David Blumenthal, Marion Schvartz, Valérie Guénard Lampron, Marine Masson
{"title":"Sensory reverse engineering: A framework for sustainable product development used on vegan chocolate mousse","authors":"David Blumenthal, Marion Schvartz, Valérie Guénard Lampron, Marine Masson","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a sensory reverse engineering framework designed to optimize food formulations by integrating consumer sensory preferences early in the development process. The framework was applied to the development of a vegan chocolate mousse, a product that meets growing consumer demand for sustainable, plant-based alternatives. The challenge of replacing eggs, which provide critical texture and aeration in traditional mousses, was met with aquafaba (chickpea cooking water) and apple pomace, a by-product of apple processing. While these ingredients offer sustainability benefits, they present sensory challenges such as bitterness and textural variation that require careful formulation.</div><div>The framework used Design of Experiments and external preference mapping to systematically optimize the ingredient proportions. Key factors, including margarine, hazelnut milk, and sugar were evaluated for their impact on sensory attributes such as texture, flavor, and appearance. Sensory profiling was conducted with trained panelists, while consumer hedonic testing with 94 participants provided insight into overall product acceptability.</div><div>Multi-objective optimization identified the ideal formulation: the optimal vegan mousse formulation achieved a desirable balance of sweetness, texture, and flavor while closely mimicking the sensory qualities of traditional mousse. The final product demonstrated that plant-based ingredients can replicate the sensory experience of egg-based mousses and promote the use of by-products.</div><div>In conclusion, the sensory reverse engineering framework provides a robust, consumer-driven approach to food product development. By incorporating consumer feedback into the early stages of formulation, the framework reduces the risks associated with traditional product development, resulting in products that are better aligned with market expectations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105614"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding public perceptions of smart farming technologies","authors":"Jeanine Ammann , Gabriele Mack , Nadja El Benni , Rita Saleh","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Whether the public accepts food produced using new technologies can be a decisive factor for their introduction. It is therefore important to understand public perceptions and address concerns at an early stage. We conducted two studies to investigate public perceptions of smart farming technologies. Study 1 involved an online survey of 287 participants in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland in 2021 (using convenience sampling). We took an exploratory approach using qualitative assessments of two plant-related technologies (hoeing robot and spray drone) and two animal-related technologies (milking robot and virtual fence). The participants provided their spontaneous associations for these technologies. Study 2 involved an online survey of 383 participants from the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland (a representative sample) in 2023, following a quantitative approach to analyse the general perception of two specific smart farming technologies often used in Switzerland (hoeing and milking robots). We investigated how political orientation and the perceived importance of food naturalness influenced the acceptance of food produced with the investigated technologies. Across the two studies, the public expressed positive associations with digital technologies, especially plant-related ones, but specific concerns were identified for each technology, with animal welfare being the major concern for virtual fences. Further, perceptions of farmers significantly influenced the affective responses towards milking robots, whereas the importance of food naturalness significantly influenced responses towards hoeing robots. These findings are promising for efforts to increase public acceptance of food produced with these technologies. Implications for policy and practise are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105618"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Associations between a three-dimensional perception model and emotional responses in ready-to-drink coffee products","authors":"Ye-Jin Lee, Hye-Seong Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Successful food/beverage product development depends on consumer research techniques that uncover perceptions, emotions, and their relationship with sensory acceptance. This study introduced a three-dimensional perception model using the Double-Faced Applicability (DFA) test to explore consumer perceptions of ready-to-drink (RTD) lattes. The model evaluates three perceptual dimensions: <Overall Sweet (+) ↔ Overall Bitter (−)>, <Authentic/Heavy (+) ↔ Not Authentic (−)>, and <Balanced (+) ↔ Synthetic/Added (−)>, which represent holistic sensory attributes. The study aimed to determine 1) whether the concurrent evaluation of sensory satisfaction, the DFA test, and the circumplex-inspired emotion questionnaire could provide unbiased results for emotional descriptions and sensory acceptance, and 2) the emotional associations between the three perceptual dimensions and sensory satisfaction. To address these objectives, 224 young female adults were randomly divided into two groups (<em>N</em> = 112 each) to evaluate 18 RTD lattes. One group conducted sensory and emotion tests concurrently, while the other completed the emotion test followed by the satisfaction test. Results showed no significant differences in satisfaction ratings or emotional descriptions between the groups, confirming that concurrent evaluation did not bias results. <Overall Sweet> was linked to high-arousal positive emotions (‘Energetic,’ ‘Excited,’ ‘Good’), <Balanced> to low-arousal emotions (‘Relax’), and <Authentic/Heavy> was negatively associated with the low-arousal negative emotion ‘Bored.’ These findings highlight the strong association between the three perceptual dimensions and consumer emotions, demonstrating their effectiveness in describing sensory perception and satisfaction with RTD lattes. This approach provides actionable insights for developing holistic sensory/emotional profiles, supporting product differentiation and innovation in the food/beverage industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105616"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bharti Sharma , Russell Keast , Djin Gie Liem , Yada Nolvachai , Andrew Costanzo
{"title":"Impact of protein on sensory attributes and liking of plant-based Milk alternatives","authors":"Bharti Sharma , Russell Keast , Djin Gie Liem , Yada Nolvachai , Andrew Costanzo","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) have a limited nutrient profile compared to dairy milk, primarily due to their lower protein content. Although fortification with protein can enhance their nutritional value, this addition changes the product's texture and introduces undesirable off-flavours, such as beaniness or chalkiness, which can hinder consumer acceptance. The primary aim of the study was to examine the impact of protein concentration (1 and 4 %) and source (soy, oat, pea) on the perception of sensory attributes and overall liking of PBMAs. Ninety-four consumers evaluated 6 lab-prepared PBMAs for liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. Optimal perception of attributes was assessed using just-about-right scales, and attribute analysis using check-all-that-apply. Penalty analysis was applied to evaluate liking drops, and logistic regression examined the relationship between protein source/concentration and sensory attribute perception. Low protein samples had higher overall liking than high protein (<em>p</em> < 0.001) with 50.7 % of the variance attributed to textural factors such as thickness and grittiness. Furthermore, on comparison with soy-based samples, beaniness was selected 2.34 times more in pea-based samples and chalkiness was selected 4.92 more times in oat-based samples. Protein concentration impacted perception of thickness, with high-protein samples being selected as thick 22.9 times more often than low protein samples. Overall, adding protein to PBMAs improves their nutrient profile, matching its protein content with dairy milk, but it also introduces textural challenges that reduces consumer acceptance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105617"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolás Depetris Chauvin , Antoine Pinède , Heber Rodrigues
{"title":"Cross-cultural judgments of canned wine consumers in outdoor settings","authors":"Nicolás Depetris Chauvin , Antoine Pinède , Heber Rodrigues","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the perceptions of canned wine consumers in Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, highlighting how local norms and values influence consumer attitudes. As the global wine industry faces increasing pressure to mitigate its environmental impact, traditional glass bottles emerge as significant contributors to carbon emissions. Despite the advantages of more carbon-efficient alternatives, such as cans, their adoption remains limited. The study's findings illustrate stark contrasts in consumer perceptions across the three countries: Italian and Swiss participants often associate canned wine drinkers with negative traits such as being undisciplined, environmentally unfriendly, and lacking sophistication, reflecting entrenched views on wine consumption. In contrast, British respondents hold a more favorable view, attributing positive characteristics such as imagination and sociability to these consumers. These insights suggest that marketers must tailor their strategies to align with regional attitudes. In Italy and Switzerland, addressing biases and promoting the convenience and sustainability of canned wine is essential, whereas in the UK, efforts should focus on reinforcing already positive perceptions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for wine marketers aiming to promote sustainable packaging options and encourage broader acceptance of alternative formats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105613"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144298820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The role of health, nutrition, and origin claims in shaping consumers' choice for fresh produce: A choice experiment on white Asparagus","authors":"Belen Beltramo , Yung Hung , Miriam Urlings , Aalt Bast , Hanne Diliën , Alie de Boer","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nutrition and health claims and origin declarations on fresh produce can support consumers in making conscious and healthier choices while helping producers position their products. Consumers' intention to buy increases when products depict health and nutrition claims; however, most research has mainly focused on processed foods. This study explores the impact of nutrition and health claims, as well as origin declarations, on Dutch consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for fresh white asparagus. It also looks into the consumers' characteristics associated with a perceived added value of food claims on fresh produce, and, finally, it identifies the individual predictors of food claims use. Multinomial logit models estimated the effect of attributes on WTP, while latent class analysis identified distinct consumer segments. Findings revealed a strong preference for health claims over nutrition claims, with vitamin C claims yielding the highest WTP. Three consumer segments emerged: “Price-sensitive” (63.3 %), who prioritised cost but are open to paying more for claims; “Health-oriented” (20.5 %), who valued health claims; and “Origin-selective” (16.2 %), who preferred origin declarations. Key predictors of segment membership included attention to price and labels, ability to process claims, and need for information. Insights from the discrete choice experiment suggest that local fresh produce with claims can be marketed at a premium of up to 25 % (+ € 0.70 for produce like white asparagus), and emphasise the importance of enhancing nutrition literacy to aid consumers in making informed choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105615"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144298819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gerarda Caso , Laura Trinchera , Rosaria Romano , Riccardo Vecchio
{"title":"Towards a healthy and sustainable diet: exploring factors influencing red meat consumption among excessive consumers in Western countries","authors":"Gerarda Caso , Laura Trinchera , Rosaria Romano , Riccardo Vecchio","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive red and processed meat consumption poses health risks and contributes to environmental degradation. This study investigates factors driving reductions in such consumption, especially among excessive consumers, defined as individuals who exceed the meat consumption recommendations set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and who report to consume red and processed meat more than four times per week over a four-week period. To this end, we extend the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We introduce personal norms as a mediator between social norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes toward reducing meat consumption. Additionally, by incorporating the Food Choice Motives scale, we identify drivers that may effectively motivate excessive consumers to reduce consumption. Survey data from Italy (n = 524) and France (n = 513) reveal that intentions to reduce meat consumption strongly align with behavior change. Key predictors include personal norms, social influences, perceived control, and motives related to health, sustainability, and convenience. These associations remain consistent across both countries, suggesting similar factors influence meat reduction among Western consumers. Our findings underscore the potential to improve public health and promote sustainable food practices by targeting behavioral drivers of reduced meat consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105610"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Some sweeteners are tastier than others?! Examining the impact of knowing the type of sweetener on consumers' evaluation of lemonade","authors":"Marília Prada , David Guedes , Alesia Doros , Magda Saraiva","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cues related to a product's composition can influence consumer perceptions of food items. For example, information about the type of sweetener used may affect perceptions of healthfulness, caloric content, and expected taste. This study builds on this topic by examining the effect of consumer awareness of sweetener ingredients on their evaluation of lemonade. Participants (<em>n</em> = 101) tasted five samples of lemonade (prepared with 15 % pure lemon juice), each sweetened with a different ingredient: sugar, honey, agave, stevia, or saccharine. The samples were either labeled (e.g., “lemonade with honey”, experimental condition) or unlabeled (e.g., “lemonade E2W”, control condition). We did not find significant differences between the labeling conditions. However, the type of sweetener had a significant main effect across ratings, including evaluation of taste-related (tastiness, sweetness, sourness), health-related (healthfulness, naturalness, calories), and hedonic/acceptance (liking, intentions of future intake, willingness-to-pay) variables. The analysis of correlations between individual differences and lemonade evaluation provides further insights into how the samples were perceived. Specifically, we found a negative association between age and liking of lemonade with sucrose, stevia, and saccharine. Liking lemonades (in general) was positively associated with a preference for the sucrose and agave samples, whereas the preference for sweeter drinks was associated with a higher preference for the lemonade with saccharine. The findings are discussed regarding the implications for the industry and public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105612"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144263433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Quoc Cuong Nguyen , Tormod Næs , Van Viet Man Le , Daniele Asioli , Paula Varela
{"title":"Consumer preferences for upcycled foods: The role of product attributes and label information","authors":"Quoc Cuong Nguyen , Tormod Næs , Van Viet Man Le , Daniele Asioli , Paula Varela","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the last decade there has been an increasing interest by food industry in upcycled foods as a way to reduce food waste and loss through the food supply chain. This manuscript investigates the effect of nutritional and environmental information on Vietnamese consumer preferences for upcycled biscuits containing brewer's waste grain (BSG). Results revealed that when consumers are informed about the nutritional and environmental benefits of the upcycled biscuits, they exhibited a higher purchase intent compared to the absence of such information. The inclusion of sustainability or nutrition information changed repurchase intent, with the effect driven by sensory perception. Food companies must carefully assess the impact of product information and sensory perception on consumers' purchase and repurchase intent to effectively advocate for sustainable or nutritional food choices. These findings provide useful insights for product development and marketing activities for upcycled food businesses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105611"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144263435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ultra-processed foods are of poor nutritional quality in French consumers' representations; a categorization study of images of food products without information","authors":"Jessy Youssef , Stéphanie Chambaron , Laurence Dujourdy , Gaëlle Arvisenet","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated how consumers categorize food according to its nutritional quality and degree of processing through two online questionnaires. Two hundred French consumers used a directed sorting task to categorize 21 images of food products by nutritional quality and degree of processing. The images contained no information about these two characteristics or any other properties. Two multinomial logit regression analyses revealed that (1) without any access to established values for degree of processing or nutritional quality, participants' categorizations of food images closely mirrored these established values; (2) participants' categorization of food products by nutritional quality was also influenced by non-nutritional properties; (3) participants linked nutritional quality to degree of processing in their categorizations. Possible reasons are proposed for this link and the cognitive mechanisms involved, such as a learned association resulting from the overly simple messages conveyed by dietary guidelines, the use of heuristics to overcome the difficulty of estimating the nutritional quality of food products in the absence of information, and the health halo effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 105609"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144229561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}