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• Consumer origin influences quality perception, probably due to familiarity. • Local cheeses are perceived as higher in sensory quality than non-local cheeses. • Perceived Sensory Quality (PSQ) is related to liking to a certain extent. • Sensory drivers of PSQ do not clearly differ according to consumers' origin. We aim at studying consumers' Perceived Sensory Quality (PSQ) concept. We manipulated a priori both familiarity (contrast local vs. foreign cheeses) and quality level (contrast PDO or traditional cheeses vs. their non-PDO and/or industrial counterpart). The study was run in four European countries. Thus, eight cheeses (one PDO or traditional cheese and one non-PDO cheese from each of the four European countries) were assessed by a total of 438 consumers (from 100 to 120 consumers from each region) in terms of PSQ and liking. The cheeses were also described by a trained panel. PSQ depended on both consumers' and cheeses' origin. The main finding is that in the three countries with PDO culture, consumers identified domestic PDO cheese as having a significantly higher PSQ than its non-PDO counterpart, whereas they were not able to differentiate PDO and non-PDO cheeses from other countries. Overall, sensory drivers of PSQ were similar across consumers of different origin but, the relationship between PSQ and liking is higher for non-local cheeses than for local cheeses. Overall, the results support the idea that PSQ is related to liking but is also modulated by product familiarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 14 Ethyl esters of red wine can be replaced by just 3 esters in young red wine. • Or just by 1 (ethyl 2 or 3-methylbutyrate) in an oaky red wine. • Aroma integration allows defining Aroma Vectors as basic perceptual units. • Sub/peri thresholds esters play an outstanding role on aroma intensity. • Aroma simplification requires an increase of Odor Activity Value to keep intensity. Aroma contribution of individual esters has been studied in complex mixtures mimicking red wine models. A mixture containing 14 ethyl esters at concentrations found in wine (V1) was prepared and kept as reference. Isointense and qualitatively similar aroma vectors with a reduced number of esters (V2-V7) were prepared. Those vectors were introduced in two reconstituted wines to assess whether simpler vectors could replace V1 without compromising wine quality. In the simpler young wine model, V1 could be replaced by a vector containing just 3 odorants (ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl butyrate and hexanoate). In the oaky model, a vector containing just ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (V7) could replace V1 without any discernible sensory change. Results also reveal that sub- or perithreshold odorants play outstanding roles on the overall odour intensity of the mixture and that aroma simplification concomitantly implies an increase in the amount of odorant required to keep the intensity of the aroma vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the representation of the association between two contradicting concepts: premium and low-priced foods (instant noodles and yogurt) by different age group. Subjects undertook free word association tasks relating to the cue words premium , instant noodles , yogurts, premium instant noodles , premium yogurts and rated their importance. Subjects comprised 150 individuals from three different age groups: the adolescents (AD), aged 13–18 years; the young adults (YA), aged 19–29 years;, and the middle-aged adults (MA), aged >30-years. Words elicited from subjects were classified into central core and peripheral elements according to their frequency of occurrence and their importance. Representations of instant noodle , premium noodles , yogurt and premium yogurt were compared to examine whether the use of the term premium has a food-specific influence or a universal effect on the development of representations. Differences in representations among age groups were investigated using correspondence analysis. The central core of both premium instant noodles and premium yogurt consisted of delicious , health , and good for health. In addition, high quality , expensive , price , and good were transferred from the representation of premium to both those of yogurt and instant noodles. This suggests that the addition of the term premium has a universal effect across food items. Addition of premium to instant noodle and yogurt increased negative emotions. The representation of premium instant noodles and premium yogurt significantly differed by age. MA associated premium food items with price while YA related them with quality aspects. These differences seemed to be associated with the experiences that each group had gathered with regard to the terms premium, instant noodles, and yogurt. Unlabelled Image • The representations of unfamiliar concepts, premium food items, were studied. • The core concepts of premium food items were health and tastiness. • The addition of premium to a food item negatively influenced emotional valence. • The addition of premium to a food item had universal effect across food categories. • Age influenced the formation of representations of premium food items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do consumers know what organic processed food is and are they able to correctly identify it? This article aimed to address these questions in Brazil. We used the snowball methodology to disseminate the questionnaire (1,690 answers) containing 21 questions regarding: 1. frequency of consumption, 2. self-assessment of knowledge regarding organic processed food, 3. ability to identify the organic label, 4. knowledge regarding the organic processed food identity standards, 5. socioeconomic profile. Participants' self-assessed knowledge showed positive associations with both the knowledge regarding identity standards and the ability to identify organic labels. Younger, more educated participants who were responsible for domestic purchases were more likely to correctly identify organic processed food. No compelling evidence was found that frequency of organic processed food consumption affected the performance on the questionnaire. We also found evidence that regions of residence affect the level of knowledge and ability to identify organic processed food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine is of great economic and cultural significance for South Africa, but some population groups were until relatively recently denied equal access to wine and alcohol products. The South African wine industry has launched various campaigns in recent years that aimed at portraying wine as an acceptable and attractive choice when alcohol consumption is considered. It is therefore appropriate now to investigate whether these endeavors of the South African wine industry have resulted in particular consumer behavior and preferences that could serve as input to enhance strategies when marketing to South African consumers. This study uses the thematic analysis method to identify themes that could be of value for wine marketers. To collect data for the study, a total of 44 consumers were assigned to 6 focus groups. Eight main themes driving consumer choices emerged from the data: journey and role of life-stage, context of consumption, conceptualizations, barriers, price and purchasing, bottle closures, health, sensory perception, and cultivars. The influences of gender and ethnicity on consumers' perceptions of wine and wine consumption were investigated. Gender produced the biggest differences in respect of respondents' perceptions about wine and wine consumption whilst ethnicity did not appear to be of any significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the effect of the incorporation of micronized salt on physicochemical, yield and consumer's sensory characteristics of beef burger. The micronized salt was obtained by sieving the commercial salt in a 60-mesh stainless steel sieve. The commercial (regular salt) and micronized salt presented differences in the mean size, size distribution and bulk density. Half of the amount of the micronized salt was mixed with pork back fat, and the other half was added to the meat batter in the beef burger manufacture. A Pivot profile method was used with consumers to describe the sensory properties of the burger samples (ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% NaCl). The Pivot profile data revealed that treatments with 0.75% and 0.5% micronized salt were mainly characterized as dry, besides showing the highest cooking loss and diameter reduction. However, beef burgers with 1.0% micronized salt and 1.5% regular salt had similar perceived salty taste. In terms of salt reduction, the results indicated that it would be possible to reduce salt from 1.5% to 1.0% when using micronized salt, without affecting the pH, color parameters, yield properties and some sensory characteristics of the burger, such as salty, tasty, juicy, fatty, and spicy. Therefore, this strategy promises great potential for industrial application in products that contain lipids in their composition, such as meat products. Unlabelled Image • Micronized salt (MS) was used to reduce sodium in beef burger. • Half of the MS was mixed with pork back fat. • Treatments with 1.0% and 1.5% salt showed similar characteristics. • Salt reduction (33%) using MS did not affect the salty taste of beef burger. • It is suggested the industrial application of MS for products containing lipids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Early-blind individuals had more difficulty to categorize wine odors. • Early-blind individuals do not seem to have higher olfactory sensitivity. • Red wines were easier to classify followed by white and then rosé wines. Abstract Blind individuals display superior sensory abilities in other modalities, yet results remain contradictory regarding their performance on olfactory tasks. Using complex ecological olfactory tasks, we evaluated the impact of blindness on olfactory performance. We tested 12 early-blind individuals (M = 49, SD = 13.09) and 12 sighted controls (M = 49, SD = 14.31) who were all blindfolded. Based solely on the wine odors, participants evaluated 24 pairs of wine and determined if both samples belonged to the same category (red wine, white wine, or rosé wine) or not (odor categorization), and if so, whether they were identical or not (odor differentiation). Then, they had to classify 15 different wines (5 red, 5 white and 5 rosé) into red, white, and rosé wines (odor classification). Blind individuals (d ′: M = 1.3, SD = 1.2) presented lower scores compared to sighted controls (M = 2.2 SD = 0.8; p <.05) in the odor categorization task, but no group difference was observed for the other tasks. For all participants, red wine odors were the easiest to classify (1.8 ± 1.0), followed by white wine odors (0.5 ± 0.6) and finally rosé wine odors (blind and sighted; F [2; 44] = 11.9, p <.001). In summary, early-blind individuals had a harder time to categorize wine odors. This could be explained by a different construction of internal reference categories for wine in early-blind individuals. Finally, this research is in line with the notion of the absence of higher olfactory sensitivity in blind individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product experience is shaped by the interaction between the human systems and the product. Human systems include a sensory system to perceive the surrounding world, an affective system that evokes emotional responses to certain stimuli, and a cognitive system that makes meaning and processes information. We hypothesise that experience is a combination between these three systems rather than a linear continuum of hedonic reactions. In order to test this hypothesis, we conducted a study measuring the experience of drinking craft and industrial beers. A total of 400 consumers were invited to drink beer, rate their liking and select a set of phrases that better described their drinking experience. Results showed no significant difference in expected liking and purchase intention between the eight beers evaluated. However, a difference between beers was observed for the CATA phrases. Cognitive phrases were more frequently checked for craft beers, while sensory, and affective phrases were more frequently checked for industrial beers. A Multiple Factor Analysis for Contingency Tables showed that the sensory and cognitive systems were more related to liking than the affective system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's market, every product seems to be marked by the label of "experience". It is expected that successful products give the consumer "extraordinary experiences". The research in consumption experience is growing, but much work still needs to be done to understand the food and beverage experience. A qualitative study was conducted using contextual focus groups to explore the building blocks of consumers' drinking experience of industrial and craft beers. The results show that drinking experience is shaped by our cognitive, sensory or affective systems, especially during the core consumption experience. Elements such as attitudes, consumption habits, and individual versus social consumption, shopping experience and product benefits are also responsible for shaping the experience, but are more relevant during the pre-consumption or post-consumption experience. Gender differences occur more frequently in the affective experience, as women search more for relaxation while men for excitement and stimulation while drinking beer. When comparing industrial users versus craft, in the latter the cognitive and shopping experiences are more relevant. Overall, the results showed that the drinking experience of beers can be studied as a function of the salient human system used during product interaction, and this systems act as the building blocks of the drinking experience of beer. This information can be applied in consumer research studies to further study the experiential differences across products and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this work was to evaluate the effect of vineyard position on the minerality of wines and to establish relationships between minerality scores, sensory descriptors and chemical composition. Sensory analyses included minerality rating and free description performed by wine professionals under two conditions: orthonasal olfaction alone and global tasting. Chemical characterization included analysis of major and minor volatile compounds, volatile sulphur compounds, mercaptans, metals, anions and cations. Results showed a significant effect of the river bank on wine minerality scores only in the orthonasal olfaction condition, samples from the left being more mineral than those from the right bank. Methanethiol, involved in shellfish aroma, was significantly higher in wines from the left (more mineral) than from the right bank. Contrary, copper levels, related to lower levels of free MeSH, and norisoprenoids, responsible for white fruit and floral aromas, were higher in wines from the right bank (less mineral). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of reference materials with defined mouthfeel properties makes it difficult to progress in finding the chemical compound or group of compounds responsible for such properties in complex foods or beverages such as wine. The present work aimed at developing a chemo-sensory strategy providing different odorless fractions with consistent mouthfeel properties. Three wines with different mouthfeel properties were separated in six different odorless fractions per wine by semipreparative liquid chromatography and Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE). Fractions were sensory analyzed by sorting task, repertory grid, triangulation and Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) with wine experts. In parallel, fractions were chemically characterized by spectrophotometrical strategies, UPLC-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS. A list of 23 terms related to in-mouth properties (18 to mouthfeel) was generated and successfully employed in the description of wines and fractions by RATA analysis. Fractions containing oligomers of flavanols (from tetramers up to decamers) were mainly coarse , grainy , dry on the tongue and dry on the palate . More surprising was the sensory properties of a fraction containing anthocyanin-derivative pigments, which was especially dry , bitter and persistent as was the original wine. This fraction did not contain either oligomers or polymers of flavanols or flavanol-anthocyanin pigments, but a series of trimers of anthocyanins tentatively identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Further separation strategies are being developed to isolate anthocyanin-derived compounds to further confirm their sensory impact in wines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of craft beer has been changing worldwide; it passed from a rarely known to a common product amongst consumers. In the past years craft beer sales have been growing faster than the dominant lager-style in countries with different beer tradition like Mexico and France. A change in consumption habits is a sign that the representation of the product is changing. It is, therefore, valuable to understand the elements and structure of this new representation. The present study was conducted to understand the impact of culture and consumption habits on beer representation. Three-hundred male consumers (craft and industrial beer users) were interviewed in Mexico and France. Participants were asked to perform: (1) free word association task using “craft beer” as inductor word, (2) ranking task of the evoked words based on their importance, and (3) valence rating task of each evoked word. Each word was characterized by a mean importance value and a frequency of elicitation to identify their role as central or peripheral elements in the representation. Results showed that consumers from same culture share similar social representations of craft beer, even when they have different consumption habits (craft–industrial). Mexican consumers share alcohol, and flavour as central elements in their representations but share only one peripheral element “tradition”. French consumers share two central elements taste and party. When comparing consumers across cultures, French and Mexican craft participants share no central elements in their representations towards beer; whereas industrial beer consumers share one element “alcohol”. Craft consumers seem to have a more structured social representation, sustained or nourished on consumption habits, whilst the representation of industrial beer consumers seems less resistant, or capable of changing over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of evaluation condition on quality judgements of wine experts was evaluated. Quality perceived by wine experts was investigated under the assumption that this construct is built from multimodal sensory inputs. Twenty-one wine experts from Rioja (Spain) scored the intrinsic quality of 16 Spanish red wines under four conditions: (i) visual stimulation only, (ii) orthonasal olfaction alone, (iii) in-mouth sensations only (wearing a nose clip) and (iv) global tasting. Agreement among judges and the effect of evaluation condition were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and ANOVA, respectively. In parallel, a trained panel described aroma, taste and in-mouth sensory properties such as astringency, global intensity and persistence. CIELab colour coordinates were also obtained. These descriptive data were submitted to regression analyses to explore their relationship with quality scores derived from the four evaluation conditions. Common mental representations of wine quality under visual, olfactory and global conditions were confirmed, while there was not a clear quality construct based exclusively on taste and mouthfeel properties. Wine taste and mouth-feel quality concept is suggested to be built only in combination with aroma and/or colour stimuli, and thus within a wine context. Global quality judgement integrated information provided by visual and olfactory cues, even if olfactory stimuli were suggested to have more importance on the construction of the global quality concept of wine experts. Significant interactions between wine and evaluation condition revealed significant differences in quality scores dependent on the stimuli received during tasting and on the wine judged. Sensory cues driving quality, especially visual and in-mouth properties varied depending on the evaluation condition, which suggested that global wine quality concept would be the result of the integration of perceptual and cognitive information rather than a collection of independent stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food choices tend to be stable over time; they do not change fast, since consumers tend to act like creatures of habits. However, food habits can evolve, like currently the craft beer category. A change of habits involves a change of perception towards a product. Therefore, what is changing in the perception of beer? Two studies were conducted to address this question. First study was preliminary and aimed at exploring beer consumption habits in Mexico and a better understanding of craft beer representation among beer users. A questionnaire was administrated to 207 consumers in Mexico City during a beer festival. Results showed that respondents could be classified in: industrial beer (41.1%), occasional industrial (24.1%), and craft beer (34.8%) consumers. Craft cluster included mostly 25-35 years old men with high-income level. Among the craft beers cited by respondents from this cluster some are industrial, suggesting that the concept of craft beer might not be well defined, or defined in ideological terms. The second and main study was conducted using consumer ethnographies to understand the motivations and benefits of craft beer consumption. Opposite to industrial, craft beer emerges as an experience-based and symbolic product rather than a utilitarian one. The main motivation for drinking craft beer seems to be the quest of authenticity. Respondents' motivations to drink craft beer are generated by three important factors: desire for more knowledge, new taste experiences, and move away from the mainstream beer consumption. Craft consumers do not drink the product for its functional attributes, they consume it for what it means and as a consequence they build an identity, perceived as more authentic and unique, in comparison to the mainstream industrial beer consumption in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Category learning is an important aspect of expertise development which had been little studied in the chemosensory field. The wine literature suggests that through repeated exposure to wines, sensory information is stored by experts as prototypes. The goal of this study was to further explore this issue using beers. We tested the ability of beer consumers to correctly categorize beers from two different categories (top- and bottom-fermented beers) before and after repeated exposure with feedback to beers from these categories. We found that participants learned to identify the category membership of beers to which they have been exposed but were unable to generalize their learning to other beers. A retrospective verbal protocol questionnaire administrated at the end of the experiment indicates that contrary to what was suggested in the wine literature, prototype extraction is probably not the only mechanism implicated in category learning of foods and beverages. Exemplar-similarity and feature-frequency models might provide a better account of the course of learning of the categorization task studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cooking ability and food neophobia may be negatively correlated. • Cooking ability only weakly influenced the hedonic scores. • Cooking ability did not consistently influence consumers' ability to discriminate between Bolognese samples through sensory perception using CATA. • Bolognese prepared with meat (beef) was not liked more than that prepared with some meat substitutes. • Meat based Bolognese cannot be assumed to be liked more than with meat substitutes. Encouraging consumers to reduce their meat consumption is imperative in mitigating climate change effects related to the food industry. For some, transitioning away from meat may be facilitated by meat substitutes. However, these are not always accepted as suitable alternatives to meat due to a combination of psychological, situational, and sensorial aspects. The influence of factors such as cooking ability on hedonics and sensory discrimination of meat and meat substitutes is currently under-researched. The present study investigated such effects. Consumers (N = 101) of varying cooking ability and food neophobia (measured using questionnaires) tasted and evaluated six mince products (one beef and five meat substitutes – three soybean-based, one mycoprotein-based, and one oat-based) prepared in a Bolognese sauce. They rated liking for overall, appearance, aroma, taste/flavour, and texture, and profiled the products sensorially using check-all-that-apply (CATA). It was found that meat substitutes can be liked just as much as, if not more than, beef in the application of Bolognese sauce. No main effects of cooking ability were found for any modality of liking, though an interaction between cooking ability and sample was found for liking of flavour/taste. Consumers' ability to sensorially discriminate between the Bolognese sauces was not dependent on their cooking ability. Several attributes that contributed to (dis)liking were identified. An additional online sample (N = 288) completed only the cooking ability and food neophobia questionnaires. A negative relationship was detected between cooking ability and food neophobia for the combined consumer and online datasets (total N = 389). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Six contextual focus groups to disentangle wine drinking experience. • Wine drinking experience is multidimensional. • Cognitive, affective and sensory dimensions drive wine drinking experience. • Low involved consumers rely mainly on affective and sensory dimensions. • Experts are motivated especially by sensory and cognitive dimensions of wine. • High involved consumers rely similarly on sensory, cognitive and affective cues. In experiential literature there is a collective accord that consumers' experiences should be conceptualised in a multi-dimensional configuration. From the sensory science viewpoint, the recent focus on consumption experience is gaining momentum but more findings are still needed. This study aims to reveal the dimensions shaping the wine drinking experience as well as their saliency and predominance among consumers with different levels of involvement and expertise. Six contextual focus group interviews were performed with 43 Spanish wine consumers and professionals stratified into groups based on levels of involvement and expertise. The main findings indicate that in all groups, the dimensions of sense, affect, and cognition operate to shape the drinking experience but at different levels. Low involved consumers (LI) privilege sensory and emotional dimensions, while experts attend closely to the sensory and cognitive dimensions. High involved consumers (HI) have an intermediate behaviour between LI and experts relying similarly on sensory, cognitive and affective cues. Results are put in perspective with findings in experiential literature spotlighting the application of the multidimensional experiential framework in sensory and consumer wine science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shift towards a plant-based diet is desired to promote sustainability, improve health, and minimize animal suffering. However, many consumers are not willing to make such a transition, because of attachment to meat and unwillingness to change habits. The present work explored the perception of Norwegian and French consumers' attitudes, barriers and opportunities to increase the likelihood of a shift in diet. Three creative focus groups (CFGs), using interactive tasks such as photo-collage, projective mapping, story completion and third person technique, were run with omnivorous adult consumers in each country. CFGs gathers undirected feedback, providing less biased responses than other exploration methods, related to e.g. social norms. In both countries, results were in general lines comparable. Nutritional knowledge was low regarding vegetable proteins; familiar sources of protein were mostly animal. There is a strong gap between respondents' desired behaviour (balancing nutrition, eating less meat) and their actual behaviour: meat is very important, and the menu is often organized around it. Consumers are curious about vegetable sources of protein, but major constraints were hedonics in France, and convenience in Norway. The main barrier to a shift in diet is the lack of knowledge on how to prepare plant-based meals. Many participants find a conflict between health & sustainability in industrial products, perceiving them as highly processed and suggesting that meat replacers might not be a straightforward way to drive omnivorous consumers to shift to a more plant-based diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We investigated perception of in-mouth attributes in Pinot noir wines. • Smoothness, volume, body, and viscosity drove judgments of high quality. • Bitterness and tannin harshness drove low quality judgments. • Links were shown between wine phenolic composition and key sensory attributes. We investigated perception of mouthfeel in Pinot noir wines and its physicochemical determinants. Seventeen wine professionals judged 18 Pinot noir wines via two tasting tasks, Descriptive Rating and Directed Sorting, the latter based on perception of in-mouth attributes. Selected chemical measures of the same 18 wines were determined. Sensory results demonstrated that mouthfeel attributes driving high quality were smoothness/silky/velvety, volume/fullness/roundness, overall body, and viscosity/mouth-coating, while the taste of bitterness and perceived tannin harshness drove low quality judgments. Perceived astringency and expressions of tannin (e.g., soft; harsh; fine) drove sorting behaviour of participants. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to associate perceived in-mouth phenomena and chemical composition. The phenolic profile, in particular tannin concentration and structure, was the most important predictor of astringency and its sub-components. These results have important implications for wine producers aiming to enhance perceived quality in their Pinot noir wines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An improvement in the characterization and the determination of the solvation parameters allows, not only a better knowledge of solutions, but also of some biological phenomena. In this paper, we test several published data and approaches in the field of solubility and solvation parameters in two ways: (i) the mutual independence of the parameters and (ii) their ability to take into account recently published gas–liquid chromatographic data. From this enquiry it arises that the most suitable published values are those of Abraham concerning 314 solutes. It also arises that the parameters of dispersion and orientation of this published data set are appreciably improved using two simple equations. In addition, a new set of optimized values for 133 solutes is given, by derivation from retention indices in gas–liquid chromatography (GLC) on five selected stationary phases, published by Kováts and co-workers and in the present study. The two sets have a total of 373 defined compounds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Consumers have different fears to COVID-19 and food consumption. • Fear to COVID-19 can be separated into nine dimensions. • Fear can influence consumer's food choices during a confinement period. The coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 completely changed the dynamic of consumption in different sectors of industry. The food and beverage industries have been profoundly affected, from production, to modifications in consumers' choices. Among the different reasons behind those modifications is confinement, which forces consumers to stay at home for an extended period and just go out to perform essential tasks, such as going to the supermarket. We hypothesized that this new dynamic of consumption could create a situation of fear that changes food choice. To test this hypothesis, two studies were conducted in three countries with a different degree of confinement: Mexico (flexible), Spain (strict), and Peru (hard). Study one consisted of a free association task with 60 participants in each country with the inductor word "coronavirus and food". The different associations served as the basis to build a structured questionnaire, which was used in the second study focused on fear and food choice. The second study was applied to 450 participants in the same three countries. Results showed that fear can be separated into nine dimensions: social, emotional, food supply, government, basic needs, food-delivery, overeating, immunity, and family conflicts. The participants could also be clustered into four different groups that differ in their country of origin and sex, but also in their food choice. Overall, the results showed that fear influenced consumer's food choices during a confinement period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• All odors are judged more and more stimulating with increasing stimulus concentration. • Some odors are also judged increasingly relaxing with stimulus concentration. • Relaxing and stimulating labels should not be considered as two extremes of a single "arousal" dimension. It is generally assumed that intensity can be used as a proxy of the arousing properties of odors: the more concentrated an odorant, the more intense an odor and the more stimulating and the less relaxing the odor. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the relationship between relaxing and stimulating properties of odors when judged on two independent scales, for different levels of stimulus concentration. Thirty-three volunteers judged relaxing, stimulating, pleasantness, familiarity and intensity properties of four odors, namely strawberry, lavender, coffee, and lemon, at five concentrations. Our findings show that for all odors, higher stimulus concentration was associated with higher perceived intensity and higher stimulating judgments whereas it was not associated with lower relaxing judgments. On the contrary, lavender and strawberry were also judged more relaxing when stimulus concentration increased whereas coffee and lemon relaxing properties remained the same overall whatever the concentration. Odor familiarity increased with stimuli concentration as well as pleasantness (with the exception of coffee odor). Our results underline the need to use two separate unipolar scales when assessing the relaxing and stimulating properties of odors in self-report questionnaires. They also question the suitability of the commonly used bidimensional framework (valence vs. arousal) to describe olfactory emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mental representation of wine traders from different countries was studied in a world wine trade fair. • Old and New World wine countries' names were used as verbal prompts. • Wines' country-of-origin was more important on guiding traders' representations than their own origin. • Representations for traditional wine exporting countries were precise and specific to their wines. • Non-traditional wine exporting countries produced associations related to the image of the country. Using data collected at a world wine trade fair, we study how the country-of-origin impacts wine traders' mental representation about wines. In the analysis we use traditional exporters in Old (France) and New (Argentina) world wine countries in comparison to non-traditional exporters in Old (Switzerland) and New (Brazil) world wine countries. Three main findings are reported. First, the country-of-origin of wines was more important on guiding participants' representations, than the category of countries the traders came from. Second, participants' evocations were more precise and specific for traditional wine-exporting countries than for less traditional wine exporting countries. Finally, the lack of traders' knowledge of wines from non-traditional wine-exporting countries produced associations and beliefs related to the image of the country itself. Our findings have important implications for the marketing and export activities of the wine industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Perceived quality, complexity and varietal typicality were investigated in Pinot noir wines. • Specific wine attributes drove wine professionals' judgments of each concept. • Quality and complexity were positively associated concepts in Pinot noir wines. • Varietal typicality was virtually synonymous with perceived quality. • Wine colour influence was not a major driver of Pinot noir perceived quality. Quality and complexity are abstract terms employed frequently to describe a wine's overall attributes. In the present study, we investigated: (i) attributes driving wine professionals' judgments of quality and complexity in Pinot noir wines; (ii) the relation between these two abstract concepts; and (iii) association of each concept with varietal typicality. Twenty-two wine professionals evaluated 18 New Zealand Pinot noir wines in both clear and opaque glassware via two sensory tasks, a descriptive rating task and an 8-attribute, perceived complexity questionnaire. Sensory data were associated with wine UV-spectrophotometry colour measures to aid interpretation of the influence of tasting-glass colour. Results demonstrated the key drivers of perceived quality were descriptors varietal typicality, expressiveness, overall structure, and attractive fruit aromatics, along with complexity questionnaire attributes of harmony, balance and number of identifiable flavours. Reductive notes drove low-quality judgments. Data show that quality and complexity were positively associated concepts and that both were linked positively with varietal typicality. Visual influence was not a major driver of wine professionals' judgments but being able to see a wine's colour influenced tasters' judgments to wines at each end of the price/quality spectrum. We discuss the results in terms of cognitive phenomena associated with judgments by those with domain-specific expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoked bacon is a food consumed everywhere and previous work has focused on the sensory properties and acceptability of the product. However, little attention has been given to the non-sensory factors that drive sensory and hedonic perception of this product. In this context, the aim of this work was to study the influence of non-sensory factors on consumer behavior towards smoked bacon, using projective mapping coupled with conjoint analysis. Eight visual stimuli were created using a full factorial design with three factors (convenience, healthiness, and context of consumption), at two levels each. Ninety-five consumers positioned the stimuli in a two-dimensional space considering their similarities and differences, and then, rated their expected liking and purchase intention. According to the projective mapping, consumers based the representation of the stimuli on the three factors under study, but conjoint analysis indicated that healthiness was the most important factor, followed by the context of consumption and convenience. The findings of this study may help in the selection of future strategies in the process of food development, in order to launch products with greater chance of success in the market. • Convenience, healthiness, and context of consumption of smoked bacon were explored using PM and CA. • The first three dimensions of PM were related to the three non-sensory factors under study. • Healthiness was the most important factor while context of consumption and convenience were the least important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Visually impaired panel had a better panel performance vs. sighted panel, after equal training time. • There is no increased sensory short term and long term memory in a blind panel. • Blind panel showed a better semantic memory. • Using blind or sighted panels will bring similar results, but faster training in blind panel. • Authors encourage the use of blind panellists for being similar to a sighted panel and socially responsible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of reducing the content and size of NaCl on the instrumental texture and dynamic sensory profile, and to determine the temporal drivers of liking (TDL). The reduction of the NaCl content decreased the hardness and chewiness parameters, and affected the dynamic sensory profile of the product. The NaCl reduction (<1.0% NaCl) was related to a higher incidence of the attributes off-flavor and dry. In general, the overall liking was driven by the juicy and tasty attributes, the latter being associated with the presence of the sensory attributes salty and seasoned and the texture parameters hardness and chewiness. According to the results, among the treatments with NaCl reduction, the beef burger added with 1.0% micronized salt stood out, since it did not affect considerably the texture parameters, the dynamic sensory profile during chewing and the consumers' liking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wines can develop off-odours that depreciate their quality. Among them, oxidation is one of the most prevalent. The main objective of this work was to study the perception of wine oxidation through the categorization of oxidized wines perceived as not-faulty/faulty depending on the expertise of participants. For this purpose, one white wine and one red wine were spiked with three volatile oxidation compounds (acetaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde and methional) in order to recreate twelve levels of oxidation in a controlled way. Samples were submitted to orthonasal tasting for being categorized by wine experts and novices and coupled to a free description task. Results demonstrated that experts were significantly more consensual to categorize oxidized wines than novices. However, the difference between the two groups was not of great magnitude. To find an explanation, a posteriori individual data treatment was carried out. This analysis highlighted five particular behaviours as a function of the samples' oxidation level, irrespective of the level of expertise. Results also highlighted that for the experts, the frontier between the two categories (not-faulty/faulty) was significantly clearer for the white wine than for the red wine. This same tendency was also observed for the novices. • Small differences between experts and novices in the perception of oxidized wines. • Five different behaviours towards oxidation were found for both experts and novices. • More consensus in the perception of oxidized white wines compared to red wines. • Considering "wine experts" as an a priori group is a rather simplistic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' mental pictures of wine are multifaceted and are shaped by their sensory (taste, smell, visual, sensation) perceptions, in addition to emotional, cultural and extrinsic (brand, price, and awards) influences. This study explores whether consumers from three different wine cultures share mental representations of three wine concepts. Through an online survey, French, Portuguese, and South African wine consumers described their conceptualizations of Wine, Red wine and White wine aroma. Given these nations' rich winemaking traditions and diverse wine styles, differences in consumer perspectives were likely to emerge. The findings demonstrate that, regardless of cultural background, the broad concept of Wine aligns with the more specific Red and White wine conceptualizations, although the latter concepts diverge from each other. Notably, cultural contexts significantly influence participants' representations of Red Wine, with particularly marked contrasts between the South African and French respondents. This suggests that like experts, wine consumers have also built representations of wine through semantic memory. This cross-cultural analysis of consumer interpretations of wine concepts holds the potential for refining marketing strategies to overcome cultural barriers in wine purchasing behaviour., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Fermentation has been used for centuries to produce food in South-East Asia and some foods of this region are famous in the whole world. However, in the twenty first century, issues like food safety and quality must be addressed in a world changing from local business to globalization. In Western countries, the answer to these questions has been made through hygienisation, generalization of the use of starters, specialization of agriculture and use of long-distance transportation. This may have resulted in a loss in the taste and typicity of the products, in an extensive use of antibiotics and other chemicals and eventually, in a loss in the confidence of consumers to the products. The challenges awaiting fermentation in South-East Asia are thus to improve safety and quality in a sustainable system producing tasty and typical fermented products and valorising by-products. At the end of the "AsiFood Erasmus+ project" (www.asifood.org), the goal of this paper is to present and discuss these challenges as addressed by the Tropical Fermentation Network, a group of researchers from universities, research centers and companies in Asia and Europe. This paper presents current actions and prospects on hygienic, environmental, sensorial and nutritional qualities of traditional fermented food including screening of functional bacteria and starters, food safety strategies, research for new antimicrobial compounds, development of more sustainable fermentations and valorisation of by-products. A specificity of this network is also the multidisciplinary approach dealing with microbiology, food, chemical, sensorial, and genetic analyses, biotechnology, food supply chain, consumers and ethnology.

The study's aim was to investigate a central tenet of biodynamic philosophy as applied to wine tasting, namely that wines taste different in systematic ways on days determined by the lunar cycle. Nineteen New Zealand wine professionals tasted blind 12 Pinot noir wines at times determined within the biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers as being favourable (Fruit day) and unfavourable (Root day) for wine tasting. Tasters rated each wine four times, twice on a Fruit day and twice on a Root day, using 20 experimenter-provided descriptors. Wine descriptors spanned a range of varietal-relevant aroma, taste, and mouthfeel characteristics, and were selected with the aim of elucidating both qualitative and quantitative aspects of each wine's perceived aromatic, taste, and structural aspects including overall wine quality and liking. A post-experimental questionnaire was completed by each participant to determine their degree of knowledge about the purpose of the study, and their awareness of the existence of the biodynamic wine drinkers' calendar. Basic wine physico-chemical parameters were determined for the wines tasted on each of a Fruit day and a Root day. Results demonstrated that the wines were judged differentially on all attributes measured although type of day as determined by the biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers did not influence systematically any of the wine characteristics evaluated. The findings highlight the importance of testing experimentally practices that are based on anecdotal evidence but that lend themselves to empirical investigation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The study aimed to determine the relationship between perceived mineral character in wine and wine chemical composition. We investigated the sensory properties and chemical composition of sauvignon blanc wines from two major sauvignon-producing countries, New Zealand and France. Sensory experiments employing 16 wines (8 French, 8 New Zealand) were conducted in Marlborough, New Zealand and in three regions of France, namely Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Sancerre/Loire region. Wine professionals (31 New Zealanders and 32 French professionals) sensorially characterised the 16 wines under three conditions, bouquet only (ortho-nasal olfaction), palate only (nose clip condition), and full tasting (global condition: ortho-nasal olfaction, retronasal olfaction, taste, trigeminal stimulation). Sensory data from the global condition only are reported in this article. Physical and chemical analyses conducted on all wines included wine standard parameters, elemental composition, volatile aroma composition, and measures of organic acids. Major results demonstrate that (i) on average French and New Zealand wines were perceived similarly in intensity of mineral character, although judgments to individual wines differed as a function of participant culture; (ii) French and NZ participants drew on different information to make their sensory judgments; and (iii) several aspects of wine composition associated positively with perception of mineral character while others associated negatively, the significant associations differing as a function of participant culture., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to understand consumers' habits and belief structures concerning local food products and to develop a new snack as a way to fight against children malnutrition in Madagascar. A large variety of natural food resources grow in Madagascar, like Moringa oleifera (MO) which leaves are rich in nutrients but not consumed. First, a survey conducted in four areas of Madagascar revealed that MO leaves are known for their health benefits but infrequently consumed, probably because of their low satiating power and strong odor. In the studied areas, different levels of consumption were observed, which may be linked to varying levels of familiarity with MO by the local populations, this in turn resulting from different situations regarding geographical and historical availability. In contrary, resources such as cassava are perceived as having negative effects on health but are widely consumed because they are cheap, liked by children and satiating. The second step in the study aimed to propose products that could increase MO consumption without completely changing food practices. The acceptability of snacks associating cassava roots and MO was evaluated by means of hedonic tests performed by children. Between the snacks tested, the preferred snack contained the highest quantity of MO and was sweetened. There was no effect of area on the acceptance of the formulated snacks. This work is an evaluation of the potential of MO in the diet of malnourished population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)