Consumer responses to novel and unfamiliar foods

Peer reviewe

A study of products for diabetics and weight-watchers found on the Finnish market

A Finnországban kapható diabetikus és kalóriában szegény élelmiszeripari termékekből vett 61 minta vizsgálata kémiai elemzésből (a nedvesség-, hamu-, fehérje-, zsir- és cukortartalom meghatározásából) és a kalóriatartalom kiszámításából állt, ezenkívül érzékszervi vizsgálatot végeztettek egy 8 —11 tagú testülettel. A kémiai elemzés értékei megegyeztek a címkéken közölt adatokkal, csak a zsírtartalomban mutatkozott némi eltérés. A cukorbetegek részére készült tejfagylalt kalóriatartalma a közönséges fagylalt kalóriatartalmának 2/3-a volt, tehát kalóriában szegénynek minősül. A szorbittal készült gyümölcspuddingporok viszont nagy kalóriatartalmúak voltak, ezért nem minősíthetők kalóriában. szegény termékeknek. Végül rövid áttekintést adnak a diétás készítményekre vonatkozó finn jogszabályokról. A mesterséges édesítőszerek mennyiségét a címkén meg kell adni. Túlnyomó részben szorbitot használnak a termékekben. Vizsgálataik szerint a termékválaszték kielégítő, a termékek minősége jó. Die Untersuchung von 61 aus den in Finnland zur Verfügung stehenden diabetischen und kalorienarmen Lebensmittelprodukten genommenen Mustern bestand aus einer chemischen Analyse (Bestimmung des Gehaltes an Wasser, Protein, Fett und Zucker) und aus der Berechnung des Kaloriengehaltes. Ausserdem wurde eine sensorische Bewertung durch ein Sachverständigergremium von 8 —11 Personen durchgeführt. Die Angaben der chemischen Analyse stimmten mit den auf den Etiketten angeführten Werten gut überein, obwohl sich eine geringe Abweichung in dem Fettgehalt meldete. Der Kaloriengehalt des Milcheises betrug 2/3 des Kaloriengehaltes des gewöhnlichen Eises, daher ist es als kalorienarmes Produkt anzusehen. Die mit Sorbit hergestellten Fruchtpuddingpulverwiesen dagegen einen hohen Kaloriegehalt auf, und sind so keine kalorienarme Produkte. Schliesslich wird eine kurze Überischt über die finnischen Rechtsnormen bezüglich diätetische Produkte gegeben. Die Menge der synthetischen Süssmittel muss man auf der Etikette angeben. Für diesen Zweck verwendet man meistens Sorbit. Nach den Untersuchungen ist das Produktsortiment befriedigend und die Qualität der Produkte gut. On a effectué l’analyse chimique de 61 produits sélectionnes parmi les denrées diabétiques et de faibles calories en vente en Finlande. L’analyse chimique comprenait la determination des teneurs respectives en humidité, cendres, protéines, graisses et sucre et la calcul de la teneur en calories. A part de sela on a effectué l’analyse sensorique ä l’aide de 8 ä 11 arbitres. Les valeurs obtenues par l’analyse chimique étaient identiques avec celles qui figuraient sur les etiquettes. On n’a observé de déviations mineures que chez la teneur en graisses. La teneur en calories de la glace au Iáit préparée pour les diabétiques ne montait qu’á 2/3 de la valeur normale, ce produit était dinc faible de calories. Les poudres des poudings á fruits préparées ä la sorbite se montraient, par contre, d’une teneur élevée en calories et ne pouvaient étre, qualifiés, par conséquent, comine produits de faibles calories. Enfin on passe en revue briévement les régies juiidiques adoptées en Finlande par rapport aux denrées diététiques. II est de rigeur d’indiquer la quantité des édulcorants artificiels sur l’étiquette. Dans la plupart des produits in utilise de la sorbite. Selon les examens des auteurs le choix des produits est satisfaisant et leur qualité est bonne

Sensory quality control : Assessment of food company employees' knowledge, attitudes, and practices

This study was carried out to validate a questionnaire for assessing sensory quality control (SQC) knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). The questionnaire, containing 24 knowledge, 13 attitudes, and nine practices items, was submitted to company representatives in South Africa and Nigeria. Confirmatory factor analysis and group comparisons among respondents and companies were carried out to validate the questionnaire. The final SQC-KAP questionnaire consists of 24 knowledge (one scale), 11 attitudes (A bifactor scale, with a general scale and two subscales representing individual attitudes to SQC and those towards company SQC) and nine practices (one scale) items. The knowledge items had acceptable indices for difficulty and discrimination, and the attitudes and practices items had acceptable item-total correlations. The final questionnaire can be used for the rapid assessment of SQC related knowledge and attitudes of food company employees and assessment of company practices. Practical Applications This study is the first to validate a questionnaire for assessing SQC related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the food industry. The SQC-KAP questionnaire can be used to rapidly assess SQC knowledge and attitudes of food company employees for sensory services, and to identify SQC training needs. Stakeholders can also use it to assess the sensory quality practices of food companies to gauge their compliance to good practice and identify potential areas of improvement of their SQC programs.Peer reviewe

Affective responses to sweet products and sweet solution in British and Finnish adults

Peer reviewe

Frequent use of selected sugary products associates with thinness, but not overweight during preadolescence : a cross-sectional study

Convincing evidence suggests that diets laden with added sugar, specifically sugar-sweetened beverages, associate with excess weight in children. The relationships between sugar consumption frequency and BMI remain less well studied. We, therefore, evaluated children's consumption frequency of selected sugary products (n8461; mean age 11 center dot 1 (sd0 center dot 9) years) selected from the Finnish Health in Teens cohort study. Using a sixteen-item FFQ including six sugary products (chocolate/sweets, biscuits/cookies, ice cream, sweet pastry, sugary juice drinks and sugary soft drinks), we calculated a Sweet Treat Index (STI) for the frequency of weekly sugary product consumption and categorised children based on quartiles (Q) into low (Q1, cut-off 10 center dot 5), and as thin, normal and overweight/obese based on the measured BMI. Through multinomial logistic regression analyses, we found that subjects with a high STI exhibited a higher risk of being thin (OR 1 center dot 20, 95 % CI 1 center dot 02, 1 center dot 41) and lower risk of being overweight (OR 0 center dot 79, 95 % CI 0 center dot 67, 0 center dot 92), while subjects with a low STI were at higher risk of being overweight (OR 1 center dot 32, 95 % CI 1 center dot 14, 1 center dot 53). High consumption frequencies of salty snacks, pizza and hamburgers most closely were associated with a high STI. Our findings suggest that consuming sugary products at a high frequency does not associate with being overweight. The relationship between a low consumption frequency and being overweight suggests that overweight children's consumption frequency of sugary products may be controlled, restricted or underreported.Peer reviewe

What are domestic apples worth? Hedonic responses and sensory information as drivers of willingness to pay

The effects of written information of key sensory characteristics of apple cultivars on hedonic ratings and willingness to pay (WTP) were measured in an experimental auction. Participants (n = 118, 95F, 23M, mean age 37y.) rated, in three subsequent rounds, pleasantness and WTP based on (1) appearance only (n = 25), (2) appearance, written information and tasting (n = 44), or (3) appearance, tasting and written information (n = 49). Four domestic cultivars were described as medium sour and crispy ('Amorosa'), sour and medium crispy ('Konsta'), medium sweet and medium crispy ('Lobo') and sweet and medium crispy ('Tobias'). The differences between the cultivars in pleasantness and WTP were minimal when the evaluation was based on appearance only. The effect of tasting after visual inspection was positive in three cultivars and negative in one ('Konsta'). Written information after tasting did not affect pleasantness or WTP. For one cultivar ('Tobias'), information given before tasting created expectations that were not fulfilled, thus tasting decreased hedonic ratings and WTP. Mean WTP was 2.36 euro/kg. When pleasantness increased by one point, WTP increased by 0.31-0.45 euro/kg. Regression models showed that pleasantness explained 38-55% of WTP. Respondents who reported consuming domestic apples more often than once a week had 0.52-0.74 euro/kg higher WTP than those who consumed them less frequently, suggesting that familiarity with the product increases WTP. Results indicate that both written information and tasting contribute to the ratings of pleasantness and WTP. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Postprint (published version

Consensus statement on benefits of low-calorie sweeteners

Peer reviewe

Food choice drivers at varying income levels in an emerging economy

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: Data will be made available on request.The purpose of this work was to explore and compare food choice drivers of low (LI), middle (MI) and high (HI) income urban people in an emerging economy (South Africa). Here, 13 focus group (FG) discussions [six LI, n = 36, 67% women; four MI, n = 22, 100% women and three HI, n = 17, 76% women; total n = 75) were transcribed, coded inductively and deductively and 17 food choice categories emerged. Eight of these, i.e., aspects related to: plant vs animal protein, food waste, food preparation, availability of resources, food exploration, social aspects and food spoilage, are not typically (e.g., sensory appeal, mood, health, convenience etc.) measured with established food choice questionnaires. Economic factors and Availability of food and resources were mentioned the most by LI participants compared to MI and HI. Whereas, Health; Familiarity and Food exploration were mostly mentioned by MI and HI participants. This study yielded a mixture of individual and environment based motives which add to our understanding of the “why” aspects underlying food choice in an urban and emerging economy. The fact that these aspects are compared by income group provides interesting information on the similarities and differences of how the food choice process unfolds across varying income groups. The insights from this study are useful for the development of an updated, quantitative food choice questionnaire for application in this and other emerging economies.The National Research Foundation of South Africa and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/appetiteConsumer ScienceFood Scienc

Sensory quality control : assessment of food company employees' knowledge, attitudes, and practices

This study was carried out to validate a questionnaire for assessing sensory quality control (SQC) knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). The questionnaire, containing 24 knowledge, 13 attitudes, and nine practices items, was submitted to company representatives in South Africa and Nigeria. Confirmatory factor analysis and group comparisons among respondents and companies were carried out to validate the questionnaire. The final SQC-KAP questionnaire consists of 24 knowledge (one scale), 11 attitudes (A bifactor scale, with a general scale and two subscales representing individual attitudes to SQC and those towards company SQC) and nine practices (one scale) items. The knowledge items had acceptable indices for difficulty and discrimination, and the attitudes and practices items had acceptable item-total correlations. The final questionnaire can be used for the rapid assessment of SQC related knowledge and attitudes of food company employees and assessment of company practices. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study is the first to validate a questionnaire for assessing SQC related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the food industry. The SQC-KAP questionnaire can be used to rapidly assess SQC knowledge and attitudes of food company employees for sensory services, and to identify SQC training needs. Stakeholders can also use it to assess the sensory quality practices of food companies to gauge their compliance to good practice and identify potential areas of improvement of their SQC programs.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: APPENDIX S1. Characteristics of respondents and their companies n = 345. APPENDIX S2. Sensory quality control knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire.University of Pretoria Commonwealth Doctoral Scholarship.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1745459xConsumer ScienceFood Scienc