SENSORY PROPERTIES AFFECTING ACCEPTABILITY OF "BRESAOLA" FROM PODOLIAN YOUNG BULLS

Three muscles ( Semimembranosus, Quadriceps femoris, Adductor ) from Podolian young bulls (aged 18 months) were processed into bresaolas, which were compared with commercial products, in terms of sensory profile and preference expressed by consumers. Slope analysis was conducted to study the preference drivers. The preference of homogeneous groups of consumers and the relationships with sensory properties of bresaola were investigated using partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis. The products differed for several sensory properties, such as sweetness, flavor intensity ( P <  0.001), saltiness ( P <  0.01), peppered, seasoned and tenderness ( P <  0.05). The slope analysis showed that taste/flavor ( k =  0.86) and appearance ( k =  0.76) play an important role in orienting consumer preference, while texture ( k =  0.54) is less important. No general trend was found for product liking. Conversely, PLS regression clustered the consumers in homogeneous groups: one preferred the commercial products characterized by sensory properties such as peppered, saltiness, seasoned and marbling, another one was more oriented toward properties such as sweetness, odor and chewiness, which characterized Podolian bresaolas.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Partial least squares regression analysis clustered the consumers in homogeneous groups according to their liking: those preferring peppered, salty, seasoned and marbling bresaolas versus those oriented toward sweet and odorous products. In addition, the relationship between overall liking and attribute liking (appearance, taste/flavor and texture) was analyzed by linear regression analysis. This may be helpful in order to establish meaningful criteria for grading bresaolas and identify the particular attributes that move its acceptance (i.e., taste/flavor and appearance rather than texture).     

CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE FRANKFURTERS1

Consumers want meat products that are healthful and affordable. However, consumers will repurchase a product only if it tastes good. Consumers identified reasons for purchasing frankfurters and evaluated overall acceptability of 10 commercially available frankfurters. Consumers listed “taste” as the most important factor when purchasing frankfurters; only 16% of the consumers indicated that nutrition/health was the most important criterion. Nineteen consumer-perceived sensory and liking attributes were measured for the frankfurters in this study. The intensities of the attributes ranged from low to moderately high. All the frankfurters scored in the low to moderate range for overall acceptability. Most of the scores for liking of individual attributes correlated highly with overall liking, indicating that many of the questions relating to attribute liking could be eliminated.     

INCORPORATING TASTING INTO A CONJOINT ANALYSIS OF TASTE,HEALTH CLAIM,PRICE AND BRAND FOR PURCHASING STRAWBERRY YOGURT1

The objective of this research was to examine some considerations arising from incorporating tasting into a conjoint analysis procedure studying the effects of taste, brand, price and health claim on the buying intent for strawberry yogurt. Specifically, the considerations were: (1) whether people could remember the sensory qualities of the products tasted well enough to re-identify them in a follow-up test, and (2) whether their memory of their liking for the products was stable. Two hundred people who purchased and ate strawberry yogurt participated in a three-part test session. Part 1) They tasted and rated their liking for three yogurt samples and either did or did not take notes on the sensory attributes of the yogurts. Part 2) They rated 27 mock yogurt labels representing 3 brands x 3 taste qualities x 3 prices x 3 health claims on a buying intent scale. Part 3) They rated their liking of the three yogurt samples either from memory or by retasting and they attempted to re-identify the three yogurt samples. Taking notes improved the proportion of completely correct re-identifications (75% vs 50%). Liking reratings from memory were as stable as liking reratings by retasting. Taste and health claim had the largest influence on buying intent; brand had little influence on buying intent.     

THE DOLLAR VALUE OF PRODUCT QUALITY: THE EFFECT OF PRICING VERSUS OVERALL LIKING ON CONSUMER STATED PURCHASE INTENT FOR PIZZA

This paper investigates the combined effects of price and product quality (overall liking) on the acceptance of restaurant pizza pies. The results reveal that when a panelist evaluates both liking and purchase intent (with price attached to the purchase intent question), product quality is a significantly stronger determinant of purchase intent than is the stated item price. For instance, a 10% increase in product quality (viz., liking) has the same effect on purchase intent as a 20% reduction in item price. The results are surprising, because for other categories investigated by the same method price is a significantly greater determinant of purchase intent. In terms of predictability, 57% of the variation in purchase intent ratings is accounted for by liking, 24% of the variation is accounted for by price, and the remaining 19% is due to error.     

WHAT SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS DRIVE PRODUCT QUALITY? AN ASSESSMENT OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Consumers differ dramatically in their sensory preferences for products. This paper assesses the relative importance of appearance, taste/flavor and texture as characteristics that drive acceptance for a complex pie product. The paper classifies consumers as being driven by one or more sensory attributes in their judgment of product quality. To do so, each consumer's liking rating is regressed against each separate attribute liking. The coefficient (M) of the linear equation "Overall Liking = M (Attribute Liking) + B" measures the relative importance of the sensory attribute as a driver of overall quality.     

Creating Public Awareness of How Goats Are Reared and Milk Produced May Affect Consumer Acceptability

This study evaluated whether showing a video of the different ways of raising goats for milk affected consumer acceptability. Four combinations, 2 Videos (intensive [INT] and semiextensive [SEM] system) × 2 Milk Types (semiskimmed [S] and whole [W] milk), were evaluated by 70 habitual consumers of goat milk, who scored their liking and purchase intention during blind (B), expected (E), and informed (I) acceptability sessions. In the B session, consumers tasted both milk types without information. S samples were preferred over W samples. In the E session, SEM video created high expectations in terms of milk liking and purchase intent, whereas the opposite happened when showing INT video. In the I session, consumers showed a clear preference for combinations created using SEM video, regardless of milk type. W-SEM and S-INT were worse (negative disconfirmation) and better (positive disconfirmation) than expected, respectively. A complete assimilation toward expectations occurred only for S-INT. INT video adversely affected the acceptability of S samples. Concerning purchase intent, W-SEM and S-SEM were worse than expected, but the assimilation was complete only for S-SEM: SEM video increased purchase intent for S samples.     

A COMPARISON OF TASTE TEST RATINGS,REPEATED CONSUMPTION,AND POSTCONSUMPTION RATINGS OF DIFFERENT STRENGTHS OF ICED TEA1

One objective of this study was to compare taste test ratings with amounts consumed and postconsumption ratings made as iced teas of different strengths were repeatedly consumed. The second objective was to determine whether sensory specific satiety could be used as a rapid indicator of long term acceptability of the teas. Subjects first rated their liking of and the flavor intensity of several samples of lemon flavored iced tea. Two tea concentrations were selected from this test to represent distinctly different flavor intensities. Taste test liking ratings of the strong concentration were higher than those of the weak concentration. Subjects consumed either the strong or the weak iced tea ad lib on 20 different afternoons over a 2-month period and rated their liking of the tea after each session. We measured the amount of tea consumed each time. On repeated consumption the subjects liked the weaker tea better than the stronger tea. Subjects consumed about the same amount of each tea. A different group of 15 subjects participated in a sensory specific satiety study of the same two teas. Those subjects drank more of the weak tea than the strong tea.     

EFFECTS OF DISCONFIRMED CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS ON FOOD ACCEPTABILITY

Three studies were conducted to assess the effects of disconfirmed consumer expectations on food acceptability. In the first, disconfirmed expectations for the sensory attributes of an edible film had a negative effect on acceptability of the film. Greater disconfirmation resulted in lower acceptance and purchase intent. In the second study, written product information was used to establish three levels of expected acceptability and expected bitterness for a novel fruit beverage. Comparison of preexposure (expected) and postexposure (perceived) ratings of acceptability and bitterness supported an assimilation model of disconfirmation effects for conditions in which expectations of acceptability were high and expectations of bitterness were low. A contrast effect was observed for bitterness judgments when expectations of bitterness were high. Associative effects resulting from the expectation manipulation were observed on other sensory attributes. In the third study, expectations were manipulated to influence both direction (positive versus negative) and degree of disconfirmation for the acceptance of cola beverages. Results provided further support for an assimilation model of these effects.     

Development of Nutritionally Enhanced Tortillas

Large interest has recently risen in the development of “functional” foods, products that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients. Foods rich in antioxidants and, simultaneously, characterized by a low glycemic index (GI), can reduce, through a double mechanism, the risk of increased postprandial oxidative stress, which is one of the constituent of the onset of several chronic diseases. Nutritionally enhanced tortillas were therefore developed by incorporating ingredients with well-documented nutritional functionality (carrots, soy, and wholemeal kamut) in a standard wheat tortillas formulation, in an attempt to create low GI and antioxidant-rich products while preserving sensory acceptability and physico-chemical properties. Five tortilla prototypes were developed and characterized for sensory acceptability, textural attributes, color, total antioxidant capacity, and in vivo GI. The simultaneous combination of carrot juice, soy, and wholemeal kamut resulted in a very interesting product that was not only the most acceptable by the consumers (although slightly harder than the standard control) but also showed the lowest GI and was relatively high in total antioxidant capacity. This work was presented at the 2nd International Symposium on: Delivery of Functionality in Complex Food Systems, Amherst, MA, USA, October 8–10, 2007.     

IMPORTANCE OF SENSORY FACTORS IN PROCESSED SEAFOOD: METHODS AND RESULTS1

This paper considers “importance” of sensory attributes from the consumer point of view, with emphasis on processed seafood. There are three key measures of importance. Attitudinal importance measures what consumers think to be important and refers to general opinions about the category. Sensory system importance measures how strongly different sensory inputs (e.g., appearance, aroma, taste, texture) “drive” overall liking, and show the key sensory inputs to which consumers attend. Attribute level importance measures the relation between sensory intensity and overall liking for each attribute. It shows which specific attributes drive liking, how liking varies with the specific sensory attribute, and whether (and at what sensory level) there exists an optimal level.     

Effect of tortilla-preparation process on aflatoxins B1 and B2 in corn

Naturally contaminated corn containing 450 and 54 ppb aflatoxins Bi and B2, respectively was treated with Ca(OH)₂ for making tortillas. The cleaned corn and tortillas were analyzed for aflatoxins B1 and B2 by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The average concentrations of aflatoxins B1 and B2 in the final products (tortillas) were only 40% and 28% lower than that in starting materials (corn kernels), respectively. Aflatoxins G1 and G2 were not detected in either corn or tortilla samples.     

PREFERENCES FOR SOUTHWESTERN SALTED SNACK FLAVORS: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AT THE CONCEPTUAL LEVEL AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PRODUCT LINE

Individuals differ in what they like, both from a sensory basis, but also from a conceptual basis. For a product to be purchased, the concept (or even the flavor name) must be acceptable just as the physical product itself must be acceptable. This paper presents the results of a study in which the panelists rated degree of interest in 12 different new flavors for a snack chip positioned at the start of the study to have a "taste of the southwest." The results show the substantial variation in acceptance for the different flavors presented as names only (viz., concepts, rather than actual products). Segmentation by attitude of consumers on the basis of the pattern of liking revealed differences among consumers, but did not show the typical opposing patterns found when sensory segmentation is done using actual products having different flavors. These individual differences require that a line of different flavors be developed. There is no simple organizing principle, however, underlying the individual differences. Thus to create the line of flavors requires a different approach. The approach selects various combinations of flavors, identifies the proportion of consumers who would accept at least one flavor of the line (so-called "satisfied consumer"), and then maximizes the number of such "satisfied consumers" for a line comprising a given number of flavors.     

COMPARISON OF ATTRIBUTE LIKING AND JAR SCALES TO EVALUATE THE ADEQUACY OF SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF MILK DESSERTS

Just-about-right (JAR) scales and attribute liking questions are usually used to study consumer perception of the sensory characteristics of food products. The aim of the present work was to compare the performance of attribute liking and JAR scales to evaluate consumers' perceived adequacy of flavor and texture of milk puddings. Two groups of consumers were asked to evaluate eight milk desserts using (1) overall liking followed by attribute liking for texture and flavor and (2) overall liking followed by JAR scales for thickness, creaminess, sweetness and vanilla flavor. Overall liking scores were significantly different when JAR scales or attribute liking questions were considered. Texture, flavor and overall liking scores were highly correlated to each other, providing the same information. JAR scales correlated better with the intensity of sensory attributes evaluated by a trained sensory panel, being JAR percentages a reliable tool to study the adequacy of sensory attributes.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Results from the present work showed that consumers might not be able to independently evaluate their liking of different sensory attributes of a product. For this reason, the use of attribute liking questions for studying the adequacy of sensory attributes in complex products would not be recommended. JAR scales were better indicators of the adequacy of sensory attributes. Consumers were able to independently evaluate texture and flavor attributes using JAR scales. However, the influence of JAR scales on overall liking scores should be taken into account when including these scales on consumer studies.     

PREFERENCE MAPPING OF TEXTURE OF DULCE DE LECHE

The texture of 12 commercial samples of dulce de leche was characterized by means of texture profile analysis. Two sensory manual texture attributes (hardness and ropiness) were evaluated by a panel of 11 trained assessors. A panel of 50 consumers evaluated the texture acceptability of the samples using a 9‐point structured scale. Consumers showed highly significant different degrees of liking for the texture of the evaluated samples of dulce de leche. Clusters identified with Pearson's correlation coefficient showed opposite preference patterns and provided more useful information regarding market segmentation than clusters identified with Euclidean distances. External preference mapping and partial least squares regression showed that hardness was a driver of liking for one segment of consumers, whereas for the other one it was a driver of disliking. When all the consumers were considered, external preference mapping indicated that the ideal texture of dulce de leche would be intermediate, showing the importance of identifying preference patterns and suggesting that data averaging in consumer preferences might affect information recovery, and may lead to wrong conclusions. Different preference mapping techniques were compared; it was found out that when the relationship between acceptability and texture attributes was not linear, external preference mapping showed the best results.     

CONSUMER PREFERENCES OF BEEF TENDERNESS AND MECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS

The tenderness of carcasses of ten bulls of Norwegian Red breed was analyzed by sensory and mechanical analyses. Four samples representing the range of tenderness in the material were served to 118 consumers in an in-house test. The consumers rated the samples for the degree of tenderness. High correlation was found between sensory analyses and the consumer ratings of tenderness, r = 0.96 (P<0.0005), and between Warner Bratzler Shear force values and the consumer ratings, r =− 0.87 (P<0.005).
The consumers found it easier to evaluate the very tender and very tough samples, while the moderately tough samples were more difficult to evaluate, and were mixed up in both the sensory and consumer analyses.
A lower percent of women than men considered each sample as acceptably tender and women in general used a lower grade to describe the degree of tenderness of the samples. Indications of high variety of consumer acceptability at different levels of tenderness, suggests a need for a larger study of tenderness levels in the areas where large changes in acceptability are found, and of responses from different consumer groups.     

PERCEPTION OF PORK PATTIES WITH SHIITAKE (LENTINUS EDODE P.) MUSHROOM POWDER AND SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE AS MEASURED BY KOREAN AND UNITED STATES CONSUMERS

This study explored consumer liking and perception of pork patties with an added functional health ingredient: shiitake (Lentinus edodes P.) mushroom powder. In addition, patties with and without sodium tripolyphosphate were tested. Both native Korean and U.S. consumers evaluated the products. Pork patties made with both phosphate and mushroom powder were found to be acceptable by Korean consumers, but increases in mushroom powder in patties with phosphate decreased acceptability for U.S. consumers. However, addition of mushroom powder to patties without phosphate increased acceptability for U.S. consumers, perhaps because it tended to increase texture acceptance and juiciness. Thus, addition of mushroom powder as a functional ingredient in pork patties, while possible, would require different formula modifications to appeal to consumers of differing nationalities.     

Alkaline cooking and tortilla quality in maize grains from the humid,tropical lands of Mexico

Maize (Zea mays L.) tortilla is the major staple food for the Mexican population. Nine tropical maize genotypes were evaluated. All samples had white grains, a common characteristic in tropical maize, and therefore they were appropriate for nixtamalized flour industry. Grain, flour, masa and tortilla characteristics of each maize genotype were evaluated. Length, width, thickness, weight of 1000 grains and hardness of grain were determined. Moisture content, proteins, fat, ash, mean particle size, water absorption index, enthalpy, and flour temperature were also evaluated. Adhesiveness and cohesiveness were evaluated in masa. Moisture content, protein, capacity to puff up, roll making, tension and cutting strength were determined in tortillas. There were significant differences (p≤0.05) in most of the evaluated characteristics. Grain length values varied between 9.26 and 11.02 mm for populations 23 and 22, respectively. Grain hardness oscillated between 11.17 (population 32) and 14.75 (landrace Mejen). According to the weight of 1000 grains most genotypes had small grains. The minimum and maximum moisture values of flour and tortillas were 8.33-9.99% and 46.20-50.36%, respectively. The texture of tortillas elaborated from population 32 and landrace Mejen had the lowest tension and cutting strength, resulting the best genotypes for making tortilla.     

EFFECT OF YOGURT SWEETNESS ON SENSORY SPECIFIC SATIETY

The objective of this study was to determine if hedonically different sweetness levels in yogurt, determined by the ideal-relative rating methods, affected the consumption of yogurt in a sensory specific satiety test. Fifteen subjects attended a preliminary session, six taste tests and three sensory specific satiety tests. During each taste test, subjects rated yogurt with one of the three levels of sweetness (high, optimum, and low) for six attributes. During each sensory specific satiety test, subjects were offered a large serving of yogurt with one of the sweetness levels. Liking for optimum or high sweet yogurts decreased more after consumption than the liking for the low sweet yogurt, however, the consumption of optimum and high sweet yogurts was also greater, thus confounding the experiment.