Journal of Sensory Studies最新文献

With the rapidly expanding gluten-free crackers (GFC) market, it is important to understand their sensory properties for product development, marketing, and consumer acceptance. Until now, no research has developed a broadly applicable sensory lexicon of commercial plain/original GFC. This work used 10 plain GFC for descriptive analysis, based on seven different main flours (tapioca, cassava, white rice, brown rice, nut flour blend, millet flour blend, and jasmine rice). The crackers were evaluated by five highly trained panelists using a consensus method and a 150-point scale with 1.0 increments for intensity quantification. Three qualitative and 44 quantitative characteristics (10 appearance, 27 flavor, and seven texture attributes) were developed along with definitions and references. Visual (thickness, roughness, and shininess), texture (thickness, hardness, fracturability, grittiness, dryness/moisture absorbency, tooth packing, and astringency), and flavors (salt, sweet, starch complex, toasted, cardboard, and gluten character) were present in practically all samples. Other attributes such as dairy, coconut, seaweed, soy sauce, and black pepper were present only in certain crackers. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that crackers with the same flour type were not necessarily positioned close, showing the distinct sensory profiles even when formulated with the same flour base. The PCA for appearance and texture attributes explained 56.65% variability, mainly originating from the amount of seeds, size of seeds, roughness, and hardness. Similarly, the aroma and flavor PCA explained 49.1% variability, characterized by earthy, cardboard, burnt, nutty, oily, and salty. The lexicon offers a standardized blueprint of sensory properties for the plain GFC industry that can be used to profile similar products in the market.

Evidence from previous meta-analyses demonstrated that taste dysfunction is highly prevalent in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between TAS2R38 genotypes and phenotypes in individuals infected with COVID-19. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, PubMed Central, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Cochrane Library, ClinicalKey and Wiley online library databases using the keywords “((TAS2R38) OR (bitter taste receptor gene)) AND ((COVID-19) OR (SARS-COV-2))” to identify articles evaluating the association between TAS2R38 genotype/phenotype status and COVID-19. The analysis revealed that the TAS2R38 PAV allele in its dominant form (OR, 5.77; 95% CI, 5.54–6.00; p < 0.00001) and the taster phenotype (OR, 3.41; 95% CI, 2.88–4.03; p < 0.00001) was significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. The present study suggests that assessing taste phenotype status in populations such as close contacts and non-hospitalized individuals may serve as a valuable tool in the management of COVID-19 and similar pandemics.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by its irreversibility and slow, progressive evolution, which can be directly or indirectly accelerated by an inadequate diet. Taste abnormalities are prevalent in CKD, possibly due to the accumulation of urea and other non-excreted metabolites. The aim of the study was to assess the sensation dominance of basic tastes in individuals undergoing hemodialysis treatment. The Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) test was employed using the descriptors of basic tastes and the term “none of the options.” The samples were formulated with the concentrations defined by the method for investigating sensitivity to basic tastes, with the exception of umami. The TDS was administered to two distinct groups: the healthy group, which served as the control group and the diagnosed group, which was designated as the experimental group. The healthy group consisted of private university students without a diagnosis of noncommunicable chronic diseases, while the diagnosed group comprised patients with CKD who had undergone hemodialysis for more than 90 days. Subsequently, the results were analyzed for significant differences between the dominance curves using Fisher's exact test (p ≤ 0.05). A total of 90 adult individuals participated in the study, divided equally into two groups. The results indicated statistical differences between the groups regarding the perception of the basic tastes, namely acid, salty, and bitter. The perception of acid taste in the healthy group commenced at 22 s, exhibiting a constant dominance rate. In the diagnosed group, the perception of acidity manifested with a reduced latency period, followed by a distinct progression. The diagnosed group did not exhibit a significant dominance rate for salty taste; however, they did demonstrate a statistical difference in the perception of bitter taste, with a dominance peak > 50%. Changes in the perception of sweet, bitter, and salty tastes can interfere with the consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins, which increases the risk of energy-protein malnutrition and a worse nutritional prognosis.

Childhood obesity and undernutrition pose significant global challenges, particularly in Peru, where sweet biscuits are widely consumed but often nutritionally unbalanced. To improve the sensory quality of biscuits for children, we proposed selecting biscuits with better characteristics through evaluation with young adults. This study evaluated the impact of reducing sugar and incorporating quinoa flour on the sensory and hedonic perception of biscuits among young adults and school-aged children. Biscuit formulations were assessed using a 9-point hedonic scale and a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questionnaire. Young adults (n = 115, 18–25 years) showed moderate acceptance of all treatments, but the selection of the best treatments was influenced by the attributes “crunchy,” “honey,” and “sweet.” The selection of three treatments containing moderate levels of quinoa flour (15%–30%) and reduced sugar (10%–20%) resulted in higher scores of overall liking in children (n = 113, 6–13 years) compared to the evaluation in young adults, with positive attributes (sweet, crunchy, honey, brittle, and buttery) and absence of negative drivers of liking, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. This reformulation strategy offers a practical approach to addressing malnutrition without compromising sensory quality, providing valuable insights for food industries and policymakers seeking to promote healthier snacks for children.

This article studies how package shape affects consumers' eye movements and product selection for liquid soap products, using eye-tracking data and a choice experiment. The study involved 54 participants with different backgrounds, who chose their preferred product from pairs of photos of different packages. The results showed that package shape influenced consumer attention and choice, and that gender also had an effect on some of the measures. Packages with higher perimeter, eccentricity, and extent were more attractive and likely to be chosen by consumers, while packages with higher area, convex area, and roundness were less attractive and likely to be chosen. This article provides empirical evidence on the effect of package shape on consumer behavior for liquid soap products.

Interstitial space is an important component of food brand logos and provides a key source of information to attract consumer attention. In this research, two studies were conducted to examine whether the interstitial space (compact vs. spacious) of food brand logos affects consumers' food preferences, taking into account the moderating effect of the food nature (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Study 1, a pilot study based on product gaze times, showed that consumers had longer gaze durations and more choices for hedonic products with spacious logos and utilitarian products with compact logos. Study 2 designed a 2 (food brand logo interstitial space: spacious and compact) × 2 (food nature: hedonic and utilitarian) between-subjects experiment to show that compact (vs. spacious) food brand logos are more conducive to consumers' preferences for utilitarian foods, an effect driven by the psychological mechanism of food safety associations; conversely, spacious (vs. compact) food brand logos are more conducive to consumers' preferences for hedonic foods, an effect driven by the psychological mechanism of food indulgence associations.

This study aims to explore the interaction effect between agricultural product types (GI vs. non-GI) and the types of live content on consumers' purchase behaviors. Study 1 employs a mixed-effects model to analyze the data of the live streaming platforms. In Study 2, the experimental design and survey methods are used to collect data. Study 1 indicates that emotional (vs. informational) live content positively influences consumers' purchase intention for GI (vs. non -GI) agricultural products. In Study 2, the mediating role of brand awareness and product awareness is further investigated, and the results show that when purchasing GI (vs. non-GI) agricultural products, the adoption of emotional (vs. informational) live content is more likely to induce consumers' brand (vs. product) awareness and thus increase purchase behaviors. This research highlights the importance for enterprises to differentiate and effectively utilize different live content under live marketing strategies for GI agricultural products.