Sensory Characteristics Of Product Research Articles

Evaluation of the Organoleptic Properties of Calabash Fruit (Crescentia Cujete) Jam: A Comprehensive Sensory analysis

Abstract: This study was conducted to formulate a Calabash fruit jam and evaluate the developed product's sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability. A 2k factorial design was used to measure224 g calabash pulp and sugar levels. There was no significant difference in the sensory attributes across different treatments in terms of color, aroma, and flavor. However, the Friedman test showed that there was a difference in the sensory characteristics across different treatments in terms of texture. Results reveal that Treatments 1 with -125 g. level of pulp and sugar, Treatment 3 with -125 g. and +224 g. levels of pulp and sugar and Treatment 4 with +224 g. levels of pulp and sugar have the same texture and Treatment 2 with +224 g. and -125 g. level of pulp and sugar is different from these three treatments. In terms of sensory acceptability, there was a significant difference in the sensory acceptability across other treatments in terms of texture, aroma, color, and flavor. Further, results reveal that Treatment 1 with -125 g. level of pulp and sugar, Treatment 3 with -125 g. and +224 g. levels of pulp and sugar and Treatment 4 with +224 g. levels of pulp and sugar have the same texture, aroma, color, and flavor, and Treatment 2 with +224 g. and -125 g. level of pulp and sugar is different from these treatments. Hence, considering the production cost of each treatment, the lowest production cost was considered, and Treatment 1 with -125 g. level of pulp and sugar got the lowest production cost among other treatments.

Beyond the Traditional Mountain Emmental Cheese in “Ţara Dornelor”, Romania: Consumer and Producer Profiles, and Product Sensory Characteristics

Beyond the Traditional Mountain Emmental Cheese in “Ţara Dornelor”, Romania: Consumer and Producer Profiles, and Product Sensory Characteristics

Optimization and Quality Evaluation of Oats (Avena sativa) Flour Incorporated Paneer

Efforts were initiated to prepare a carbohydrate, calcium and fibre rich paneer by addition of oat flour (Avena sativa). Six samples’ formulations were prepare including control paneer, (100% milk curd). The different formulations of (oats flour: milk curd) in the ratio as: sample (1:99), sample (1.5:98.5), sample (2:98), sample (2.5:97.5) and sample (3:97) to access the quality and acceptability of paneer. The experiment was designed by central composite mixture design and the obtained data was analyzed statistically by Genstat Discovery Edition 3 (DE3), for Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of significance version 12.1. The oats flour and milk curd for the development of value-added product, and evaluate proximate and sensory characteristics of product.
 The sensory evaluation revealed sample (1:99) was found to be best by comparing sensory score of overall acceptance given by the panelists and functional components. Crude protein, crude fat, total ash and carbohydrate of control product were found to be 41.43%, 49.7%, 4.39% and 4.44% whereas for best product the results were 40.54%, 48.97%, 4.39% and 5.92% respectively. The calcium content of best paneer and control paneer were found to be 467.08 mg/100 g and 399.12 mg/100 g respectively. The fiber contents were zero and 0.156% in control and best product sample (1:99) respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the incorporation of oats flour for the formulation of value-added paneer will be helpful for developing value-added dairy products for the developing countries.

Sensory properties and consumer acceptance of plant-based meat, dairy, fish and eggs analogs: a systematic review

IntroductionOver the past years, several efforts have been made to formulate and develop plant-based substitutes of animal-based products in response to environmental changes, health issues and animal welfare. However, plant-based protein poses several challenges to product sensory characteristics, especially appearance, flavor, and texture. Despite this, current literature data have mainly reviewed nutritional, technological, and sustainability aspects of plant-based products with limited concerns on perceived sensory properties and perceptive barriers to consumption related to each specific substitute. To fill this literature gap, this systematic review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the perceptive determinants of consumers' acceptance of plant-based substitutes of animal-origin products, including meat, dairy, fish and eggs analogs, with emphasis on product's intrinsic properties: appearance, smell, taste, and texture. Moreover, age-, gender-, and cultural-related differences in the appreciation/rejection of plant-based substitutes of animal-origin products were investigated.MethodsThe systematic analysis of the literature consulting Web of Science (Core Collection) and Scopus databases retrieved 13 research articles on meat, 26 on dairy, and two on fish and eggs analogs.Results and discussionResults showed that all sensory dimensions are influenced by the replacement of animal proteins with those of vegetable origin. However, the relative importance of appearance, odor, taste, and texture varied according to plant-based analogs category and mitigatory processing strategies to mask unpleasant sensory properties have been suggested for each category. Dairy analogs mainly suffer of aromas and flavors imparted by the raw materials, while both meat and dairy analogs have texture challenges. Meat analogs lack of juiciness, elasticity and firmness, while dairy analogs require uniform, creamy and thick texture. Moreover, very few studies analyzed the product's perception, considering age- and gender-related differences or cross-national/cultural differences. Future research should be addressed to specific product categories such as fish and eggs analogs as well as specific population targets including children and the elderly and consumers from developing countries.

Physical and Sensory Properties of Bread and Roti Made from Rice-Wheat Composite Flour

Guyana is targeting a reduction in its food import bill by substituting wheat, a major food commodity imported, with locally grown crops. In this study, the physical and sensory characteristics of value-added products (bread and roti) made from various ratios of rice-wheat composite flour were examined to ascertain whether rice flour might be successfully used to partially replace wheat flour. Bread and roti were produced from rice-wheat composite flours at rice:wheat ratios of 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, and 80:20. Physical evaluation showed significant differences in the width, height, weight, and volume of bread produced from the composite rice-wheat flour and the control (p≤0.05). Significant differences were also observed for the thickness and weight of the roti (p=0.005 and p= 0.024 respectively). There were no significant differences in the length among treatments for both bread and roti (p=0.74 and p=0.10, respectively). The length, height, weight and volume of bread and the length, thickness and weight of roti produced from 20% rice flour+80% wheat flour was statistically similar with the control (100% wheat) treatments (p>0.05). For the sensory evaluation, there were significant differences for all attributes evaluated including aroma, colour, texture, taste, and overall acceptance (p=0.001). Sensory attributes for bread treatments made from 20% rice flour+80% wheat flour and roti treatments made from 20% rice flour+80% wheat flour and 40%rice flour+60% wheat flour was similar to the control (p>0.05). The study revealed that substituting 20% of wheat flour with rice flour in products such as bread and roti is possible without compromising the quality and sensory characteristics of the products.

Effect of Microencapsulated Basil Extract on Cream Cheese Quality and Stability.

The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of plant extracts are well known, but their use is limited because they affect the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of products. Encapsulation presents an option to limit or prevent these changes. The paper presents the composition of individual polyphenols (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS) from basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extracts (BE), and their antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Abony. The BE was encapsulated in sodium alginate (Alg) using the drop technique. The encapsulation efficiency of microencapsulated basil extract (MBE) was 78.59 ± 0.01%. SEM and FTIR analyses demonstrated the morphological aspect of the microcapsules and the existence of weak physical interactions between the components. Sensory, physicochemical and textural properties of MBE-fortified cream cheese were evaluated over a 28-day storage time at 4 °C. In the optimal concentration range of 0.6-0.9% (w/w) MBE, we determined the inhibition of the post-fermentation process and the improvement in the degree of water retention. This led to the improvement of the textural parameters of the cream cheese, contributing to the extension of the shelf life of the product by 7 days.

Use of Machine Learning with Fused Spectral Data for Prediction of Product Sensory Characteristics: The Case of Grape to Wine

Generations of sensors have been developed for predicting food sensory profiles to circumvent the use of a human sensory panel, but a technology that can rapidly predict a suite of sensory attributes from one spectral measurement remains unavailable. Using spectra from grape extracts, this novel study aimed to address this challenge by exploring the use of a machine learning algorithm, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), to predict twenty-two wine sensory attribute scores from five sensory stimuli: aroma, colour, taste, flavour, and mouthfeel. Two datasets were obtained from absorbance-transmission and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (A-TEEM) spectroscopy with different fusion methods: variable-level data fusion of absorbance and fluorescence spectral fingerprints, and feature-level data fusion of A-TEEM and CIELAB datasets. The results for externally validated models showed slightly better performance using only A-TEEM data, predicting five out of twenty-two wine sensory attributes with R2 values above 0.7 and fifteen with R2 values above 0.5. Considering the complex biotransformation involved in processing grapes to wine, the ability to predict sensory properties based on underlying chemical composition in this way suggests that the approach could be more broadly applicable to the agri-food sector and other transformed foodstuffs to predict a product's sensory characteristics from raw material spectral attributes.

Effect of cold atmospheric plasma torch distance on the microbial inactivation and sensorial properties of ready-to-eat olivier salad.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the cold atmospheric plasma torch (CAPT) nozzle distance from the surface of Olivier salad and the treatment time in the reduction of microbial load and sensory properties of the product simultaneously. In this study, the CAPT nozzle was placed at 3, 5, and 7 cm distances from the surface of the Olivier salad, and its efficiency in inactivating the microbial population, decimal reduction time (D-value), and sensory evaluation of the product were evaluated. The results showed that reducing the distance and increasing the plasma treatment time (30, 60, 90, and 120 s) both reduced the microbial load of the product. The maximum inactivation and the minimum D-value are related to the 3 cm distance for 120 s, which has been 3.77, 2.91, and 1.52 log CFU/g for Coliform, Total viable count (TVC), mold and yeast, respectively. The lowest D-value was related to Coliform (4.41 s). CAPT treatment had no significant sensible effect on the product's sensory characteristics compared to the control sample. The treated sample at a 3 cm distance for 90 s and the microbial reduction to an acceptable amount and high acceptancy from sensory evaluators were selected as the superior treatment in this study. Also, the results showed that CAPT could be used successfully in ready-to-eat (RTE) products.

Fermented Spirulina products with Saccharomyces and non- Saccharomyces yeasts: Special reference to their microbial, physico-chemical and sensory characterizations

Innovative products produced from various sources through fermentation processes have been a resurgence of interest. This study was designed to determine the performance of fermented Spirulina (FS) products by three different yeast species including Debaryomyces hansenii, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and investigate the microbial, physicochemical and sensory characteristics of products. The results showed that the increase in yeast cell number was around 3 log after 48 h fermentation in Spirulina medium without additional carbon source. Protein bands with a molecular weight of ∼51 kDa seemed less visible and bands 14–22 kDa disappeared after 48 h fermentation by K. marxianus showed strong hydrolysis of proteins during fermentation. The amino acid compositions of the three kinds of FS were different also compared to unfermented Spirulina (unFS). Glutamic acid, methionine, lysine, isoleucine and valine became more dominant in FS samples. According to GC–MS analysis, there was a decrease in the concentration of pyrazine, ketone and aldehyde compounds of FS compared to unFS. The flavor notes of “seaweed”, “cardboard”, “earthy/muddy” and “cereal/straw” were found to be the highest in unFS than in FS detected by panelists during sensory evaluations. FS by K. marxianus is highly characterized as having the lowest “seaweed” and “umami” flavor attributes and higher “fermented” and “rose” attributes. Finally, the current study revealed that the potential of Spirulina biomass to be a suitable substrate for yeasts and fermentation of Spirulina with different yeast species led to different kinds of products.

Sensory Profiling and External Preference Mapping of Pre-Thickened Water Products for Dysphagia

Dysphagia is a dysfunction of the swallowing system and thickened beverages are widely prescribed as a treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the sensory characteristics of pre-thickened water products and determine sensory drivers of liking for those types of products. Pre-thickened water products (two starch-based and two gum-based) were tested in both nectar and honey thick versions. Based on product availability, one product was neutral water, and the others were water with lemon flavoring added. The sensory characteristics of the products were evaluated with a highly trained descriptive panel, and the viscosity of the products was evaluated with both the Bostwick consistometer and the line spread test. Previously published consumer data was used to determine preference maps with the descriptive data. All lemon-flavored products had similar flavor characteristics, except the Thick & Easy Clear that had a less lemon-related flavor than the others. After excluding the lemon-related flavor characteristics, all pre-thickened products had similar “base flavor” notes, no matter whether the products were starch-based or gum-based. This contrasts with literature, which reports differences in flavor of thickened beverages prepared using thickening agents. The thickness of the products varied between nectar and honey thickness, but also varied among products that were stated to be at the same level of thickness. External preference mapping showed that both lemon-related flavor and a thinner beverage texture are potential drivers of consumers acceptance of the product, which was expected based on other studies. In conclusion, pre-thickened beverages are good alternatives for self-mixed thickening agents but a standard for thickness should be agreed on and used by manufacturers.

The Use of Natural Fiber-Rich Food Product Is Safe and Reduces Aberrant Crypt Foci in a Pre-Clinical Model.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a highly prevalent disease, requiring effective strategies for prevention and treatment. The present research aimed to formulate a natural fiber-rich food product (NFRFP) and to evaluate its safety, toxicogenetics, and effects on aberrant crypt foci induced by 1,2-dimethyl-hydrazine in a preclinical model. Methods: A total of 78 male Wistar rats were distributed in six experimental groups: negative control, positive control (1,2-Dimethylhydrazine—40 mg/Kg), and four groups fed with 10% NFRFP: NFRFP, pre-treatment protocol, simultaneous treatment, and post-treatment protocol. Results: The NFRFP was shown to be a good source of fibers and did not change biometric, biochemical, hematological, and inflammatory parameters, and did not induce signs of toxicity and genotoxicity/carcinogenicity. NFRFP exhibited a chemopreventive effect, in all protocols, with damage reduction (% DR) of 75% in the comet test. NFRFP reduced the incidence of aberrant crypt outbreaks by 49.36% in the post-treatment protocol. Conclusions: The results suggest the applicability of NFRFP in the human diet due to potential production at an industrial scale and easy technological application in different products, since it could be incorporated in food without altering or causing small changes in final product sensory characteristics.

Is the Consumer Ready for Innovative Fruit Wines? Perception and Acceptability of Young Consumers.

The consumption of traditional wine has decreased in Europe during the last fifteen years. In parallel, new wine alternatives obtained by blending wines and fruit juices or by flavoring wines with artificial or natural flavors have appeared on the market. Recently, an innovative fruit wine obtained by co-fermentation of grape must and kiwi juice has been proposed and its potential of attraction for consumers should be exploited. To assess the potential consumer acceptability and expectations towards this new product, an online choice experiment has been conducted involving a consumer group of young adults (18–35 years old; n = 373). After the data collection, participants were divided into two groups according to whether they had already tasted a fruit wine (neophiles) or had never tasted it (new entries). For each group, the individual’s responses (on wine consumption habits, expectations and willingness to consume and pay a fruit wine) were analyzed through Principal Component Analysis. Different consumption styles and expectation patterns were defined in the two groups. However, in general, neophiles showed consumption patterns based on the evaluation of fruit quality, sales format, alcoholic content and the presence or not of bubbles, not giving importance to the brand. In contrast, new entries’ responses identified consumption patterns driven by the willingness to pay for a new product, the product value for money and packaging features. Differences between the two groups in expectations about the product sensory characteristics also emerged. These findings should contribute to this area of study by integrating environmental, economic and social dimensions and addressing food innovation and sustainability in the fruit and wine chains.

Tarkhineh as a new microencapsulation matrix improves the quality and sensory characteristics of probiotic Lactococcus lactis KUMS-T18 enriched potato chips

In the present study, probiotic potato chips containing a newly isolated probiotic Lactococcus lactis KUMS-T18 strain were produced by using a simple spraying method and then enhancing the stability, survival rate, and sensory characteristics of product during storage at 4 °C and 25 °C was examined for four months. Based on the results, Lactococcus lactis KUMS-T18 isolated from traditional Tarkhineh as a safe strain had high tolerance to low pH and high bile salt, anti-pathogenic activity, hydrophobicity, adhesion to human epithelial cells, auto- and co-aggregation, cholesterol assimilation and antibiotic susceptibility. Meanwhile, by micro-coating the probiotic cells in Tarkhineh formulations, elliptical to spherical shape (460–740 µm) probiotic drops were produced. The results revealed that potato chips produced with turmeric and plain Tarkhineh during storage at 4 °C, had excellent protection abilities for probiotic cells with about 4.52 and 3.46 log decreases in CFU/g respectively. On the other hand, probiotic potato chips, compared to non-probiotic and commercial potato chips, showed the criteria of probiotic products such as excellent quality and superior sensory characteristics. In summary, this study proved that probiotic Lactococcus lactis KUMS-T18 strain covered by Tarkhineh formulations as protective matrix has high potential to be used in the production of probiotic potato chips.

Electronic sensory assessment of bread enriched with cobia (Rachycentron canadum)

AbstractThe aim was to evaluate the sensory quality by electronic nose (EN) and tongue (ET) of bread added by cobia minced protein in differents times of storage. Two samples were elaborated: (a) control (FF—traditional bread); (b) added by 10% Cobia minced protein (FPN). The two samples of bread were analyzed from time “zero” (1 hr after being baked) to time “five” (120 hr). A Portable EN (PEN2) composed of 10 sensors was used. Operating conditions: flow rate 300 ml/min, injection time 60 min, flush time 180 min. To ET (Taste‐Sensing System SA402B) 5 sensors were used. All samples were analyzed twice and the average was analyzed by Principal Component Analysis, showing the relationship among the samples and the variables. The greatest differences between the odors were observed after 120 hr of storage. In the first 48 h, the EN was unable to differentiate the samples. The biggest differences of taste were observed at t0. In the other evaluation times, the samples reduced their differences. The use of electronic sensory methods showed promising. Confer greater specificity in the determination of odors and taste of products. Therefore, these tools can be used to improve the sensory characteristics of the new products, as enriched foods.Practical ApplicationsBread is a basic food of the world population, but it does not present a big quantity/quality protein content. Using fish protein concentrate in bread improves the nutritional quality of this product, however, in function of the physico‐chemical composition, fish and derivates may present a strong characteristic odor/taste, rejected by a large part of the population. The sensory characteristics of a product are determining factors for the choice and purchase by the consumers. Maintaining a permanent panel of trained evaluators takes high time and continuous costs, and is not entirely accurate. The use of technologies used by the electronic nose and tongue can assist in a greater standardization of food, especially when it involves the development of new products, ingredients, or differentiated raw ingredients, as made in this study.

Exploring Home-use Test to Assess Urban Consumers’ Acceptance and Likelihood to Purchase Naturally Fortified Instant Whole Meal Sorghum-maize Flour Blends in Eldoret, Kenya

Fortification of staple foods has the potential to alleviate micronutrient and protein energy malnutrition in sub Saharan Africa. However, natural food fortification often alters sensory attributes such as flavour, aroma, appearance, texture and other features in ways that may affect target consumer overall acceptance and willingness to purchase. This study examined urban consumers’ acceptance and likelihood to purchase wholemeal instant flours that were fortified using plant based sources. A home-use test (HUT) sensory experiment was conducted in Eldoret, Kenya among 154 urban dwellers in the middle and high level income group living in three gated estates. 5 different flour composites using sorghum, maize, baobab, orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and grain amaranth were used to make both thin (uji) and thick (ugali) porridges. The results showed that urban consumers could distinguish stiff porridge (ugali) and thin porridge (uji) made from the 5 flour varieties. They preferred uji, expressed by higher mean general acceptability scores made from all the flour varieties (M=4.15-M=3.83) to ugali (M=3.50-M=3.17), for appearance, aroma, texture in hand and mouth, significant at p < 0.05. Mothers’ and childrens’ overall acceptance ratings for both sets of products did not differ, showing the ability of mothers to influence a child’s overall acceptance of a product. Further, more than 80% consumers were likely to purchase and use the instant flour. Pearson correlation showed significant positive correlations (*P<.05; & **P<.01), for product fit for all family, with nutritional and health benefits, and product that is introduced by a close friend as the main factors driving their likelihood of purchase. We conclude that HUT is effective for assessing consumer acceptance as far as product sensory characteristics and consumer adoption of a new product, and can be used by industry before market penetration.

Development of functional pasta with microencapsulated Spirulina: technological and sensorial effects.

Spirulina microalgae have been added to food; however, there have been few reports on the methods used to protect the antioxidant potential against process conditions, and the effects on the sensory characteristics of products need to be better described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence on the technological properties, sensory profile, and acceptability of the pasta with free or microencapsulated Spirulina biomass added. Pasta formulations included: free Spirulina (FSP), microencapsulated Spirulina (MSP), and empty microspheres (EMP), which were compared with the control pasta (CP). The microencapsulation protected the antioxidant potential of Spirulina in 37.8% of the pasta cooking conditions. The microspheres presented low solubility in water (86 g.kg-1 ) and high encapsulation efficiency (87.6%), this being appropriate for addition to products that need cooking in water. The technological properties of pasta (water absorption, weight gain, firmness, and adhesiveness) were affected, but the overall acceptability index (85.13%) was not influenced by the addition of microspheres, despite changes observed in the sensory profile obtained by the CATA (check-all-that-apply). Spirulina could be added to pasta even without microencapsulation but the microencapsulation in alginate allows for the protection of the antioxidant potential of the biomass, representing a potential alternative for the bakery industry. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Integration of Sensory Analysis into Plant Breeding: A Review

Traditionally, plant breeding goals have focused on increasing yield, product firmness, shelf life and pest tolerance, combining ambient adaptation and agronomic management, without making focus on the sensory characteristics. The addition of sensory information into plant breeding programs provides breeders with unbiased tools to measure otherwise subjective quality traits. Combining consumer preferences with descriptive information about the sensory characteristics of products can contribute to the development of consumer-driven improvements in diverse agronomical commodities. In this context, the objective of this review is to describe a series of successful experiences where sensory evaluation has contributed to breeding programs in order to develop cultivars with enhanced sensory characteristics and higher likelihood of succeeding in the marketplace. The application of analytic and hedonic tests are described and discussed. A special consideration is made into fruit and vegetables examples, with focus on strawberry and sweet potato, considering the relevance of consumer acceptance in rising consumption of these products. Rice is also showed as an example of a cereal widely consumed worldwide and where cooking methods display a special challenge in sensory evaluation.

The effect of health/hedonic claims on consumer hedonic and sensory perception of sugar reduction: Case study with orange/passionfruit nectars

Sugar reduction in beverages can contribute to reduce consumption of this nutrient and to improve the health status of the population. However, such reduction can negatively affect consumer perception. Label information can be an effective tool to increase consumer interest in sugar-reduced products. In this context, the aim of the present work was to study the influence of health/hedonic claims on consumer hedonic and sensory perception of sugar reduction in orange/passionfruit nectars under expected and informed conditions. Sugar-reduced orange/passionfruit nectars (20% and 40% reduced in added sugar) featuring different claims (none, health claim or hedonic claim) were evaluated, together with a control product without reduction. Following a between-subjects experimental design, 206 participants evaluated the nectars under two experimental conditions: (a) expected, looking at the packages, and (b) informed, looking at the packages and tasting the nectars. In each experimental condition, participants evaluated their overall liking using a 9-point hedonic scale and answered a check-all-that-apply questions related to the sensory characteristics of the nectars. Results showed that although consumers did not have negative expectations about sugar-reduced nectars, the sensory characteristics of the products were the main determinants of consumers' hedonic reaction towards the nectars. The influence of claims on consumers' perception was modulated by their hedonic sensitivity towards sugar-reduction. The hedonic claim increased overall liking of those consumers with low hedonic sensitivity towards sugar reduction, whereas it had the opposite effect on the most sensitive consumers. Results from the present work suggest that although hedonic claims hold potential for a consumer segment, care must be taken to avoid the generation of unrealistic expectations about the sensory characteristics of sugar-reduced products.

Consumer perception of salt-reduced breads: Comparison of single and two-bites evaluation

Salt-reduction in processed products has been proposed as a high-impact intervention for reducing the sodium intake at population level. A major limitation for this approach is its potential negative impact on the sensory characteristics of products. The current practice in sensory and consumer science involves single sip/bite evaluations, which may not properly reflect the sensory experience that occurs during product consumption. In this context, the aim of the present work was to compare single and two bite evaluations of consumer sensory and hedonic perception of salt-reduced breads. Five studies with a total of 499 consumers were carried out, in which overall-liking scores of five salt-reduced bread samples were collected after the first and the second bite evaluation. In one of the studies consumers also answered a CATA (check-all-that-apply) question after the first and the second bite. Neither bite nor the interaction between samples and bite had a significant effect on hedonic scores. However, when hedonic scores were analysed separately for each bite, the overall liking scores from the second bite evaluation better reflected differences among samples according to their salt content in two of the five studies. The sensory characterization of the samples did not largely vary between the first and the second bite. Results suggest that consumers' perception of salt reduced bread samples did not largely vary between a single and a two bites evaluation. Further research is warranted in this regard, in particular considering more complex products.

Investigating preferred coffee consumption contexts using open-ended questions

Coffee is a universally popular product, with very distinct sensory characteristics and a stimulant effect due to the caffeine content. While many people consume more than one coffee per day, it is common to have a favourite coffee during the day, associated with a specific context. Preferring a context to another can provide valuable information about the most favoured aspects of the coffee experience, that may reflect individual physiological differences that affect food/beverages perception. Open-ended questions can be useful to collect this information because they allow subjects to freely describe their experiences. This study aims at: 1) exploring consumers' preferred coffee consumption contexts and their relationship with individual physiological characteristics; 2) developing an approach to facilitate and make more efficient open-ended question analysis, using together semiotic and statistical tools.134 regular coffee consumers were characterized by the number of fungiform papillae (FP), the PROP taster status and the rate of caffeine metabolism (CMI) and were asked to describe the moment of the day in which they prefer to have coffee. The results showed that the preferred context for having coffee differed according to the physiological variables of CMI, FP and, to a less extent, PROP status. Subjects with lower CMI focussed more on the social features of the experience, while higher CMI found more rewarding the sensory properties of coffee. Individuals with lower FP number found more rewarding the product sensory characteristics than individuals with higher FP number, who were more focussed on the stimulating effect of coffee. Both PROP non tasters and supertasters tended to not prefer a context where the focus was on sensory properties (e.g. tasting) and rather preferred contexts where the focus was on the social aspects related to the coffee consumption. The study showed that open-ended questions can be useful to investigate consumer perception. In addition, combined use of semiotic and statistical tools can give valuable results and can help to optimise the text analysis procedure.