Consumer perception of meal replacement beverages: A comparison between younger adults and older adults

IF 3.2 2区农林科学 Q2 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Journal of Food Science Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1111/1750-3841.70104

Rachael Moss, Mackenzie Gorman, Allison Stright, Emily Dolan, Matthew Code, Matthew B. McSweeney

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Meal replacement beverages (MRBs) are consumed by a wide variety of consumers for different reasons. This study evaluated how younger adults (n = 62; aged 18–35) and older adults (n = 63; aged 65 or older) perceive MRBs. The participants started by identifying how they define MRBs. Then, the participants evaluated the sensory properties of five different chocolate-flavored MRBs using hedonic scales and the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Participants also identified which factors were important when consuming and purchasing MRBs. The participants highlighted that MRBs should be filling (high satiety) and have nutritional benefits. Both groups of consumers separated the MRBs based on their ingredients (plant-based or dairy-based) and liked MRBs that were sweet, chocolatey, creamy, and salty. The older adults’ liking decreased due to the perception of astringency, while younger adults’ liking decreased due to bitterness and off-flavors. The older adults also placed greater importance on fiber content, diabetic friendly, satiety, and calcium content than the younger adults, while the younger adults were interested in plant-based and vegan MRBs more so than the older adults. Overall, the sensory perception and hedonic liking were similar between the two groups, but their consumption factors differed.

Practical Application

Understanding consumption, as well as younger and older adults’ sensory perception of MRBs, should allow the food industry to create new varieties of MRBs that are well-liked by consumers of different ages. Furthermore, this study identified how consumers currently conceptualize MRBs and why they consume or are interested in MRBs.

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来源期刊

Journal of Food Science 工程技术-食品科技

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

2.60%

发文量

412

审稿时长

3.1 months

期刊介绍： The goal of the Journal of Food Science is to offer scientists, researchers, and other food professionals the opportunity to share knowledge of scientific advancements in the myriad disciplines affecting their work, through a respected peer-reviewed publication. The Journal of Food Science serves as an international forum for vital research and developments in food science. The range of topics covered in the journal include: -Concise Reviews and Hypotheses in Food Science -New Horizons in Food Research -Integrated Food Science -Food Chemistry -Food Engineering, Materials Science, and Nanotechnology -Food Microbiology and Safety -Sensory and Consumer Sciences -Health, Nutrition, and Food -Toxicology and Chemical Food Safety The Journal of Food Science publishes peer-reviewed articles that cover all aspects of food science, including safety and nutrition. Reviews should be 15 to 50 typewritten pages (including tables, figures, and references), should provide in-depth coverage of a narrowly defined topic, and should embody careful evaluation (weaknesses, strengths, explanation of discrepancies in results among similar studies) of all pertinent studies, so that insightful interpretations and conclusions can be presented. Hypothesis papers are especially appropriate in pioneering areas of research or important areas that are afflicted by scientific controversy.