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Sogari G, Grasso S, Caputo V, Gómez MI, Mora C, Schouteten JJ. Sensory, emotional, and appropriateness of plant- and meat-based burgers. J Food Sci 2024; 89:2974-2990. [PMID: 38711372 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.17033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The plant-based meat alternative market is experiencing rapid growth. However, whether this growth extends to mainstream consumers will depend on the sensory profile, emotional profile, and situational appropriateness of these products. This study provides a sensory comparison between two plant-based burgers, one hybrid burger, and a conventional 100% ground beef burger. The sensory evaluation was carried out under blind and informed conditions using a between-subject design. Participants (n = 177) were asked to rate the appearance, flavor, odor, and texture of each product and indicate their overall liking. In addition, 26 sensory terms were evaluated using the rate-all-that-apply technique. The study also measured the emotional profile and the situational appropriateness elicited by each product using the check-all-that-apply technique. The results showed that (a) in the blind condition, there were no significant differences observed in overall liking across the four burgers; (b) the plant-based burger made with pea protein received the lowest overall liking score, and its evaluation was not positively influenced by product information disclosure; (c) providing product information influenced the perceived intensity of the attributes associated with meat; (d) discriminatory ability for emotions was higher in the informed condition; and (e) for the situational appropriateness, when prioritizing healthy eating, participants considered plant-based burgers more suitable than the groundbeef burger. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Our results demonstrate that product descriptions could have an impact on consumer acceptance of different meat burger alternatives. In order to launch successfull meat alternatives, product developers and communication marketing specialists should consider the extent to which these alternatives resemble regular meat products in terms of their sensory and emotional profiles and context of use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Sogari
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Simona Grasso
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
| | - Vincenzina Caputo
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Miguel I Gómez
- Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Cristina Mora
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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Visalli M, Mahieu B, Dubois M, Schlich P. Hedonic valence of descriptive sensory terms as an indirect measure of liking: a preliminary study with red wines. Food Qual Prefer 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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3
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JAEGER SR, CARDELLO AV, JIN D, RYAN GS, GIACALONE D. Consumer perception of plant-based yoghurt: Sensory drivers of liking and emotional, holistic and conceptual associations. Food Res Int 2023; 167:112666. [PMID: 37087252 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Plant-based (PB) yoghurts is a rapidly expanding food category with the potential to reduce many of the negative environmental impacts associated with the farming of dairy cattle and related greenhouse gas emissions. Within the context of growing consumer demand for PB products, this research aimed to identify the main drivers of consumer acceptance of PB yoghurts through data drawn from a consumer study of 113 adult New Zealand participants who tasted a representative range of commercially available vanilla-flavoured PB yoghurts, and provided sample evaluations using a multi-variable measurement approach comprised of liking ratings, emotional responses, sensory characterisations, and holistic / conceptual perceptions. The primary finding of this study was that the overall acceptability of currently available PB yoghurts is low, leading to poor attitudes and low willingness to consume PB yoghurts. The examined products were characterised by the presence of several sensory attributes that negatively impacted consumer liking, either because they were unexpected or because their intensity level was too high. Among the main sensory issues identified were perceived sourness (acidity), lumpy appearance and non-white colour. In contrast, vanilla flavour and a creamy/smooth texture were identified as the main drivers of liking. The multi-response approach used in this study enabled a comprehensive characterisation of the products. One of the key insights gained was that negative emotional activation, caused by the presence of unexpected sensory attributes in the samples, was the main driver of product rejection. This was likely due to the disparity between consumers' sensory expectations, formed primarily based on their experience with dairy yoghurts, and the actual experience upon tasting the PB yoghurts. Overall, the findings indicate that the sensory properties of currently available PB yoghurts are a significant barrier to their adoption by most consumers and that addressing these sensory deficiencies is essential to achieving mainstream market acceptance of these products.
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Peters JC, Breen JA, Pan Z. Effects of Culinary Spices on Liking and Consumption of Protein Rich Foods in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15051172. [PMID: 36904171 PMCID: PMC10005771 DOI: 10.3390/nu15051172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Insufficient protein intake is a common challenge among older adults, leading to loss of muscle mass, decreased function and reduced quality of life. A protein intake of 0.4 g/kg body weight/meal is recommended to help prevent muscle loss. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the protein intake of 0.4 g/kg body weight/meal could be achieved with typical foods and whether culinary spices could enhance protein intake. A lunch meal test was conducted in 100 community-dwelling volunteers; 50 were served a meat entrée and 50 were served a vegetarian entrée with or without added culinary spices. Food consumption, liking and perceived flavor intensity were assessed using a randomized, two-period, within subjects crossover design. Within the meat or vegetarian treatments, there were no differences in entrée or meal intakes between spiced and non-spiced meals. Participants fed meat consumed 0.41 g protein/kg body weight/meal, while the vegetarian intake was 0.25 g protein/kg body weight/meal. The addition of spice to the vegetarian entrée significantly increased liking and flavor intensity of both the entrée and the entire meal, while spice addition only increased flavor for the meat offering. Culinary spices may be a useful tool to improve the liking and flavor of high-quality protein sources among older adults, especially when used with plant-based foods, although improving liking and flavor alone are insufficient to increase protein intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C. Peters
- Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, 12348 E. Montview Blvd., MailStop C263, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 E. 17th Ave., RC1 South Rm 7103, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Jeanne Anne Breen
- Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, 12348 E. Montview Blvd., MailStop C263, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Zhaoxing Pan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13123 E. 16th Ave., B065, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Consumer segmentation based on product-elicited emotional associations: Case studies using the circumplex-inspired valence × arousal emotion word questionnaire (CEQ). Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Temporal drivers of liking by period: A case study on lemon-flavored carbonated alcoholic drinks with consumers in natural settings. Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Schouteten JJ, Llobell F, Chheang SL, Jin D, Jaeger SR. Emoji meanings (pleasure–arousal–dominance dimensions) in consumer research: Between‐country and interpersonal differences. J Food Sci 2022; 88:106-121. [PMID: 36413025 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.16374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In line with the increasing popularity of emoji, the need for methodological research into these pictorial representations of emotion remains. The present research contributes to this goal by continuing to establish the meaning of emoji and exploring these according to between-country and interpersonal differences. The emoji (n = 12) were selected to span the valence × arousal emotion space, and the PAD model (Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance) was used to establish emoji meaning for the three dimensions, operationalized as measurement on 6 × 3 semantic differentials. Participants in the main study came from three countries-Germany, Singapore, and Malaysia (n = 2465), and a supplementary study included the United Kingdom and New Zealand (n = 600) (subset of four emoji). The results confirmed that emoji meanings according to the PAD model were largely similar between countries (albeit not identical). There were multiple minor significant differences for individual emoji, and where these existed, they often related to the dimension of Arousal, prompting a need for further investigation. Interpersonal differences were examined for gender (men and women), age group (18-45 and 46-69 years old), and frequency of emoji use. Again, significant differences were smaller rather than larger and supported the notion that emoji are generally applicable for multicountry research. However, caution regarding the participants who use emoji infrequently may be warranted. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The findings from this research will help academics and practitioners who are interested in using emoji for sensory and consumer research (or are already doing so) with more robust interpretations of their findings. For a set of 12 emoji that provide broad coverage of the valence × arousal emotional space, meanings are provided on the three dimensions of the PAD model. The data is collected in five countries and contributes to increased confidence that emoji meanings are by and large similar in these countries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sok L. Chheang
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited Mt Albert Research Centre Auckland New Zealand
| | - David Jin
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited Mt Albert Research Centre Auckland New Zealand
| | - Sara R. Jaeger
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited Mt Albert Research Centre Auckland New Zealand
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Consumer Preference Segments for Plant-Based Foods: The Role of Product Category. Foods 2022; 11:foods11193059. [PMID: 36230135 PMCID: PMC9562706 DOI: 10.3390/foods11193059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A survey of willingness to consume (WTC) 5 types of plant-based (PB) food was conducted in USA, Australia, Singapore and India (n = 2494). In addition to WTC, emotional, conceptual and situational use characterizations were obtained. Results showed a number of distinct clusters of consumers with different patterns of WTC for PB foods within different food categories. A large group of consumers did not discriminate among PB foods across the various food categories. Six smaller, but distinct clusters of consumers had specific patterns of WTC across the examined food categories. In general, PB Milk and, to a much lesser extent, PB Cheese had highest WTC ratings. PB Fish had the lowest WTC, and two PB meat products had intermediate WTC. Emotional, conceptual and situational use characterizations exerted significant lifts/penalties on WTC. No penalty or lifts were imparted on WTC by the situational use of ‘moving my diet in a sustainable direction’, whereas uses related to ‘when I want something I like’ and ‘when I want something healthy’ generally imparted WTC lifts across clusters and food categories. The importance of this research for the study of PB foods is its demonstration that consumers are not monolithic in their willingness to consume these foods and that WTC is often a function of the food category of the PB food.
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Giacalone D, Clausen MP, Jaeger SR. Understanding barriers to consumption of plant-based foods and beverages: Insights from sensory and consumer science. Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Meiselman H, Jaeger S, Carr B, Churchill A. Approaching 100 years of Sensory and Consumer Science: Developments and ongoing issues. Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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