INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION/PROFESSION OF MEXICAN CONSUMERS ON ACCEPTANCE AND PURCHASE INTENT OF CORN TORTILLA

Influence of education/profession of Mexican consumers on acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas was evaluated. Two groups of 150 Mexican consumers each (faculty/graduate students [A] versus field laborers [B]) rated sensory acceptability of corn tortillas. Acceptance and purchase intent were rated using a binomial scale. Group B had higher expectations towards corn tortillas as indicated by lower acceptability ratings. Both groups used rollability, resistance-to-tearing, and chewiness to differentiate tortilla samples, but group B paid more attention to these attributes as indicated by higher canonical correlation values. Acceptance was influenced by overall liking for both groups; chewiness and taste were also significant for group B. Purchase intent was influenced by overall liking and taste for both groups, but color for group A, and appearance and chewiness for group B were also critical. This study demonstrated that education/profession of Mexican consumers affected their acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study revealed that education/profession of Mexican consumers affected acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. Two groups of consumers with different levels of education had different expectation toward tortillas when making purchase decision. Understanding how each consumer segment differently perceives about the tortilla product will give marketers and manufacturers a better direction for developing tortilla products with expected sensory qualities.     

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.     

LIKING OF POPCORN CONTAINING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SALT1

Approximately 300 subjects participated in a test to determine whether the level of salt in popcorn affected the change in overall liking observed as a consequence of consuming a serving of popcorn. Subjects tasted and rated three samples of popcorn (low, medium, high salt levels), ate a serving of popcorn at one of the salt levels and then tasted and rated the three samples again. Subjects returned one or seven days later and tasted and rated the samples again. Overall liking, salt intensity and salt liking were measured. The subjects also completed a questionnaire about their liking and consumption of popcorn. Liking scores for the popcorns decreased after eating a 3-cup serving; however, sensory specific satiety for the different levels of salt was not observed. Consuming low salt popcorn increased the rated saltiness of the popcorns, whereas consuming high salt popcorn decreased the rated saltiness — probably a frequency effect. When subjects retasted the popcorns one or seven days later, all liking ratings increased except the salt liking ratings for the high salt sample. There was also a trend for the overall liking of this high salt sample to increase less than for the medium and low salt samples. Questionnaire measures of liking or consumption were not related to the changes in liking observed.     

EFFECT OF PRICE ON PLEASANTNESS RATINGS AND USE INTENTIONS FOR A CHOCOLATE BAR IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF A HEALTH CLAIM

The effect of price information on hedonic and use intention responses to a chocolate bar was investigated in the absence and presence of a health claim related to energy, satiety value and cholesterol content. First, Finnish students (n = 79) tasted and rated blind three chocolate bars (one regular, two containing functional ingredients). Second, one group (“Informed,” n = 40) evaluated the samples with the health claim and price information, the other group (“Control,” n = 39) as a regular bar with price information only. A separate focus group (n = 6) interview was conducted to obtain further views of the claim and samples. Neither the health claim nor the price affected pleasantness ratings, while the increasing price significantly reduced the likelihood of buying and preferred frequency of eating the chocolate bar in both groups. Price affected the likelihood of buying more strongly among females than among males, and involvement with chocolate bars affected the likelihood of buying in the control, but not in the informed group. The focus group interview indicated that healthfulness might be irrelevant for chocolate products. Overall, price heavily affected the likelihood of buying the target product, but price and the health claim were incapable of altering hedonic responses to it.     

EFFECTS OF FORGETTING ON PERFORMANCE ON VARIOUS INTENSITY SCALING PROTOCOLS: MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION AND LABELED MAGNITUDE SCALE (GREEN SCALE)

Judges rated the intensity of NaCl solutions using magnitude estimation and the labeled magnitude scale. They performed under four response conditions that varied in reliance on memory: (1) verbal response, (2) written response with no retasting and the response sheet removed, (3) written response with a single response sheet which allowed past scores to be reviewed and amended but with no retasting, (4) the same as '3' but with retasting. Discrimination errors tended to decrease from conditions '1' through '4' yet the major and significant effect was allowing judges to retaste stimuli. The effects of how forgetting lowered discrimination were discussed in the context of experimental design and the absolute versus relative cognitive models of scaling.     

SENSORY EXPECTATIONS OF CHILDREN FROM DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLD INCOMES FOR A BRANDED CONFECTIONARY PRODUCT

The influence of brand and price on the sensory acceptability of alfajor (an individual cake covered in chocolate) among children from different household incomes was measured. Two brands of alfajores, “cheap” and “expensive,” were used. A total of 120 children, half from low‐income households (LI) and half from medium‐ to high‐income households (M–HI), participated in the study. They tasted the alfajores in three conditions: blind, package‐alone and package + product. The LI children were not influenced by brand. For the M–HI children, an assimilation effect was observed. The findings highlight the importance of socioeconomic factors in sensory expectation. In the blind condition, if the price is very high, no matter how much a child likes an alfajor he/she will not buy it. If the price is low, the overall liking will highly influence the choice. Implications of results for manufacturers, money providers and nutritional education agencies are discussed.     

PROP (6-n-Propylthiouracil) tasting and sensory responses to caffeine,sucrose, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and chocolate

The genetically determined ability to taste 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) has been linked with lowered acceptance of some bitter foods. Fifty-four women, aged 18-30 years, tasted and rated PROP-impregnated filter paper and seven solutions of PROP. Summed bitterness intensity ratings for PROP solutions determined PROP taster status. Respondents also tasted five sucrose and seven caffeine solutions, as well as seven solutions each of caffeine and PROP that had been sweetened with 0.3 mmol/l neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC). Respondents also rated three kinds of chocolate using 9-point category scales. PROP tasters rated caffeine solutions as more bitter than did non-tasters and liked them less. PROP tasters did not rate either sucrose or NHDC as more sweet. The addition of NHDC to PROP and caffeine solutions suppressed bitterness intensity more effectively for tasters than for non-tasters and improved hedonic ratings among both groups. PROP tasters and non-tasters showed the same hedonic response to sweetened caffeine solutions and did not differ in their sensory responses to chocolate. Genetic taste markers may have only a minor impact on the consumption of such foods as sweetened coffee or chocolate.     

LIKING FOR ICE CREAM MEASURED WITH THREE PROCEDURES: SIDE-BY-SIDE, AFTER CONSUMPTION AND SINGLE SAMPLES

The purpose of this study was to compare how similar results are achieved by three different procedures of measuring liking for ice cream. Subjects (N=56) assessed their liking for three brands of vanilla ice cream on a 9-point scale in seven sessions within three weeks. The examined procedures were (1) tasting and rating all three brands simultaneously side-by-side within the same session, (2) rating each brand in separate sessions after ad libitum consumption and (3) tasting (without consumption) and rating each brand in separate sessions. The liking scores for brands differed significantly but the differences were small because all samples were well-liked. In all procedures, the ratings of liking differed clearly between those who ranked the brand first and those who ranked it second or third, even if there was a considerable number of tied first places. Correlations among the three different measurements of liking were relatively low for all brands of ice cream (r = 0.16 – 0.37). The most preferred brand for most respondents changed from one procedure to another. The perceived characteristics were close to ideal in all brands, and all three procedures gave similar mean results. The distance of mouthfeel, creaminess, sweetness, and vanilla aroma from ideal differed between those who liked the brand best and those who rated it second or third. These differences were larger in side-by-side and after consumption conditions compared to single sample presentation.     

THE HEDONIC TONES OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND THEIR MIXTURES

0s rated their liking or disliking of aqueous concentrationsof glucose, Na and Ca cyclamate, Na and Ca saccharin, and pairwisemixtures of artificial sweeteners at varying concentrations.Hedonic tones did not add arithmetically - the unpleasantnessof a mixture was often substantially more than the unpleasantnessof the components. Adequate predictions of hedonic tones ofmixtures must be made by referring back to the taste qualitiesof the mixture. This necessity for intermediate steps (i.e.,consideration of the sensory aspect) constrains considerablythe development of models which predict mixture hedonics fromthe hedonics of the mixture components evaluated separately.     

HOW WELL DOES THE 9‐POINT HEDONIC SCALE PREDICT PURCHASE FREQUENCY?

One hundred and one consumers assessed three strawberry‐flavored yogurts, using the 9‐point hedonic scale and a purchase intent scale, both blind and with their appropriate cartons. They were then monitored for a year, to determine whether their ratings had any predictive value for their purchase behavior. It was found that the highest rated yogurts tended to be the ones that were purchased during the year. Any correspondence between rank order of rating and of purchase frequency was negligible. Predictions were better when the yogurts were rated with their cartons. The ratings were a better predictor of purchase frequency than price. Various consistency measures were also made.     

Who Needs Cream and Sugar When There Is Eco-Labeling? Taste and Willingness to Pay for “Eco-Friendly” Coffee

Participants tasted two cups of coffee, decided which they preferred, and then rated each coffee. They were told (in lure) that one of the cups contained “eco-friendly” coffee while the other did not, although the two cups contained identical coffee. In Experiments 1 and 3, but not in Experiment 2, the participants were also told which cup contained which type of coffee before they tasted. The participants preferred the taste of, and were willing to pay more for, the “eco-friendly” coffee, at least those who scored high on a questionnaire on attitudes toward sustainable consumer behavior (Experiment 1). High sustainability consumers were also willing to pay more for “eco-friendly” coffee, even when they were told, after their decision, that they preferred the non-labeled alternative (Experiment 2). Moreover, the eco-label effect does not appear to be a consequence of social desirability, as participants were just as biased when reporting the taste estimates and willingness to pay anonymously (Experiment 3). Eco labels not only promote a willingness to pay more for the product but also lead to a more favorable perceptual experience of it.     

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.     

RETRACTED: SENSORY SUGGESTIVENESS AND LABELING: DO SOY LABELS BIAS TASTE?1

Can labels suggestively influence sensory perceptions and taste? Using a “ Phantom Ingredient” taste test, we show that the presence or absence of a labeled ingredient (soy) and the presence or absence of a health claim negatively bias taste perceptions toward a food erroneously thought to contain soy. We found a label highlighting soy content made health claims believable but negatively influenced perceptions of taste for certain segments of consumers. Our results and discussion provide better direction for researchers who work with ingredient labeling as well as for those who work with soybean products.     

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.     

SENSORY PROFILING AND PRODUCT POSITIONING OF ROASTED AND GROUND (BREW) COFFEE AND SOLUBLE (INSTANT) COFFEE WITH AND WITHOUT ADDED FLAVOR

Coffee powders available commercially are of different qualities. The quality variations may be due to inherent quality of coffee beans, storage time and packaging materials used. Sensory profiles of brewed and soluble coffees were studied through profiling. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) used for positioning the different coffee samples showed that freshly made coffee from plantation arabica (PA), Pea berry (PB), PA with chicory (PAC), PB with chicory (PBC) and their blends viz. PA + PB and PAC + PBC occupied the quadrant where coffee aroma and overall quality rated higher. Other roasted & ground (R&G) coffee (market) samples were positioned where oily, fermented, musty, stale and caramelized notes dominated. In case of soluble coffee, the flavored coffee procured from the western market (S3, S6, S9 and S8) dominated the quadrant where other added flavor and oily notes dominated. The typical soluble (instant) coffee without any added flavor S10, S12 and S13 occupied another quadrant. The soluble coffee powder with spice incorporation took a separate quadrant where other added flavor and bitter taste dominated. The dominant quality attributes for the groups are different and are discussed in relation to the directional vectors.     

Hippocampus, ageing, and taste memories

Previous studies have shown that ageing may induce deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory tasks, the spatial task being most extensively applied in rats. It is proposed that taste learning and memory tasks may assist in understanding the ageing of memory systems, giving access to a more complete picture. Taste learning tasks allow us to explore a variety of learning phenomena in safe and aversive memories using similar behavioral procedures. In demanding the same sensory, response, and motivational requirements, this approach provides reliable comparisons between the performance of hippocampal lesioned and aged rats in different types of memory. Present knowledge on the effect of both ageing and hippocampal damage in complex taste learning phenomena is reviewed. Besides inducing deficits in hippocampal-dependent phenomena, such as blocking of conditioned taste aversion, while at the same time leaving intact nonhippocampal-dependent effects, such as latent inhibition, ageing is also associated with an increased neophobia by previous aversive taste memories and enhanced taste aversion conditioning which cannot be explained by age-related changes in taste or visceral distress sensitivity. In all, the results indicate a peculiar organization of the memory systems during aging that cannot be explained by a general cognitive decline or exclusively by the decay of the hippocampal function.     

Male facial attractiveness,perceived personality,and child-directed speech

This study investigated associations between men's facial attractiveness, perceived personality, attitudes towards children, and the quality of their child-directed (CD) speech. Sixty-three males were photographed and completed a brief questionnaire concerning their family background and attitudes towards children. They then performed a task in which they gave directions to (imaginary) adults and children. Analyses of the acoustic properties of speech produced under each condition were performed in order to determine the extent to which individual men changed their speech to accommodate a child listener (i.e., exhibited CD speech). The men's faces were rated by 59 female participants, who assessed perceived prosociality, masculinity, health, and short- and long-term attractiveness. Although women's ratings of attractiveness and prosociality were related to men's self-reported liking for children, they were negatively correlated to men's use of CD speech (i.e., less attractive men used more features of CD speech when addressing an imaginary child). These findings are discussed in the context of halo effects and strategic pluralism in male mating behaviors.     

酸敏感离子通道的功能及其相关调控

酸敏感离子通道（ASICs）是一类由胞外酸化所激活的阳离子通道.目前,已发现了6个ASICs亚基,它们在外周和中枢神经系统中广泛表达.利用基因敲除等技术,已证明它们在触觉、痛觉、酸味觉以及学习记忆中具有重要作用.同时,它们也参与某些病理反应.ASICs可以被神经肽、温度、金属离子和缺血相关物质等调控,从而整合细胞周围的多种信号以行使其功能.     

COMPARING TRANS-FAT AND TRANS-FAT-FREE DOUGHNUT SHORTENINGS BASED ON SENSORY EVALUATION AND OIL DEGRADATION

This is an initiative study on the use of trans -fat-free products in the bakery industry. A standardized doughnut product was cooked in three doughnut shortenings, one containing trans fat and two that were trans fat-free. Six hundred forty-one panelists, students, faculty and staff of a large northeastern university rated each of the three doughnuts on a variety of categories, including texture, moisture content and overall liking. Results showed that there were no significant differences between doughnuts cooked in the three shortenings – this was true for all attributes tested.
The results from this study have many significant implications for the foodservice industry, as they work to cut down or eliminate the use of trans fats in their establishments because of the significant health risks they have been proven to cause.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study demonstrates the variances on texture, taste, appearance and overall liking characteristics of doughnuts fried in different doughnut shortenings. The nutritional breakdown of the doughnuts and the shortenings are also addressed. In the case of shortenings, the ideal type of fat is a mixture of canola, soybean and hydrogenated cottonseed. This shortening mixture, which is trans fat-free, produced the most preferred doughnut.