with essential amino acids, enhancing the nutritional value of the bread significantly. The FA profile of the bread was altered by the inclusion of p-TMLs, increasing the levels of monounsaturated FAs. Despite the nutritional benefits, higher concentrations of larvae decreased the sensory acceptability of the bread. This suggests that there is a balance to be found between enhancing the nutritional content and maintaining consumer appeal. These findings highlight the potential for using p-TMLs as a sustainable, nutritious ingredient in bread making, although the sensory qualities at higher concentrations might limit consumer acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The celiac population usually struggle finding nutritive gluten‐free (GF) baked goods. GF foods can be improved using legume flours. Eleven GF cake formulations were elaborated according to different percentages of lentil flour (LF), corn flour (CF) and rice flour (RF) using a simplex lattice design. Water holding capacity and particle size of flours were evaluated. Moisture, aw, pH, specific volume, texture profile, relaxation, color and alveolar characteristics were determined for crumbs of all formulations. An optimization process was used to enhance the technological and nutritional attributes, selecting the three best formulations containing LF: 46% LF + 54% RF (CLF+RF); 49% LF + 51% CF (CLF+CF); and 100% LF (CLF), evaluated in their proximal composition and sensory characteristics. Linear and quadratic models for predicting the behavior of GF lentil cakes were obtained. RESULTS: LF and CF could favor water incorporation and show more resistance to enzymatic digestion than RF. Formulations with LF showed an improvement in specific volume and alveolar parameters, while use of RF led to better cohesiveness, elasticity and resilience but with a deterioration in chewiness and firmness. CLF can be labeled as high in protein and fiber and presented the lowest amounts of lipids, carbohydrates and energy content. Consumer preference leaned towards CLF+RF. CONCLUSION: It was possible to elaborate GF cakes using LF, obtaining nutritive products that can be offered to people intolerant to gluten ingestion. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mode is a fundamental descriptive statistic in data analysis, signifying the most frequent element within a dataset. The range mode query (RMQ) problem expands upon this concept by preprocessing an array A containing n natural numbers. This allows for the swift determination of the mode within any subarray A[a..b], thus optimizing the computation of the mode for a multitude of range queries. The efficacy of this process bears considerable importance in data analytics and retrieval across diverse platforms, including but not limited to online shopping experiences and financial auditing systems. This study is dedicated to exploring and benchmarking different algorithms and data structures designed to tackle the RMQ problem. The goal is to not only address the theoretical aspects of RMQ but also to provide practical solutions that can be applied in real-world scenarios, such as the optimization of an online shopping platform's understanding of customer preferences, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of data retrieval in large datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, the abandonment of traditional dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, represents an important threat for human health and environmental safeguard. The DELICIOUS project aims to promote healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents by implementing activities and tools to increase the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet with an attention to the environmental impacts of the diet. This study protocol describes the DELICIOUS project as a single-arm, uncontrolled behavioural intervention providing formal and non-formal education activities, development of new snacks and recipe reformulation, web/mobile app development, and physical activities to school children and adolescents in five European countries. The project aims to increase awareness of the nutritional benefits and the sustainability aspects of the Mediterranean Diet and to promote consumers' empowerment through an online platform for sustainable and healthy meal planning in the school canteen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycopene is usually extracted from the by‐product of the tomato industry using organic solvents (OS) in combination with a physical technique. An emerging physical technique is high‐pressure processing (HPP). This study aims to find a method by applying a green solvent (edible vegetable oils) in an HPP‐assisted solid–liquid extraction. Three dosages of tomato by‐product (10%, 20%, and 40%, w/v) were tested using OS, sunflower oil (RSO), and extra‐virgin olive oil (EVOO). Lycopene recovery increased with the ratio of by‐product to oil, particularly when using EVOO. In another stage of the study, consumers evaluated EVOO that contained two doses of tomato by‐product (10% and 20%, w/v). Consumers preferred the EVOO from 10% tomato by‐product ratio over that with 20%. Additionally, 83.8% of consumers stated that enriched oil could be deemed beneficial for health. The proposed method considers the fundamental principles of the circular economy and practical industrial scenario to recover lycopene from tomato by‐product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As agile processes are increasingly adopted for product design, and as consumer preferences are rapidly evolving with increasing information available from digital media, there is a need for a demand model that can accommodate the dynamics of product development. However, existing models of demand estimation, such as the discrete-choice models, do not capture the dynamics of product development and decision-making processes and thus are unable to effectively capture the effect of product updates and the release of information. To address this gap, we present a dynamic demand model and demonstrate how it can be used to determine the optimal time to release product updates. The demand model is based on decision field theory (DFT), which enables the modeling of the dynamic behavior of human decision makers. The contributions of this article are as follows. First, we formulate a computational model for demand modeling built on DFT and demonstrate the viability of using the model to determine product release strategies. Second, we provide analytical approximations of the demand model and compare the accuracy of the approximated demand against the demand predicted by the dynamics model. Third, we show an example of a game played by competitors trying to optimize demand for their products by choosing the optimal update time relative to each other. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of parameter estimation using only the demand data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to discover the motives behind several Muslim youths in Indonesia who consume 0% alcohol drinks from popular alcohol brands even though the drink is not halal certified. This phenomenological research describes a factual reality based on the informant's experience as a consumer of 0% alcohol drink. Data sources were obtained through direct and indirect interviews with 15 informants, namely Muslim youth who consume 0% alcohol with an age range of 15-25 years. The results of this study indicate that there are internal and external motives behind Muslim youths consuming 0% alcohol. Internal motives from within Muslim adolescents include curiosity and the desire to try as an alternative to drinking, as well as to relieve stress and to refresh themselves. Meanwhile, external motives or influences from outside the Muslim youth include invitations from peers and environmental influences. This research also identified that some perpetrators who drink 0% of alcoholic drinks made by popular alcohol brands have low awareness of the halal label. This study contributes to global research by revealing how Muslim youth in Indonesia, driven by curiosity and peer influence, consume 0% alcohol drinks despite the lack of halal certification. This study suggests increasing halal awareness among Muslim adolescents through education and encouraging the Indonesian Ulema Council to emphasize the importance of halal certification, particularly for 0% alcohol drinks, to guide informed consumer choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China, as the world's largest producer, trader, and consumer of aquatic foods, lacks comprehensive research on consumption patterns and willingness to pay for sustainable aquatic food. This study addressed this gap through an online survey of 3403 participants across Chinese provinces. A majority of consumers (34.7% of the participants) consume aquatic food twice or more per week, mainly from traditional markets (26%). Most prefer fresh or live products (76%), with 42% seeing no difference between farmed and wild options. Consumption is higher among older, affluent, urban, and coastal residents. Crustaceans, especially shrimp, are frequently consumed species, with growing interest in luxury species like salmon and abalone. Taste and quality emerge as the primary factors motivating consumer choices in aquatic food purchases. Food safety is the primary concern, followed by environmental impact. Notably, 92.4% of participants would pay extra for certified products. Factors influencing a higher willingness to pay include higher income, inland residence, price sensitivity, origin consciousness, and concerns about food safety and the environment. The findings highlight that China's aquatic food industry and consumption can become more sustainable by aligning with consumer preferences for high-quality and diverse aquatic food through both production and import, while also addressing concerns related to food safety and environmental impact. This research provides valuable insights into China's rapidly transforming aquatic food market landscape, offering implications for industry innovation and the promotion of sustainable consumption patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meat of local livestock breeds often has unique qualities and flavors. In this study, three Shanghai native pig breeds (MSZ, SWT, and SHB) exhibited better meat quality traits than globalized commercial pig breeds (DLY). Subsequently, metabolomic and lipidomic differences in the longissimus dorsi (L) and gluteus (T) muscles of the Shanghai native pig breeds and DLY pig breed were compared using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The results demonstrated that the metabolites mainly consisted of (28.16%) lipids and lipid-like molecules, and (25.87%) organic acids and their derivatives were the two most dominant groups. Hundreds of differential expression metabolites were identified in every compared group, respectively. One-way ANOVA was applied to test the significance between multiple groups. Among the 20 most abundant differential metabolites, L-carnitine was significantly different in the muscles of the four pig breeds (p-value = 7.322 × 10−11). It was significantly higher in the L and T muscles of the two indigenous black pig breeds (MSZ and SWT) than in the DLY pigs (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, lipidomic analysis revealed the PA (18:0/18:2) was significantly more abundant in the muscle of these two black breeds than that in the DLY breed (p-value < 0.001). These specific metabolites and lipids might influence the meat quality and taste properties and lead to customer preferences. Therefore, this study provided insights into the characterization of meat metabolites and lipids in Shanghai native pig breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the impact of e-marketing on consumers' preference to purchase hybrid cars, through the conduction of a field study on the hybrid car users in the Northern Border Region in Saudi Arabia. The research aims to comprehend the relationship between e-marketing campaigns and increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of hybrid cars, and how their decisions are affected by this awareness when purchasing cars. The research aims to shed light on the role of e-marketing in encouraging the use of hybrid cars and identifying the factors influencing consumers' decisions in this context. The research aims to identify factors influencing users' responses to such information, including advertising campaigns, environmental attitudes, future orientations, and governmental incentives. A survey was conducted to a total of 385 hybrid car users and data analysis relied on structural equation modeling deploying the Amos software. The results indicate the existence of a relationship and impact between e-marketing campaigns and user awareness, leading to an increased preference for hybrid cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the optimal authorization strategy for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the optimal distribution channel choice for a platform, and their interactions. We developed four models based on the OEM's two strategy choices — authorization and non-authorization strategies, and the platform having two distribution channels for refurbished products: reselling and agency selling channels. Our results indicate that the authorization strategy is optimal for the OEM when consumer's preference for refurbished products is not sufficiently high. Unlike conventional research, an increase in the production cost of a new product leads to different choices for the OEM. Specifically, the OEM prefers a non-authorization strategy in the reselling channel and an authorization strategy in the agency selling channel. Moreover, under the OEM's authorization strategy, the platform always adopts a reselling channel for refurbished products. However, under the OEM's non-authorization strategy, the platform's choice is determined by the commission fee and the production cost of the new product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the significance of customer happiness in project business management and introduces the Kano Model as a tool for understanding and prioritizing customer needs. The Kano Model categorizes customer requirements into three types: must-be requirements, one-dimensional requirements, and excitement requirements. The article provides a case study illustrating the importance of exceeding customer expectations and adding value to their experience. It emphasizes that customer happiness leads to loyalty and future business opportunities. The article also explains how to identify the Kano level of a requirement using a questionnaire developed by Noriaki Kano and presents a successful implementation of the Kano Model in a software implementation project. Overall, the article highlights the importance of understanding customer needs and the potential benefits of implementing the Kano Model in project business management. [Extracted from the article]

Due to the sheer number of available choices, online retailers frequently use tiered assortment to present products. In this case, groups of products are arranged across multiple pages or stages, and a customer clicks on "next" or "load more" to access them sequentially. Despite the prevalence of such assortments in practice, this topic has not received much attention in the existing literature. In this work, we focus on a sequential choice model that captures customers' behavior when product recommendations are presented in tiers. We analyze multiple variants of tiered assortment optimization (TAO) problems by imposing "no-duplication" and capacity constraints. For the offline setting involving known customers' preferences, we characterize the properties of the optimal tiered assortment and propose algorithms that improve the computational efficiency over the existing benchmarks. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study the online setting of the TAO problem. A unique characteristic of our online setting, absent from the one-tier MNL bandit, is partial feedback. Products in the lower priority tiers are not shown when a customer has purchased a product or has chosen to exit at an earlier tier. Such partial feedback, along with product interdependence across tiers, increases the learning complexity. For both the noncontextual and contextual problems, we propose online algorithms and quantify their respective regrets. Moreover, we are able to construct tighter uncertainty sets for model parameters in the contextual case and thus improve the performance. We demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed algorithms through numerical experiments. This paper was accepted by J. George Shanthikumar, data science. Supplemental Material: The data files and e-companion are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4940. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Random coefficient multinomial logit models are widely used to estimate customer preferences from sales data. However, these estimation models can only allow for products with positive sales; this selection leads to highly biased estimates in long tail markets, that is, markets where many products have zero or low sales. Such markets are increasingly common in areas such as online retail and other online marketplaces. In this paper, we propose a two-stage estimator that uses machine learning to correct for this bias. Our method first uses deep learning to predict the market shares of all products, where the neural network's structure mirrors the random coefficient multinomial logit model's data generating process. In the second stage, we use the predictions of the first stage to reweight the observed shares in a way that corrects for the induced bias and maintains the causal interpretation of the structural model. We show that the estimated parameters are consistent in the number of markets. Our method performs well on simulated and real long tail data, producing accurate estimates of customer behavior. These improved estimates can subsequently be used to provide prescriptive policy recommendations on important managerial decisions such as pricing, assortment, and so on. This paper was accepted by Gabriel Weintraub, revenue management and market analytics. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4893. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic aspects mainly drive fish consumption preferences among consumers. A study was carried out to assess the fish preference, quantity of fish consumed, frequency and socioeconomic characteristics of consumers in Mpwapwa District in 2023. Factors affecting fish consumption by the residents of Mpwapwa District were also explored. A sample size of 150 individuals from various villages of Mpwapwa District was randomly selected to ensure representation across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. An openended structured questionnaire was employed in data collection. Results indicated that 44.00% of the respondents favoured eating tilapia, 37.33% preferred catfish and 18.67% ate other fishes. Most respondents ate fish once per week (41.00%), while few ate fish more than once per week (23.00%). A significant (p<0.05) positive correlation between fish consumption frequency and income and education level was observed. Fish consumption among age groups, marital status, gender, education level and season were observed to vary significantly (p<0.05). The amount and frequency of fish consumption in Mpwapwa District is below that of Tanzania and the worldwide average, particularly for lower socioeconomic groups. Fish consumption in Mpwapwa can be increased by providing education and training to the community on the importance of fish consumption and improved sanitation in the fish marketplace. Concurrently, fish availability and consumption should be dispersed throughout the year instead of being consumed seasonally. This study provides useful information for increasing fish consumption in Mpwapwa District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making regarding the low-carbon supply chain, considering corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the heterogeneous preferences of consumers, has become an urgent topic to be explored. This paper explores the decision-making problem of a low-carbon supply chain considering the heterogeneous preferences of consumers under different CSR situations, analyzes the influence of important parameters on each equilibrium solution, compares the size relationship of each equilibrium solution under different CSR situations, and verifies the conclusions obtained through numerical simulation. Then, based on the obtained equilibrium solution, a CSR evolutionary game model of the low-carbon supply chain is constructed, and the evolutionary stability strategies of the two sides on the CSR game are solved. Finally, the evolutionary trajectory of the game system is intuitively presented using a simulation method, and the influence of the main parameters on the evolutionary trends of the two sides is analyzed. The findings are as follows: (1) When both manufacturers and retailers undertake CSR, the retail price and wholesale price are their lowest, while carbon emission reduction, total market demand, manufacturer utility, retailer utility, and supply chain total utility are the highest. (2) When a company undertakes CSR, carbon emission reduction, total market demand, manufacturer utility, retailer utility, and supply chain total utility all increase with the increase in the CSR degree of the company and the ratio of the potential scale of low-carbon consumers to the potential scale of ordinary consumers. (3) The evolutionary stability strategy for both manufacturers and retailers is to undertake CSR. In addition, the initial proportion of manufacturers and retailers that undertake CSR, the low-carbon preference of low-carbon consumers, and the increase in the ratio of the potential scale of low-carbon consumers to the potential scale of ordinary consumers can encourage both members of the supply chain to undertake CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleansing products, particularly innovative cosmetic foams, must efficiently remove impurities with minimal impact on the skin barrier and have a favorable sensory profile. The choice of product ingredients is crucial to ensure the optimal characteristics. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the variability in the characteristics of a cleansing foam to achieve desired properties. The novelty of this study lies in the combination of ingredients for their potential synergistic and complementary effects in cleansing dry skin, as well as the application of Quality by Design (QbD) elements to develop and optimize the formulation of cleansing foam. The effects of varying the concentration of mild surfactants, polyols, and gel-forming agents on the properties of the gels and of the generated foams were studied. Significant influences of the formulation factors were observed: an increased ratio of xanthan gum positively impacted the texture properties of the gel, whereas higher concentrations of surfactants had a negative impact on these parameters. Additionally, increasing the polyols ratio was found to negatively influence the foaming property and stability of the foam. The study established an optimal formulation of a cleansing foam with a ratio of 0.45% xanthan gum, 26.19% surfactants and 2.16% polyols to be used for dry skin hygiene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The increased availability of infused red chili oil in the Northwest China market can be attributed to cultural practices, culinary preferences, and environmental factors. However, despite its popularity, there is a lack of systematic investigation into the formulation and production processes of authentic red chili oil. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of pre-heating oil temperature on the quality attributes of red chili oil products. The results revealed that higher pre-heating oil temperatures in the range of 100–200 °C led to a darker color of red chili oil. Concurrently, the pungency of the oil decreased as the pre-heating temperatures increased, with the total capsaicinoid content significantly reduced from 0.29 g/kg to 0.12 g/kg. Besides, over 80 volatile components were identified in the oil, with aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, and esters being the predominant compounds. The total volatile levels notably increased with higher pre-heating oil temperatures, specifically with significant elevations in aldehydes, alcohols, and ketones, while the levels of ketones, hydrocarbons, and nitriles decreased. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the optimal quality attributes, characterized by moderate spiciness, robust flavor, and vivid color, were observed in oils pre-heated between 140 °C and 160 °C. These insights provide valuable guidance for optimizing the production of red chili oil to meet consumer preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenolic metabolites, antioxidant properties, and minerals of rice are highly affected by various hydrothermal treatments including cooking process. The purpose of this study was to use a metabolomic strategy to compare the effects of parboiling on metabolites, antioxidant capacity, and mineral content in raw rice, cooked rice, and rice gruel. The antioxidant properties of raw rice, cooked rice, and rice gruel, as well as specific phenolic metabolites and other phenolic compounds, were studied using multivariate analysis. MetaboAnalyst was utilized to determine the metabolic pathway. Cooked parboiled rice had higher Zn and Fe levels as compared to cooked non-parboiled rice. Parboiled rice lost 18.82% P, 9.27% K, 9.67% Mg, and 16.90% total phenol content, while non-parboiled rice lost 19.20% P, 17.92% K, and 25.19% phenol due to gruel removal during preparation. Notably, epicatechin was the most abundant metabolite in all samples, followed by 3,5-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin hydrate, and positively correlated with Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity. Parboiled rice with gruel can be a heather choice for consumers than other parboiled or non-parboiled rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-store grocery shopping is still widely preferred by consumers despite the rising popularity of online grocery shopping. Moreover, hardware-based in-store navigation systems and shopping list applications such as Walmart's Store Map, Kroger's Kroger Edge, and Amazon Go have been developed by supermarkets to address the inefficiencies in shopping. But even so, the current systems' cost-effectiveness, optimization capability, and scalability are still an issue. In order to address the existing problems, this study investigates the optimization of grocery shopping by proposing a proximity-driven dynamic sorting algorithm with the assistance of machine learning. This research method provides us with an analysis of the impact and effectiveness of the two machine learning models or ML-DProSA variants—agglomerative hierarchical and affinity propagation clustering algorithms—in different setups and configurations on the performance of the grocery shoppers in a simulation environment patterned from the actual supermarket. The unique shopping patterns of a grocery shopper and the proximity of items based on timestamps are utilized in sorting grocery items, consequently reducing the distance traveled. Our findings reveal that both algorithms reduce dwell times for grocery shoppers compared to having an unsorted grocery shopping list. Ultimately, this research with the ML-DProSA's optimization capabilities aims to be the foundation in providing a mobile application for grocery shopping in any grocery stores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]