Emotional response to healthier foods: Influence of culture and health consciousness.

Sugar, salt, and fat content in processed products are important concerns for consumers. Hence, alternative "healthy" versions of conventional foods such as chocolate, potato chips, and yogurt are offered. This work aimed to define the emotional response of consumers from different cultural backgrounds (Spain vs. Brazil) evoked by healthier versions of conventional products and the relationship between hedonic responses and health consciousness. A total of 186 Brazilian and 152 Spanish consumers participated in this online cross-cultural study. Participants answered a Health Consciousness Questionnaire and an emotional check-all-that-applies questionnaire using picture stimuli of conventional chocolate, potato chips, and yogurt and their healthier versions with less sugar, salt, and fat content, respectively. The Brazilians' emotional responses were more diverse for all stimuli compared to the Spaniards'. However, participants from both cultures rated an average of "slightly agree" on the health consciousness scale; a higher level of consumption, liking, and willingness to buy; and a higher frequency of positive emotional terms for the stimuli of conventional products compared to their healthier versions. A higher frequency of evocation of "active" is strongly associated with higher levels of health consciousness. Strategic actions by the food industry and government must consider cultural, emotional, and health-conscious factors to encourage the consumption of healthier foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Food manufacturers can use the information obtained from this study to create healthier versions of their products that appeal to consumers' emotional responses and health consciousness levels. The findings can assist in designing strategic actions to promote healthier food consumption by emphasizing the benefits of healthier food choices and making them more appealing to consumers. The methodology employed in this study can also be applied to further studies aimed to assess emotional responses to food stimuli across different cultures.

The pro-oxidant action of high-oxygen MAP on beef patties can be counterbalanced by antioxidant compounds from common hawthorn and rose hips.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of antioxidant-rich extracts from rose hip (Rosa canina L.; RC) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.; CM) at minimizing the oxidative damage to proteins and lipids in beef patties subjected to a high­oxygen (HiOx-MAP) and vacuum (Vacuum) packaging atmosphere. The extracts of RC and CM were characterized by quantifying bioactive compounds, namely, phenolic compounds, tocopherols and vitamin C. Both fruits had high concentrations of bioactive compounds, with RC having the highest total phenolic and vitamin C content. Yet, CM was the most efficient in protecting beef patties against protein carbonylation, reducing, as a result, the instrumental toughness in cooked beef patties. The use of CM and RC extracts in beef patties significantly improved consumer purchase intention in HiOx-MAP packaging systems. The use of CM and RC extracts or their combination in future research would be an effective antioxidant means to decrease the pro-oxidative effects caused by HiOx-MAP in red meat.

Influence of fat reduction and flavor addition on the temporal sensory profile in potato chips using a multiple-intake approach.

BACKGROUND: Reducing the fat content of potato chips can negatively affect the overall perception of taste and texture. However, incorporating flavor can help mitigate negative effects. To measure and understand these changes, a technique describing the consumption experience must be used. The impact of low fat content and the presence of ham flavor in the formulation of potato chips was studied in relation to the dynamics of sensations perceived during consumption and, additionally, related to the hedonic aspects of these products. RESULTS: Three different varieties of commercially available potato chips, classical salted potato chips (PC-C), light (low fat content) potato chips (PC-L), and ham-flavored potato chips (PC-H), were analyzed by multiple-intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) sessions, showing the differences among PC-C, PC-L, and PC-H. Moreover, acceptability and purchase intention were also considered. The results showed that the lower fat content in the potato chips had a great impact on temporal dominance of texture attributes, whereas the presence of ham flavor in the formulation greatly modified the temporal dominance of flavor sensations during consumption with no effect on acceptability. CONCLUSION: Multiple intake TDS is a suitable method for revealing how modifications of formulation and composition of potato chips to achieve healthier or different versions affects consumers dynamic sensory perception and how it is related to preferences. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sensory Characterization of Iberian Dry-Cured Loins by Using Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) Analysis and Multiple-Intake Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS).

The aim of the present work was to sensorially characterize different commercial categories of Iberian dry-cured loins (varying genetic and feeding background) using a novel dynamic sensory technique, and to explore consumers preferences applying a rapid method. The samples (green label-GL, Cebo de Campo Ibérico; red label-RL, Bellota 50% Ibérico; and black label-BL, Bellota 100%) were analyzed by (i) Check-all-that-apply (CATA) with the evaluation of an 'Ideal' dry-cured loin and the overall liking, and by (ii) multiple-intake Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). The CATA results indicated that the sensory characteristics of RL samples were closer to those of the 'Ideal' loin. Furthermore, juiciness, marbling, cured flavor, chewiness, persistence, and brightness were selected as 'must-have' attributes. Juiciness cured flavor and red color were considered as drivers of liking. TDS results showed that flavor attributes presented the highest dominance rates, with saltiness being the most dominant attribute along BL sample evaluation, and with cured and paprika flavor for GL and RL samples. These sensory technique results displayed the ability to sensorily characterize dry-cured loins, providing different, complementary, and valuable information.

Cross-cultural emotional response to food stimuli: Influence of consumption context.

Emotional responses elicited by certain types of food can be influenced by past experiences, frequency of consumption, culture, and other personal preferences. The present research aimed i) to investigate the impact of culture (Brazilian and Spaniard) on consumers' emotional responses and acceptability of different food stimuli, and ii) to explore the influence of evoked contexts. Brazilian (n = 437) and Spanish (n = 397) participants were exposed to three visual food stimuli (image of chocolate, potato chips, and yogurt) in an online survey and reported their emotional responses. Sociodemographic data, liking, and frequency of consumption were also collected. The evoked context in our study were designed and proposed, for each product and culture, based on four dimensions (consumption time, location, social setting, and hungry state). The evoked emotional lexicon was different for each food stimulus and was clearly influenced by the cultural factor. However, there are more similarities between cultures when evaluating the same product category. The evoked contexts were appropriated and influenced the citing frequency of some emotion terms, including positive ones. The most cited emotion terms tended to positively impact product liking ratings, acting as drivers of liking. Consumption level was positively related to liking regardless of cultural interactions for both chocolate and potato chips stimuli. In conclusion, the cultural background demonstrated to be an important impact factor to be considered for understanding the effects of product, consumption occasions, and degree of liking, on emotional responses to foods. These findings offer new possibilities to be explored in marketing messages for interventions or stimuli that guide food choices.

Impact of 'free-from' and 'healthy choice' labeled versions of chocolate and coffee on temporal profile (multiple-intake TDS) and liking.

Product reformulation for obtaining "free-from" or "healthy choice" versions may confer significant changes in sensory characteristics which could not meet consumer expectations in terms of sensory perception. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the influence of formulations of different product categories on their dynamic sensory profile and consumer acceptability. A sensory panel of 23 semi-trained assessors evaluated two product categories, chocolate and milk coffee, using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) over three consecutive intakes/sips (multiple-intake TDS) on two replications. TDS allowed us to describe the dynamic profile of classic products over the three intakes and to identify differences in the sensory temporal profile compared to their 'healthier choice' reformulated versions. For the chocolate category, increasing the cocoa and the reduction of lactose content mainly influenced the dominance of sweetness, dairy, cocoa, crunchy and bitterness attributes. No sugar addition and absence of caffeine (decaffeinated version) in ready to drink milk coffee beverage modified temporal perception of sweetness, bitterness, coffee flavor and smoothness texture. Higher overall liking averages were associated with the dominant attributes of chocolate with a higher level of cacao and milk coffee decaffeinated. The obtained results of the present work suggest that the multiple-intake TDS technique can be applied for the evaluation of different food categories, helping to develop healthier products and predicting the liking.

Benefits of wine-based marination of strip steaks prior to roasting: inhibition of protein oxidation and impact on sensory properties.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of red wine-based marination on the oxidative stability and overall quality of roasted beef strip steaks. Four treatments were considered, according to the type of wine (300 mL dealcoholized wine/kilogram meat): 'Cabernet Sauvignon', 'Tempranillo', 'Isabel' (ISA), and a control. The formation of potentially harmful protein oxidation products during roasting, including protein carbonyls and dityrosines, was inhibited by bioactive components of the wine. RESULTS: ISA marinades were particularly resistant to protein oxidation, which could be due the particular composition of this wine in phenolic compounds. Wine-based marination was also effective in controlling the formation of lipid-derived volatile compounds, such as hexanal, octane-2,5-dione, and heptan-2-one, which led to a reduced perception of rancidity by panelists. Additionally, wines contributed to spicing roasted beef with wine-derived flavors from esters, alcohols, and lactones. CONCLUSIONS: Hence, marination may be a feasible means to alleviate the potential negative effects that oxidative reactions cause to meat proteins, improve beef quality, and diversify beef cuts into a variety of safer and more flavored meat products. Among wines, ISA appeared to be most promising in terms of antioxidant protection; however, the limited consumer acceptance of steaks treated with this wine may be regarded as a drawback to be sorted out in future studies. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Emotional responses to the consumption of dry-cured hams by Spanish consumers: A temporal approach.

The objective of this study was to describe for the first time the emotional responses during the consumption of three types of Spanish dry-cured hams, namely, 'Iberian', 'Serrano' and 'Curado'. Moreover, dynamic sensory techniques such as Temporal Dominance of Emotions and Temporal Dominance of Sensations were applied to identify the dominant emotions and sensory attributes perceived during ham consumption. >50 emotional terms were generated during sample consumption including positive, negative and neutral terms. Noticeable differences were detected among the three types of dry-cured ham for their emotional profiles. The most dominant emotions evoked by Iberian dry-cured hams were "intense", "authentic" and "pleasant" and could be associated with the domination of cured flavour and juiciness, with both attributes being closely related to their high intramuscular fat content. However, in Serrano and Curado dry-cured hams, the domination of saltiness attribute seemed to contribute to evoking negative emotions as "ordinary", "indifferent" and "dissatisfied". Finally, high duration of the domination of positive emotions as "desirable", "intense", "pleasant" and "authentic" contributed to high overall liking scores.

Near-infrared spectroscopy-based analysis to study sensory parameters on pork loins as affected by cooking methods and conditions.

BACKGROUND: The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to classify pork loins under different methods and cooking conditions, and to predict sensory attributes of this product. RESULTS: Samples were oven cooked at two temperatures (150 and 180 °C) for different times (45, 60 and 75 min) and confit cooked for different times (120, 180 and 240 min). All cooked loin samples were subjected to a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis by a trained panel. For classification, principal component analysis was performed based on the NIRS database, showing a good discrimination between loins samples subjected to different cooking conditions. Regarding prediction, a data mining technique (multiple linear regression) was applied on a database constructed with data from NIRS and sensory analysis. CONCLUSION: The correlation coefficient and the mean absolute error obtained suggest that the calculated prediction equations of this study are valid to predict the changes in the sensory attributes depending on the cooking method and conditions used for pork loins. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of pre-cooking methods on the chemical and sensory deterioration of ready-to-eat chicken patties during chilled storage and microwave reheating.

The effects of pre-cooking methods, namely, boiling (BL), roasting (RT) and grilling (GR), refrigerated storage (14 days/+4 °C) and microwave reheating on chicken patties were studied. Physical, chemical and sensory parameters were evaluated in order to correlate the chemical deterioration of ready-to-eat chicken patties with the acceptance of the odor. Chemical deterioration was evaluated through the chemical composition, Maillard compounds, Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and volatiles. Sensory deterioration (odor liking) was performed by an acceptance test with hedonic scale. According to the TBARS values and volatile compounds generated in the head space during the examined stages, the pre-cooking method and the storage time had a significant effect on lipid oxidation, whereas reheating in a microwave had a negligible impact. At each succeeding processing stage, panelists gave lower odor scores to all samples and no significant differences were found between treatments at any stage. RT and GR patties showed less intense chemical changes and presented higher acceptation scores by the sensory panel than BL patties. Thus, the choice of pre-cooking method and control of storage conditions plays a key role in the inhibition of oxidative changes in ready-to-eat chicken patties.

Reporting the sensory properties of dry-cured ham using a new language: Time intensity (TI) and temporal dominance of sensations (TDS).

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of salt content (normal and reduced) and feeding system (montanera and concentrate) on the dynamic sensory characteristics of dry-cured hams using time-intensity (TI) and Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) techniques. Differences in the temporal sensory information given by the two different techniques were found. Significant differences in the temporal perception of flavour and texture were detected between normal and reduced salt content dry-cured hams which are a Spanish pricy meat product very appreciated by consumers due to its particular sensory characteristics. The effect of the feeding system was mainly observed on flavour attributes such as saltiness and cured flavour and texture attributes such as juiciness. The application of TDS technique to study temporal sensory attributes of dry-cured ham is reported for the first time in the present article.

Effect of protein oxidation on the impaired quality of dry-cured loins produced from frozen pork meat.

Dry-cured loins elaborated from frozen (-20 °C/20 weeks)/thawed longissimus dorsi muscles (F) were compared with counterparts elaborated from fresh (unfrozen) muscles (UF) for the extent of protein oxidation (carbonylation and Schiff base formation) and their sensory profile (quantitative-descriptive analysis). All samples had similar moisture, fat and protein contents (p>0.05). In accordance with previous studies, freezing meat prior to processing affected the oxidative stability of meat proteins. This chemical change occurred concomitantly with modifications of the sensory profile of the loins as F-samples received significantly (p<0.05) higher scores for rancid and salty flavor, hardness and fibrousness than UF-counterparts. The formation of cross-links (assessed as Schiff bases) during freezing and the subsequent processing may have contributed to strengthening the meat structure and hence, impairing the texture properties of dry-cured loins.

Salt and intramuscular fat modulate dynamic perception of flavour and texture in dry-cured hams.

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of salt and intramuscular fat (IMF) content on the sensory characteristics of two different types of dry-cured hams (Iberian and Serrano) using the time-intensity (TI) method. All studied TI parameters of flavour attributes (overall flavour, saltiness, cured and rancid flavours) were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by variations in the salt and/or IMF content. However, regarding texture attributes only the maximum intensity (Imax) of hardness was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the salt content of hams. Compared to Iberian dry-cured hams, the dynamic perception of the flavour and texture of Serrano dry-cured hams was less influenced by variations in salt and/or IMF content. The dynamic sensory techniques may be helpful to guarantee the quality of dry-cured products subjected to strategies of salt and fat reduction.

Impact of high pressure treatment and intramuscular fat content on colour changes and protein and lipid oxidation in sliced and vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured ham.

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (600MPa) and intramuscular fat content (IMF) on colour parameters and oxidative stability of lipids and proteins in sliced vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured ham during refrigerated storage (120 days at 2°C) was investigated. Several studies have investigated the influence of HHP on lipid oxidation of meat products. However, its effects on protein carbonylation, as also the influence of IMF content on this carbonylation are poorly understood. HHP treatment had a significant effect on lean lightness after 0 and 120 days of storage while IMF content increased lightness and yellowness over time. Regarding oxidative stability, the effect of HHP treatment depended on IMF content samples with a high IMF having greater lipid instability while samples with a low IMF underwent more protein carbonylation.

Ultrasonic characterization of pork fat crystallization during cold storage.

UNLABELLED: In this work, the feasibility of using ultrasonic velocity measurements for characterizing and differentiating the crystallization pattern in 2 pork backfats (Montanera and Cebo Iberian fats) during cold storage (0 °C, 2 °C, 5 °C, 7 °C, and 10 °C) was evaluated. The fatty acid profile, thermal behavior, and textural properties (hardness) of fat were also determined. Both fats became harder during cold storage (average hardness increase for both fats, 11.5 N, 8 N, and 1.8 N at 0, °C 2 °C, and 5 °C , respectively), showing a 2-step pattern related with the separate crystallization of the different existing triacylglycerols, which was well described using a modified Avrami equation (explained variance > 99%). Due to a greater content of saturated triacylglycerols, Cebo fat (45.1%) was harder than Montanera (41.8%). The ultrasonic velocity followed a similar 2-step pattern to hardness during cold storage, being found an average increase for both fats of 184, 161, and 150 m/s at 0 °C 2 °C, and 5 °C, respectively. Thus, ultrasonic measurements were useful both to characterize the textural changes taking place during cold storage and to differentiate between fats with different composition. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The cold storage of dry-cured meat products during their distribution and retail sale exert an important effect on their textural properties and consumers' acceptance due to the crystallization of the fat fraction, which is greatly influenced by the type of fat. In this work, a nondestructive ultrasonic technique was used to identify the textural changes provoked by the crystallization during cold storage, and to differentiate between fats, which could be used for quality control purposes.

Impact of lipid content and composition on lipid oxidation and protein carbonylation in experimental fermented sausages.

This study aims to investigate the effect of lipid content (∼4%, ∼10% and ∼15%) and composition (different lipid sources; animal fat and sunflower oil) on the oxidative stability of proteins and lipids in experimental fermented sausages. Increasing the lipid content of sausages enhanced the susceptibility of lipids to oxidation whereas the effect on the formation of specific carbonyls from protein oxidation was not so evident. Sausages manufactured with different lipid sources affected the susceptibility of lipids and proteins to oxidation as a likely result of the modifications in the fatty acid profile, as well as to the presence of antioxidant compounds. While the fatty acid profile had a major effect on the occurrence and extent of lipid oxidation, the presence of compounds with potential antioxidant activity may be more influential on the extent of protein carbonylation.

The genetic background affects composition, oxidative stability and quality traits of Iberian dry-cured hams: purebred Iberian versus reciprocal Iberian × Duroc crossbred pigs.

This study examined the physico-chemical characteristics, oxidative stability and sensory properties of Iberian cry-cured hams as affected by the genetic background of the pigs: purebred Iberian (PBI) pigs vs reciprocal cross-bred Iberian × Duroc pigs (IB × D pigs: Iberian dams × Duroc sires; D × IB pigs: Duroc dams × Iberian sires). Samples from PBI pigs contained significantly higher amounts of IMF, monounsaturated fatty acids, heme pigments and iron than those from crossbred pigs. The extent of lipid and protein oxidation was significantly larger in dry-cured hams of crossbred pigs than in those from PBI pigs. Dry-cured hams from PBI pigs were defined by positive sensory properties (i.e. redness, brightness and juiciness) while hams from crossbred pigs were ascribed to negative ones (i.e. hardness, bitterness and sourness). Hams from PBI pigs displayed a superior quality than those from crossbred pigs. The position of the dam or the sire in reciprocal Iberian × Duroc crosses had no effect on the quality of Iberian hams.

A novel approach to assess temporal sensory perception of muscle foods: application of a time-intensity technique to diverse Iberian meat products.

Although dynamic sensory techniques such as time-intensity (TI) have been applied to certain meat products, existing knowledge regarding the temporal sensory perception of muscle foods is still limited. The objective of the present study was to apply TI to the flavour and texture perception of three different Iberian meat products: liver pâté, dry-cured sausages ("salchichon") and dry-cured loin. Moreover, the advantages of using dynamic versus static sensory techniques were explored by subjecting the same products to a quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). TI was a suitable technique to assess the impact of composition and structure of the three meat products on flavour and texture perception from a dynamic perspective. TI parameters extracted from the TI-curves and related to temporal perception enabled the detection of clear differences in sensory temporal perception between the meat products and provided additional insight on sensory perception compared to the conventional static sensory technique (QDA).

Effect of intramuscular fat content and serving temperature on temporal sensory perception of sliced and vacuum packaged dry-cured ham.

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of three serving temperatures (7 °C, 16 °C and 20 °C) and two different ham sections varying in the intramuscular fat (IMF) content on the sensory characteristics of sliced and vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured hams using the time-intensity (TI) method. Preceding the TI study, appearance and odour of dry-cured hams were evaluated using a descriptive profile. Fluidity and brightness of the external fat, brightness of lean and all odour attributes increased as serving temperature increased whereas the hardness of external fat decreased with temperature. Oral temperature would have disguised the effect of serving temperature over time as a consequence of a possible balance between both temperatures during samples' consumption. TI revealed that the effect of serving temperature on flavour and texture perception was more noticeable along the first seconds of chewing. Odour intensities increased with the IMF content and temporal perception of hardness, saltiness and rancid flavour were also significantly influenced by the IMF content.

Protein carbonylation and water-holding capacity of pork subjected to frozen storage: effect of muscle type, premincing, and packaging.

The present work aimed to study the relationship between protein carbonylation and the loss of water-holding capacity (WHC) occurring during frozen storage of porcine muscles. Pork samples corresponding to two different muscle types, glycolytic M. longissimus dorsi (LD) and oxidative M. psoas major (PM), and subjected to two different premincing, minced (MINCED) and intact pork pieces (INTACT), and packaging, vacuum packaged (VACUUM) and packed in oxygen-permeable bags (OXYGEN), procedures were frozen (-18 °C/12 weeks) and analyzed at sampling times upon thawing (weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12) for the relative amount of specific protein carbonyls, α-aminoadipic and γ-glutamic semialdehydes (AAS and GGS, respectively), and their ability to hold water using two different techniques. The formation of protein carbonyls occurred concomitantly with the loss of WHC, and both phenomena were found to be more intense in LD muscles and in MINCED and OXYGEN pork samples. The loss in WHC was from ca. 10 to 30% in 12 weeks, depending on the method of determination. Plausible mechanisms by which protein carbonylation may decrease the WHC of pork samples are thoroughly discussed in the present paper. Besides the likely impact of protein carbonylation in the water-myofibrillar protein relationships, the implication of AAS and GGS in further reactions including plausible cross-linking would explain the decrease of these semialdehydes by the end of frozen storage and would reinforce their liability in the loss of WHC of porcine muscles. The exact nature of these reactions, however, should be investigated in further studies.