The Impact of the Fresh Pork Display Lamps on the Sensory Response of Consumers to Fresh Pork

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to investigate the impact of fresh pork display lamps on consumers’ sensory responses to pork products. In the first experiment, 63 participants were asked to evaluate pork products with different degrees of freshness under four fresh pork display lights and two LED lights. In the other experiment, 30 subjects participated in the Farnsworth–Munsell 100 hue test under the same lamps, with the aim of showing whether the fresh pork display lamps impaired color discrimination. The results showed that the light source had a significant effect on the color appearance evaluation of the pork products. The ratings for perceived freshness under the fresh pork display lamps were significantly higher than those of ordinary LED lamps, while the color discrimination performance of the subjects under those lamps was poor. It was demonstrated that improper component proportions of the light spectrum could influence observers’ assessment of meat quality and weaken the observers’ ability to distinguish the freshness level. Through this study, the authors would like to remind lamp users and manufacturers to not only be concerned about the improvement in the color appearance of pork, but also the need for consumers to be aware of the authentic freshness of the pork products.