Tackling nutritional and health claims to disentangle their effects on consumer food choices and behaviour: A systematic review

This systematic literature review collected and summarized research on consumer preferences and the purchase behaviour of food products with nutritional claims (NCs) and health claims (HCs), to reconcile, and expand upon, the findings of previous studies. First, considering that consumer behaviour is affected by a wide range of factors, to narrow the research we used a theoretical framework and divided the determinants of the effects of NCs and HCs on consumers’ preferences and purchasing behaviour into consumer characteristics, product characteristics, and consumers’ personal processes, using the quality perception process. Second, since most studies were conducted within the European Union (EU), we collected the scientific literature from 2006, when the law on NCs and HCs was harmonized in the EU, until September 2020. This same period was used to scan for other studies outside EU who used similar terminology on NCs and HCs. In total, 125 articles were found to be relevant for further analysis. The results showed that consumer characteristics such as familiarity, nutritional knowledge, motivation, and demographics affected choices. Extrinsic product characteristics, such as price, brand, colour, packaging shape and NCs and HCs, affected purchase decisions. Taste was the most important intrinsic characteristic, and consumers are not willing to sacrifice the pleasure of sensory function for health benefits. Perceived healthiness, understanding of the claims, liking and use were important factors that affected consumers’ personal processes in purchasing food with NCs and HCs. A challenge for future research is to consider exploiting new technologies and more realistic experimental methods to provide information that represents as close as possible consumers’ behaviour in real-life situations. © 2022 Elsevier Lt

Dichloro(methyl) silyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl titanium complexes

The synthesis of (C5H4)(SiMeCl2)(SiMe3) is described. The reaction of a dichloromethane solution of this compound with one equivalent of titanium tetrachloride leads to the monocyclopentadienyl complex [TiCl3{η5-C5H4(SiMeCl2)}]. Treatment of this complex with the lithium amides LiN(SiMe3)2 and LiNHtBu affords [TiCl2{N(SiMe3)2}{η5-C5H4(SiMeCl2)}] and [TiCl2{η5-C5H4[SiMeCl(η-NtBu)]}], respectively. Alkylation of the trichlorotitanium derivative with 1.5 equivalents of Mg(CH2C6H5)2(THF)2 leads to the tribenzyl derivative [Ti(CH2C6H5)3{η5-C5H4(SiMeCl2)}]. Hydrolysis of the trichloro- and tribenzyl-complexes leads to the μ-oxo dititanium compounds [TiX2μ-{η5-C5H4(η-OSiMeCl)}]2 (X=Cl, CH2Ph). All of the new complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and NMR spectroscopy.We are grateful to the DGICYT (Project PB-92-0178-C) and CAM (I + D 0034/94) for financial support.\ud B.R. acknowledges Universidad de Alcalá de Henares for support provided (Project 042/95

The role of participants’ competitiveness in consumers’ valuation for food products using experimental auctions

The aim of the paper is to assess the effect of the participants’ competitiveness on their valuation for food products. Specifically, to investigate the effect of the participants’ competitiveness on their bids in a non-hypothetical experimental auction. Then, we designed an experimental auction to measure the consumers’ preferences for food products with two treatments. Both treatments had all the same designed characteristics except that in the second treatment, the participants who reported the highest levels of competitiveness were not allowed to participate in the auction. Then, we could directly compare bids from the participants with two different levels of competitiveness (higher competitiveness and lower competitiveness). Because the bids from the two treatments were found statistically the same, we can conclude that the consumer’s valuation for food products using the non-hypothetical experimental auctions are independent on the level of the participants’ competitivenessPublishe

Synthesis and reactivity of new mixed dicyclopentadienyl Group 4 metal complexes with the doubly bridged bis(dimethylsilanediyl)-cyclopentadiene-(η5-cyclopentadienyl) ligand

The monocyclopentadienyl titanium complex [Ti{(C5H4)(SiMe2)2(η5-C5H3)} Cl3] 3 and the dichloro mixed dicyclopentadienyl Group 4 metal complexes [M(η5-C5R5){(C5H4)(SiMe2)2(η5-C5H3)} Cl2] (R=H; M=Ti 4, Zr 5, Hf 6; R=Me; M=Ti 7) containing the doubly bridged bis(dimethylsilanediyl)-cyclopentadiene-(η5-cyclopentadienyl) ligand were prepared in high yields by reaction of the monolithium salt Li[(C5H4)(SiMe2)2(C5H3)] 2 with equimolar amounts of TiCl4 or the monocyclopentadienyl complexes [Cp′MCl3], respectively. Reactions of the chloro complexes with various alkylating agents afforded the chloroalkyl [M(η5-C5H5){(C5H4)(SiMe2)2(η5-C5H3)}ClR] (M=Ti; R=Me 8, Et 9; M=Zr, R=Me 10, Et 11, CH2Ph 12; M=Hf, R=CH2Ph 13) and dialkyl [M(η5-C5R5){(C5H4)(SiMe2)2(η5-C5H3)}Me2] (M=Ti; R=H 14, Me 15; M=Zr; R=H 16, compounds. Formation of the heterodinuclear complex [Zr(η5-C5H5)Cl2(η5-C5H3)(SiMe2)2(η5-C5H3)Ti(NMe2)3] 17 with amine elimination was observed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy when complex 5 was reacted with Ti(NMe2)4. The catalytic activity of compounds 3–5 for ethylene polymerization has been studied using MAO as cocatalyst

Consumer preferences for food labeling: what ranks first?

In the EU food market, different food labeling schemes co-exist with the aim of informing customers and providing trust on different quality characteristics of food products. To understand which food labeling schemes are the most and the least important for consumers is very relevant because a labeling strategy will be useful for food companies if consumers, or at least one segment of consumers, value food labeling. The aim of this study was to measure the importance consumers attach to different labeling schemes available in the food market. Seven different food labeling schemes, some regulated by the EU (the EU organic logo, the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) indication and the nutritional fact panel) and some of them not yet regulated at the European level (the food miles indication; the local origin; the carbon footprint information; and an improved animal welfare indication), were assessed by consumers. To do this, the direct ranking preference method was used and a rank-ordered mixed logit model was estimated with the data from a survey conducted with food shoppers in a medium-sized Spanish town. The results indicate that the most preferred labeling scheme was the PDO indication, closely followed by the nutritional fact panel and the EU organic logo. In other words, consumers clearly valued labeling schemes that are regulated by EU law. Moreover, consumer preferences for food labeling were heterogeneous and three segments of consumers based on preferences were found: PDO lovers, organic EU logo lovers and the nutritional information lovers.Peer ReviewedPublishe

Transition metal complexes with functionalized silyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl and related ligands: synthesis and reactivity

Interest in modifying transition metal complexes using substituted cyclopentadienyl rings has been stimulated in the last years by their potential synthetic and catalytic applications in different processes. This review will feature mono- and dicyclopentadienyl-transition metal complexes containing silyl-cyclopentadienyl and related indenyl and fluorenyl ligands. All of these compounds contain silyl-substituted functionalities which are able to coordinate the metal center or used to introduce such a type of ligating moieties. The synthesis and chemical behaviour of these types of compounds are strongly emphasized. Compounds discussed are all those containing silicon-bound substituents which include: (a) hydrosilyl (Si–H); (b) halosilyl (Si–X); oxosilyl (Si–O); (c) amino– and amido–silyl (Si–N); (d) alkyl– and alkenyl–silyl (Si–C) and (d) boron–silyl (Si–B) compounds. A brief remark on their most significant structural characteristics is also included.Financial support by DGICYT (Project PB97-0776) is gratefully acknowledged

Organic food product purchase behaviour: a pilot study for urban consumers in the south of Italy

The aim of this paper is to explain factors that influence organic food purchases of urban consumers in the South of Italy. To achieve this goal, a multivariate limited dependent variable model has been specified to simultaneously analyse consumers¿ organic food purchases, the intention to purchase organic food products and the level of organic knowledge. This study uses survey data gathered from 200 consumers in Naples in 2003. Results indicate that consumers who are more willing to buy organic food products are more likely to buy a larger amount of those products. The intention to purchase depends on attitudes and organic product knowledge. Moreover, consumers¿ attitudes towards health and environmental benefits provided by organic foods are the most important factors explaining, both, the intention to purchase and the final decision. Finally, income and organic knowledge positively influences the final decision to buy organic food products.El principal objetivo del trabajo es analizar los factores que influyen en la decisión de compra de los alimentos ecológicos. Para ello se plantea un modelo de ecuaciones simultáneas con variables dependientes limitadas para medir el proceso de compra de alimentos ecológicos, la intención de compra y el conocimiento de los alimentos ecológicos. Se han utilizado datos procedentes de una encuesta realizada a 200 hogares en la ciudad italiana de Nápoles en 2003. Los principales resultados indican que los consumidores más dispuestos a comprar alimentos ecológicos son los que acabarán comprando mayores cantidades de estos productos. Esta intención de compra depende de las actitudes y del conocimiento de los consumidores. Además, las actitudes de los consumidores hacia los beneficios para la salud y para el medio ambiente de los alimentos ecológicos son los principales factores determinantes, tanto de la intención de compra como del consumo final de estos productos. Finalmente, la renta y el conocimiento ecológico de los consumidores influyen positivamente en el consumo final de alimentos ecológico

Synthesis and characterization of η5-tetramethylcyclopentadienyl hydrido-and -chloro-silyl-η1 -amido zirconium complexes

The silylated tetramethylcyclopentadienes C5Me4(SiMeCl2)(SiMe3) (1) and C5Me4H(SiMeHCl) (3) were isolated by reaction of\ud their corresponding trimethylsilyltetramethylcyclopentadienyl and tetramethylcyclopentadienyl lithium salts with SiMeCl3 and\ud SiMeHCl2, respectively. Reaction of a toluene suspension of ZrCl4 with one equivalent of 1 afforded the monocyclopentadienyl\ud zirconium complex [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeCl2)Cl3] (2). Reaction of 3 with NH2\ud t\ud Bu gave C5Me4H[SiMeH(NHt\ud Bu)] (4) which was further\ud metallated to give Li2[C5Me4SiMeH(Nt\ud Bu)] (5), used to prepare the silyl-h1\ud -amido zirconium derivative [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeH-h1\ud -\ud Nt\ud Bu)Cl2] (6) by reaction with ZrCl4(THF)2. Chlorination of 6 with BCl3 afforded [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeCl-h1\ud -Nt\ud Bu)Cl2] (12).\ud Alkylation and amidation of 6 and 12 provided the corresponding disubstituted [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeH-h1\ud -Nt\ud Bu)R2] (R /Me 7,\ud CH2Ph 8, NMe2 9) and [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeCl-h1\ud -Nt\ud Bu)Me2] (13) and monosubstituted [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeH-h1\ud -Nt\ud Bu)ClR] (R /\ud C6F5 10, N(SiMe3)2 11) and [Zr(h5\ud -C5Me4SiMeCl-h1\ud -Nt\ud Bu)Cl{N(SiMe3)2}] (14). All of the new compounds reported were\ud characterized by elemental analyses and NMR spectroscopy.We thank Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología for\ud support of this work (Project MCyT-MAT2001-1309\ud and predoctoral fellowship to A.B.V