A cross-cultural study on odor-elicited life stage-associations

Associative conceptualization plays an important role in how we perceive and interact with our environment. Particularly odor associations can be highly vivid and often long-lasting due to their close connection with our episodic memory and emotions. Based on the findings of a study conducted in Austria in 2017, this work was carried out to investigate odor-elicited life stage-associations (OELSA) in seven nations and to identify potential similarities and differences in conceptualizing odor impressions across these nations. A total of 1144 adults (aged 21–60) from Austria, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam participated in this study. Nine odors (vanilla, orange, lemon, mint, coconut, basil, rose, anise, and hay) were presented to the participants, and they were asked to answer questions about their spontaneous associations with life stages. The results indicate the existence of OELSA in all investigated nations. For example, vanilla was predominantly assigned to children in all nations, while hay was primarily assigned to elder people. While most of the investigated odors were most frequently associated with adults, some significant differences in OELSA were observed between the different nationalities. For instance, mint was more frequently associated with children by Australian participants compared to participants from all other nations, while coconut was more strongly associated with children by the Vietnamese participants compared to all other participants. The results of this study demonstrate the existence of consistent life stage-related associations elicited by certain odors across different nations and cultures and, at the same time points to differences in life stage-related association with certain odors between the nations. Since this work was not designed to identify the reasons for these differences, we can only make assumptions about the potential underlying causes for these behaviors

Microwave assisted freezing of meat and fish matrices

Several preservation methods have been investigated, developed and exploited over the last years but freezing still remains one of the most popular among them, which offers fresh-like characteristics on the food matrix after long period of storage. The freezing process of food matrices is affected by their dominant constituent which is water. The final quality of the frozen product depends on the phase transition or the crystallization process of changing water into ice. The size of the ice crystals is critical for the final quality of the frozen food. During the implementation of the FREEZEWAVE project, a novel more advanced experimental setup was designed and developed for the application of microwave radiation during freezing. The influence of microwave assisted freezing (MAF) on meat and fish matrices under different processing scenarios such as slow or fast MAF for fish and constant or pulsed MAF for meat was investigated. The microstructure of the frozen samples was evaluated with image analysis and positive results were acquired in both food matrices, showing a reduction of the size of ice crystals size. Sensory tests carried out by TTZ partner showing encouraging results. Further tests are needed to determine the kinetic parameters of quality change during storage under different temperatures

Sensory evaluation of potatoes, chicken meat, cod fish and emulsions after microwave-assisted freezing (FREEZEWAVE project)

International audienc

Microwave assisted freezing (MAF) of meat and fish matrices (FREEZEWAVE project)

International audienc

Appetite for life : reflections on how to increase food intake in the elderly

Maintaining appetite for foods at old and very old age is important for keeping a reasonable healthstatus and quality of life in this growing group of citizens. Since the personal health status and livingcondition change for people at higher age a loss of independence in the way they are accustomed toprepare and consume foods is often a consequence. This may lead to changes in consumptionpatterns and a deteriorated living condition. Full attention should be given to different approacheson how quality of life and appetite for food can be maintained in this group of citizens. The presentshort communication addresses this topic from multiple angles and presents the results from adiscussion by experts on the topic

Pilot scale investigation of the relationship between baked good properties and wheat flour analytical values

Our objective was to assess the relationship between wheat flour analytical values and baked good properties based on equipment and processes near to those of mid-size bakery companies, including fermentation interruption. Thirty-four physical properties of rolls and breads were measured, and their correlation with 90 analytical properties of flour was investigated. In rolls, fermentation interruption led to a coarser crumb structure and a lower height/width ratio as compared to direct fermentation. This can be seen as a quality loss, which extent varied considerably depending on the flour. Our results suggest that using flours with a strong gluten network and high water absorption properties are most appropriate for fermentation interruption. Using a PLS regression, we identified three flour properties that had the highest overall influence on the final baked goods properties: flour hydration, dough stability, and elasticity/plasticity ratio.Our objective was to assess the relationship between wheat flour analytical values and baked good properties based on equipment and processes near to those of mid-size bakery companies, including fermentation interruption. Thirty-four physical properties of rolls and breads were measured, and their correlation with 90 analytical properties of flour was investigated. In rolls, fermentation interruption led to a coarser crumb structure and a lower height/width ratio as compared to direct fermentation. This can be seen as a quality loss, which extent varied considerably depending on the flour. Our results suggest that using flours with a strong gluten network and high water absorption properties are most appropriate for fermentation interruption. Using a PLS regression, we identified three flour properties that had the highest overall influence on the final baked goods properties: flour hydration, dough stability, and elasticity/plasticity ratio

Appetite for life : reflections on how to increase food intake in the elderly

Maintaining appetite for foods at old and very old age is important for keeping a reasonable healthstatus and quality of life in this growing group of citizens. Since the personal health status and livingcondition change for people at higher age a loss of independence in the way they are accustomed toprepare and consume foods is often a consequence. This may lead to changes in consumptionpatterns and a deteriorated living condition. Full attention should be given to different approacheson how quality of life and appetite for food can be maintained in this group of citizens. The presentshort communication addresses this topic from multiple angles and presents the results from adiscussion by experts on the topic

Wheat flour quality evaluation from the baker's perspective: comparative assessment of 18 analytical methods

In this study, we sourced 37 commercial flours from 14 mills based on 7 countries and analysed them with a total of 18 methods, generating 90 single analytical values for each flour. The 18 methods were chosen to cover the analytical practice of most European mills and bakery companies, as well as particle charge detection, GlutoPeak and solvent retention capacity as emerging methods. We investigated the relationship between the data from the individual methods, and performed a principal component analysis to describe the structure of the data set and identify the main underlying flour properties. Four principal components accounted for 64.8% of the total variance. They were interpreted as (PC1) starch gelatinization properties, (PC2) hydration properties, (PC3) dough resistance at variable water amount, and (PC4) dough strength at fixed water amount. From the emerging methods, solvent retention capacity (sodium carbonate and water) was highly correlated with PC2, while the GlutoPeak max torque was highly correlated with PC4