Stay safe in your vehicle: Drive-in booths can be an alternative to indoor booths for laboratory sensory testing

Sensory professionals are limited in conducting sensory evaluation at indoor facilities during the current COVID-19 pandemic period. However, they are eager to find alternative methods for safely continuing sensory evaluation because it is a critical operation component both in food and non-food industries. As an alternative to indoor sensory booths, this study proposes drive-in booths where panelists evaluate test samples in their own vehicles. This study aimed at determining whether a drive-in booth (DIB) environment could be an effective alternative for a laboratory sensory booth (LSB) environment by comparing the two conditions with respect to sensory and emotional responses, participant engagement in sensory evaluation, and participant feelings of safety from the risk of COVID-19 virus during sensory evaluation. A total of 106 consumers evaluated four beverage samples in terms of sensory, hedonic, and emotional aspects both in traditional sensory booths and in their own vehicles. They rated the levels of engagement in sensory evaluation and feeling of safety during sensory evaluation in both test conditions. Overall, the two test conditions did not differ in terms of sensory, hedonic, and emotional responses to the beverage samples. Differentiation patterns based on sensory and/or emotional responses to the four beverage samples were also similar between the two conditions. While participants in the LSB condition showed more involvement and attention toward sample evaluation using their senses, they rated the DIB condition as being more consistent with real-world experience. They also felt safer during sensory evaluation in the DIB condition than in the LSB condition, leading them to be more engaged in the sensory evaluation. This study concluded that the drive-in booth condition can be a valid substitute when the laboratory sensory booth condition is unavailable because of risks from test environmental factors such as those that may be encountered during pandemic or epidemic periods.

Impacts of Utensil Conditions on Consumer Perception and Acceptance of Food Samples Evaluated under In-Home Testing during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sensory professionals are looking for alternative ways to conduct laboratory sensory testing, especially central location testing (CLT), during the COVID-19 pandemic. One way could be conducting CLTs at home (i.e., in-home testing). It is questionable whether food samples under in-home testing should be presented in uniform utensils, as it does so under laboratory sensory testing. This study aimed to determine whether utensil conditions could affect consumer perception and acceptance of food samples evaluated under in-home testing. Sixty-eight participants (40 females and 28 males) prepared chicken-flavored ramen noodle samples and evaluated them for attribute perception and acceptance, under two utensil conditions, using either their utensils ("Personal") or uniform utensils provided ("Uniform"). Participants also rated their liking of forks/spoons, bowls, and eating environments, respectively, and attentiveness to sensory evaluation under each utensil condition. Results of the in-home testing showed that participants liked ramen noodle samples and their flavors under the "Personal" condition significantly more than under the "Uniform" condition. Ramen noodle samples evaluated under the "Uniform" condition were significantly higher in terms of saltiness than those evaluated under the "Personal" condition. Participants liked forks/spoons, bowls, and eating environments used under the "Personal" condition significantly more than those used under the "Uniform" condition. While overall likings of ramen noodle samples, evaluated under the "Personal" condition, significantly increased with an increase in hedonic ratings of forks/spoons or bowls, such significant correlations were not observed under the "Uniform" condition. In other words, providing uniform utensils (forks, spoons, and bowls) to participants in the in-home testing can reduce the influences of utensils on consumer likings of ramen noodle samples evaluated at home. In conclusion, this study suggests that sensory professionals should consider providing uniform utensils when they want to focus solely on consumer perception and acceptance of food samples by minimizing influences of environmental contexts, especially utensils, in the "in-home" testing.

Power of presence: Effects of physical or digital commensality on consumer perception and acceptance of meals

The current COVID-19 pandemic has prevented individuals from gathering together physically because of mandated social distancing, enhancing the popularity of digital commensalism via video telecommunication. Since there has been only limited research on how social presence can influence food consumption experience, this study aimed to determine whether differing means of social presence could influence sensory and emotional responses to consumed meals. A total of 56 participants, comprised of 28 co-habiting pairs, ate meal samples on 3 separate days under 3 different commensality conditions: (1) physically together (“physical commensality”), (2) virtually together (“digital commensality”), and (3) alone (“eating alone”). The participants, under the three commensality conditions, rated attribute intensities and acceptance of meal samples and also self-reported emotional responses to the meals. The results demonstrated that participants liked physical commensality the most, followed by digital commensality, with the eating alone condition least liked. While the participants liked the meals under the physical commensality condition more than under the eating alone condition, there was no significant difference in overall meal liking between the physical and digital commensality conditions. Commensality conditions also induced variation in meal-evoked emotional profiles, with the physical and digital commensality conditions more associated with positive valence-related emotions. Differing commensality conditions resulted in variation in the duration of meal consumption, with the shortest eating duration occurring under the eating alone condition. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the great potential for improving eating environments by incorporating technological enhancement into commensality, especially when physical commensality is impossible.

Stay safe in your vehicle: Drive-in booths can be an alternative to indoor booths for laboratory sensory testing

Sensory professionals are limited in conducting sensory evaluation at indoor facilities during the current COVID-19 pandemic period. However, they are eager to find alternative methods for safely continuing sensory evaluation because it is a critical operation component both in food and non-food industries. As an alternative to indoor sensory booths, this study proposes drive-in booths where panelists evaluate test samples in their own vehicles. This study aimed at determining whether a drive-in booth (DIB) environment could be an effective alternative for a laboratory sensory booth (LSB) environment by comparing the two conditions with respect to sensory and emotional responses, participant engagement in sensory evaluation, and participant feelings of safety from the risk of COVID-19 virus during sensory evaluation. A total of 106 consumers evaluated four beverage samples in terms of sensory, hedonic, and emotional aspects both in traditional sensory booths and in their own vehicles. They rated the levels of engagement in sensory evaluation and feeling of safety during sensory evaluation in both test conditions. Overall, the two test conditions did not differ in terms of sensory, hedonic, and emotional responses to the beverage samples. Differentiation patterns based on sensory and/or emotional responses to the four beverage samples were also similar between the two conditions. While participants in the LSB condition showed more involvement and attention toward sample evaluation using their senses, they rated the DIB condition as being more consistent with real-world experience. They also felt safer during sensory evaluation in the DIB condition than in the LSB condition, leading them to be more engaged in the sensory evaluation. This study concluded that the drive-in booth condition can be a valid substitute when the laboratory sensory booth condition is unavailable because of risks from test environmental factors such as those that may be encountered during pandemic or epidemic periods.

Recent evidence for the impacts of olfactory disorders on food enjoyment and ingestive behavior

Olfactory disorders in individuals are common. In general, 15% to 22% of the general population are estimated to have low olfactory function, and their prevalence rate has increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, raising global awareness as to how olfactory disorders can affect our quality of life. Notably, the most frequent issues reported by individuals with olfactory disorders are observed in food-related experiences. Because previous studies have advanced conflicting results in this regard, this review deals with current perspectives on the impacts of olfactory disorders on food perception, food enjoyment, food-evoked emotions, and dietary patterns. The strategies suggested in this review will provide a better understanding of how to improve eating-related quality of life among individuals with olfactory disorders.