Can umami modulate sour taste to enhance consumer liking? An EEG neurogastronomy study

There is tremendous variability in flavor profiles of sharp or aged U.S. cheddar cheese due to varied practices among commercial facilities and the lack of legal definitions for these terms. This study explored U.S. consumer perception and liking of commercial sharp or aged cheddar cheese profiles. Flavor profiles of 29 representative sharp cheddar cheeses were documented by descriptive sensory analysis with a trained panel. A total of 9 representative cheddar cheeses were selected and evaluated by consumers in 3 regional locations: east coast (Raleigh, N.C.; n = 150), midwest (Champaign, Ill.; n = 75), and west coast (Pullman, Wash.; n = 100). Consumers assessed the cheeses for overall liking and other consumer liking attributes. External preference mapping revealed 5 distinct consumer segments. The segment membership distribution between east coast and midwest consumers was similar while the west coast distribution was distinct (P < 0.05). A larger proportion of west coast consumers were present in segment 3, which consisted of consumers with specific likes for cheeses characterized by intense flavors of free fatty acid, brothy, and nutty flavors and salty and sour tastes. Consumer preferences in other segments differed from segment 3 due to their liking of at least 1 sensory attribute generally associated with young or mild cheddar cheese flavor. Key drivers of liking for these segments included whey flavor for segments 1 and 4 and milkfat flavor for segment 5. Segment 2 consumers liked most of the cheeses tested except those with dominant whey flavor. A sharp or aged cheddar cheese label means different things to different consumers and liking profiles are not defined by consumer location.

To promote healthy aging and minimize age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, adequate protein intake throughout the day is needed. Developing and commercializing protein-enriched foods holds great potential to help fulfill the nutritional demands of older consumers. However, innovation of appealing protein-enriched products is a challenging task since protein-enrichment often leads to reduced food palatability. In this study, rye bread and cream cheese prototypes fortified by whey protein hydrolysate (WPH), whey protein isolate (WPI), and/or soy protein isolate (SPI) were developed. Both sensory properties and consumer liking of prototypes were evaluated. Results showed that different proteins had various effects on the sensory characters of rye bread and cream cheese. The taste and texture modification strategies had positive effects in counteracting negative sensory changes caused by protein-enrichment. Consumers preferred 7% WPH and 4% WPH + 4% SPI-enriched breads with taste and texture modified. Sour taste and dry texture had considerable effects on consumer liking of rye bread. Addition of WPI and butter enhanced the flavor of cream cheese and increased consumer acceptance. Protein-enrichment doubled the protein content in the most liked prototypes, which have the potential to be incorporated into older consumers’ diets and improve their protein intake substantially.

Consumption of honey has increased in recent years. This included trigona honey as a new market that is developing. This research was conducted to (1) identify the consumption patterns for Indonesian honey, and (2) identify the sensory attributes of honey considered ideal by consumers which influence consumer acceptance and satisfaction. There were 2 stages of activity in this study, including a consumption online survey by 225 respondents and a sensory testing of honey samples using the CATA (check-all-that-apply) method involving 64 untrained panelists. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS and XLSTAT 2022 software. There were 4 honey samples used in this study: 2 Apis bee honey samples and 2 trigona honey samples. The study showed that the consumption pattern of Indonesian honey consumers is influenced by the consumers’ age and income. Health benefits, brand awareness, and taste of honey were the important factors in consumer behavior. Apis bee honeys were perceived as the ideal honey by consumers as they were very familiar with the taste. The sweet aroma, sweet aftertaste, caramel flavor, and viscous attributes of Apis bee honey were the attributes that the consumers like. The floral flavor and fruity aroma found in trigona honey were appealing. However, the strong sour aroma, taste, and aftertaste found in trigona honeys decrease the Indonesian consumers liking.

Miracle fruit has a high potential as a healthy sweetening enhancer, due to its powerful antioxidant capacity and its unique ability to transform sour taste into sweet taste. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different miracle fruit products on the likings of different sour foods. In total, 200 healthy adults (women 55%, 18–65 years old) evaluated five sour foods (apple, goat cheese, lemonade, yogurt, pickle) before and after miracle fruit application. Four commercial miracle fruit products (pills-Y; G; M, powder-P) were randomly assigned to each panelist. The pre- and post-test likings for overall, flavor, texture, and aftertaste were evaluated by using a nine-point scale. The “meeting expectations” was evaluated only in the post-tests. After miracle fruit administration, all the liking scores in yogurt, goat cheese, and apple increased; in contrast, lemonade and pickle liking scores decreased, except lemonade’s texture with the P product. The Tukey post hoc test showed that the pre-to-post increments for overall, flavor, and texture likings in yogurt and in overall and flavor likings in apple using M product were significantly higher than using other products (p < 0.05). This study suggests that miracle fruit application can be an effective method for im-proving consumer likings for yogurt, goat cheese, and apple.

Developing food products for children requires their involvement since their needs differ from those of adults. Descriptive methods are helpful in defining product's sensory properties that drive consumer's liking but they are not recommended with children. Consequently, finding new approaches to develop food tailored for children is one of the biggest challenges for food companies and sensory and consumer research scientists. This study has a twofold aim: (a) to test the suitability of check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) questions to obtain a sensory description of fiber‐enriched apple purees by children; (b) to investigate the drivers of liking of these products. Sixty‐two children (8–11 years) evaluated the overall liking of six apple purees varying in appearance and texture and answered a series of CATA questions. Results showed that children were able to generate appropriate descriptive terms and to discriminate the samples according to the a priori modified sensory modalities using the CATA method. Sweet taste and a uniform texture (sandy, doughy, and floury attributes) were positive predictors of apple purees children liking, whereas sour taste, granular and crunchy texture were negative predictors.Practical applicationsThe check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) method is an appropriate, child‐friendly approach to get insights on how young consumers perceive a food product and identify the most relevant sensory attributes that affect children's hedonic perception. The use of CATA technique could be useful for food products research and development to understand children's drivers of liking and to obtain effective input for products optimization that meet children's sensory expectation, assuring product's success with this specific target of consumers.

Flavour profile, consumer acceptance and cooking methods of Portulacaria afra (spekboom) leaves

Investigating physicochemical, volatile and sensory parameters playing a positive or a negative role on tomato liking

Flavor is an important factor in consumer selection of cheeses. Mild Cheddar cheese is the classification used to describe Cheddar cheese that is not aged extensively and has a "mild" flavor. However, there is no legal definition or age limit for Cheddar cheese to be labeled mild, medium, or sharp, nor are the flavor profiles or flavor expectations of these cheeses specifically defined. The objectives of this study were to document the distinct flavor profiles among commercially labeled mild Cheddar cheeses, and to characterize if consumer preferences existed for specific mild Cheddar cheese flavors or flavor profiles. Flavor descriptive sensory profiles of a representative array of commercial Cheddar cheeses labeled as mild (n= 22) were determined using a trained sensory panel and an established cheese flavor sensory language. Nine representative Cheddar cheeses were selected for consumer testing. Consumers (n= 215) assessed the cheeses for overall liking and other consumer liking attributes. Internal preference mapping, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis were conducted. Mild Cheddar cheeses were diverse in flavor with many displaying flavors typically associated with more age. Four distinct consumer clusters were identified. The key drivers of liking for mild Cheddar cheese were: color, cooked/milky, whey and brothy flavors, and sour taste. Consumers have distinct flavor and color preferences for mild Cheddar cheese. These results can help manufacturers understand consumer preferences for mild Cheddar cheese.

Beef flavor attributes of USDA Top Choice and Select beef top loin steaks were evaluated that differed in thickness (1.3 or 3.8 cm) and grill surface temperature (177 or 232°C) when cooked on a commercial flat top grill. A trained descriptive attribute panel and consumer sensory panels were used to evaluate steak flavor and texture. As thickness and temperature increased, beef identity and brown/roasted flavor aromatics increased (P &lt; 0.05). Steaks cooked at 232°C and cut 3.8-cm thick had the highest (P &lt; 0.05) levels of burnt flavor and bitter basic tastes. Thicker steaks cooked at 177°C had more intense umami basic taste and beef identity (P &lt; 0.05). Steaks cut 1.3 cm had lower levels of beef identity and brown/roasted flavor aromatics and the thin cut steaks cooked at 177°C had more sour basic taste (P &lt; 0.05). Consumers rated 232°C, 3.8 cm steaks lowest (P &lt; 0.05) for overall, beef flavor, overall flavor, and grilled flavor liking; whereas, the 177°C, 3.8 cm steaks were highest (P &lt; 0.05) in beef flavor liking. Beef identity, brown/roasted, bloody/serumy, fat-like, umami, sweet, salty, overall sweet, overall tenderness, and muscle fiber tenderness were positive attributes, and metallic, bitter, and burnt were negative attributes in predicting consumer overall liking. Thick steaks cooked at low temperatures or thin steaks cooked at high temperatures resulted in more positive sensory panel traits and consumer liking scores.

The present work was designed to evaluate the influence of incorporating freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on the chemical composition, antioxidant activity and sensory properties of cookies. The content of fat, water, total ash, protein and directly reducing sugars, total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and reducing power (FRAP) was determined in cookies containing a 5, 10 and 15% freeze-dried black chokeberry and control sample. Enriched cookies were prepared by replacing the dough with freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on a weight basis. The samples were subjected to Qualitative Descriptive Analysis and consumer hedonic test. The incorporation a growing amount of black chokeberry resulted in an increase in the water, total ash and directly reducing sugar content and to a decrease in the fat content of the cookies. TPC increased from 14.1 mg GAE per 100 g control sample to 481.1 mg GAE per 100 g cookies with 15% black chokeberry. The multiple increment in DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power FRAP was observed in cookies with the additive in comparison to the control sample, which was due to the high antioxidant capacity of black chokeberry. The addition of black chokeberry influenced the sensory profile of cookies, resulting in their darkening, in turn strengthening the intensity of sour taste, chokeberry flavour and astringency and at the same time decreasing the intensity of sweet aroma, sweet taste and crumbliness of the cookies. The sample with 10% of black chokeberry showed a balanced sensory profile with high consumer liking. The consumer acceptance and high antioxidant activity of experimental cookies suggest that freeze-dried black chokeberry could be considered as a nutritive additive to cookies and other bakery products.

Mapping consumer perceptions of creaminess and liking for liquid dairy products