Sensory evaluation of fresh vs. frozen processed vegetables

Consumer sensory evaluations were conducted with Oregon consumers to asses perceived quality in processed frozen vegetables vs. their fresh counterparts. 108 consumers were tested at an Oregon farmstand to investigate consumer preference for fresh vs. frozen select processed vegetables in appearance, aroma, color, overall liking, flavor, texture; to probe the best strategies for increasing consumer awareness and marketability of Oregon processed vegetables; to understand consumer purchasing behavior and motivation when it relates to buying processed vegetables and to evaluate consumer interest in frozen vegetable products. Consumer perception of frozen processed broccoli, while not as high as fresh, is still very positive.Keywords: Sensory evaluation, consumer taste tests, broccoli, froze

Willingness to Pay for Blueberries: Sensory Attributes, Fruit Quality Traits, and Consumers’ Characteristics

Understanding consumers’ preferences for fruit quality attributes is key to informing breeding efforts, meeting consumer preferences, and promoting increased market demand. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of fruit quality traits and hedonic sensory evaluation on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a selection of fresh northern and southern highbush blueberry cultivars. The WTP was elicited by using a double-bounded contingent valuation conducted in conjunction with a consumer sensory test. Two types of models were estimated using either sensory evaluations (i.e., consumer preference and consumer intensity) or instrumental measurement data (i.e., measures of soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugars, acids, and firmness) as explanatory variables to model WTP. Results using sensory evaluations indicated that flavor liking, flavor intensity, and sweetness intensity are key factors that influence consumers’ acceptance and WTP for blueberries. A regression analysis using instrumental measurements indicated that measures related to sweetness and acidity traits are important factors that determine WTP. Higher WTP was associated with higher total sugar content across different levels of total organic acid. The WTP increases with organic acid content, because this is needed for enhanced flavor; however, WTP declines at high concentrations of organic acid. Except for extreme values of firmness, the WTP increased as measures of fruit firmness increased, indicating a consumer preference for firmer blueberries. Overall, the results provided new insights into the relationships between consumer preference and WTP and fruit quality benchmarks to select for improved quality

Report from the second cytomegalovirus and immunosenescence workshop.

The Second International Workshop on CMV & Immunosenescence was held in Cambridge, UK, 2-4th December, 2010. The presentations covered four separate sessions: cytomegalovirus and T cell phenotypes; T cell memory frequency, inflation and immunosenescence; cytomegalovirus in aging, mortality and disease states; and the immunobiology of cytomegalovirus-specific T cells and effects of the virus on vaccination. This commentary summarizes the major findings of these presentations and references subsequently published work from the presenter laboratory where appropriate and draws together major themes that were subsequently discussed along with new areas of interest that were highlighted by this discussion.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Demographic, clinical, and service-use characteristics related to the clinician’s recommendation to transition from child to adult mental health services

Purpose: The service configuration with distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) may be a barrier to continuity of care. Because of a lack of transition policy, CAMHS clinicians have to decide whether and when a young person should transition to AMHS. This study describes which characteristics are associated with the clinicians’ advice to continue treatment at AMHS. Methods: Demographic, family, clinical, treatment, and service-use characteristics of the MILESTONE cohort of 763 young people from 39 CAMHS in Europe were assessed using multi-informant and standardized assessment tools. Logistic mixed models were fitted to assess the relationship between these characteristics and clinicians’ transition recommendations. Results: Young people with higher clinician-rated severity of psychopathology scores, with self- and parent-reported need for ongoing treatment, with lower everyday functional skills and without self-reported psychotic experiences were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment. Among those who had been recommended to continue treatment, young people who used psychotropic medication, who had been in CAMHS for more than a year, and for whom appropriate AMHS were available were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment at AMHS. Young people whose parents indicated a need for ongoing treatment were more likely to be recommended to stay in CAMHS. Conclusion: Although the decision regarding continuity of treatment was mostly determined by a small set of clinical characteristics, the recommendation to continue treatment at AMHS was mostly affected by service-use related characteristics, such as the availability of appropriate services

Cohort profile : demographic and clinical characteristics of the MILESTONE longitudinal cohort of young people approaching the upper age limit of their child mental health care service in Europe

Purpose: The presence of distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) impacts continuity of mental health treatment for young people. However, we do not know the extent of discontinuity of care in Europe nor the effects of discontinuity on the mental health of young people. Current research is limited, as the majority of existing studies are retrospective, based on small samples or used non-standardised information from medical records. The MILESTONE prospective cohort study aims to examine associations between service use, mental health and other outcomes over 24 months, using information from self, parent and clinician reports. Participants: Seven hundred sixty-three young people from 39 CAMHS in 8 European countries, their parents and CAMHS clinicians who completed interviews and online questionnaires and were followed up for 2 years after reaching the upper age limit of the CAMHS they receive treatment at. Findings to date: This cohort profile describes the baseline characteristics of the MILESTONE cohort. The mental health of young people reaching the upper age limit of their CAMHS varied greatly in type and severity: 32.8% of young people reported clinical levels of self-reported problems and 18.6% were rated to be ‘markedly ill’, ‘severely ill’ or ‘among the most extremely ill’ by their clinician. Fifty-seven per cent of young people reported psychotropic medication use in the previous half year. Future plans: Analysis of longitudinal data from the MILESTONE cohort will be used to assess relationships between the demographic and clinical characteristics of young people reaching the upper age limit of their CAMHS and the type of care the young person uses over the next 2 years, such as whether the young person transitions to AMHS. At 2 years follow-up, the mental health outcomes of young people following different care pathways will be compared. Trial registration number: NCT03013595

Consumer Testing for the Local Food Start-Up: Update

A self-executed consumer test protocol for food entrepreneurs has been designed and tested in Portland, Oregon. The protocol (Durham and Colonna, 2016) includes an Excel workbook that uses user-supplied cell entries to develop a single-sheet ballot and a data-entry sheet. Once the data are entered, the spreadsheet automatically produces useful tables and charts from the survey data. Videos demonstrate ballot creation and survey data entry. The workbook is accompanied by a manual that describes how to run a consumer test. These materials are available free of charge, but access to the workbook requires completion of a survey. The survey template begins with standard consumer test questions assessing concept and liking (nine-point scales), followed by sensory attribute Just-About-Right questions. The second page begins with a set of priced purchase intent questions. A price range including six prices is listed vertically, and consumers are asked to indicate their willingness to pay for the product at each price. The results for these purchase intent questions can be used to produce a pseudo-demand curve. The purchase intent question is followed by a question about the quantity they would buy per year at a specific price. This provides a means by which total annual demand for informed buyers could be estimated. Two check-all-that-apply (CATA) are next. The default CATA offerings include a question providing a list of possible locations where they regularly shop for food and a question about production and ingredient preferences relevant to the product (for example, organic and gluten-free). In combination with the purchase intent questions, these could provide a convincing sales presentation to a retailer or to be included in a business plan. The ballot ends with four multiple choice questions

Willingness-to-pay for Anjou pears with different conditioning treatments

Ethylene treatment has proven effective in shortening the postharvest cold storage period required for Anjou pears to ripen. This allows Anjou pears to be marketed earlier in the season. To analyze ethyleneâ s effect on eating quality and elicit consumersâ preferences and values, three sensory tests plus stated preference experiments were conducted at different points in time after harvest. Results indicate that consumers were willing to pay a premium of $0.65/lb to have highly edible quality pears in the early season (10 days cold storage). This premium is for pears treated with ethylene to speed ripening. As the cold storage period increased (70 days and 169 days) the premiums for conditioned fruit decreased ($0.20/lb and $0.29/lb)

Consumer Testing for the Local Food Start-Up

Consumer tests are utilized by medium and large food companies to evaluate new products or test new product formulations on potential buyers. The typical objective is to examine various sensory attributes for liking and to examine whether adjustable product attributes such as saltiness, sweetness and texture are “Just About Right” or need reformulation, but packaging, message, and purchase intent questions can be incorporated or emphasized to evaluate the market. These pieces of information may help a company market its product to retailers or distributors by proof of liking or willingness to purchase. However, though this information is perhaps needed even more by those interested in starting-up a food company. A consumer test could help avoid serious losses in launching a product that consumers either don’t like sufficiently or which will require a price which consumers aren’t willing to pay. A consumer test can also help discover if small adjustments in formulation are needed. Properly executed such a study can also provide evidence to start marketing to retailers or look for financing. Unfortunately the costs of a professionally executed test can be prohibitive

Understanding Markets for Grass-Fed Beef: Taste, Price, and Purchase Preferences

We use results of a consumer taste test conducted in Portland, Oregon, and choice-based conjoint analysis to examine consumer attitudes about grass-fed beef compared to conventional grain-fed: taste preferences, willingness to pay, and willingness to buy frozen meat in bulk. We consider the effect of demographic, attitudinal, and shopping location characteristics of consumers. A baseline, uninformed consumer will pay $0.90-$0.94/pound more for grass-fed ground beef; knowledge about production and nutritional factors increases the premium. A majority of participants would buy in bulk if they knew a producer or a friend referred them; 72% will buy frozen beef