Food Quality and Preference最新文献

{"title":"Do consumers prefer multidimensional or multiple single-issue sustainability labels? Evidence from rice markets in Germany and Singapore","authors":"Julia Checco ,&nbsp;Matty Demont ,&nbsp;Leonard V. Coote ,&nbsp;Maureen Schulze ,&nbsp;Risti Permani ,&nbsp;Yanti Nuraeni Muflikh ,&nbsp;Jaquie Mitchell ,&nbsp;Ammar Abdul Aziz","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105812","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105812","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multidimensional labels have emerged as a potential solution to the proliferation of multi-labelling in the food industry, which often leads to consumer confusion and scepticism. This study examines the performance of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) multidimensional label compared to single-issue labels (Organic, Fairtrade, and World Wildlife Fund) and origin attributes in the rice market. We assessed SRP's potential to replace or complement existing labelling systems using a discrete choice experiment with 507 German and 361 Singaporean rice consumers, measuring willingness to pay for rice with different label combinations. Results indicate that while SRP's familiarity and trust lagged most established single-issue labels in both markets, its performance varied by market context. In Singapore's unsaturated label market, SRP outperformed single-issue labels and origin, whereas in Germany's saturated market, familiar labels like Fairtrade, Organic or EU origin surpassed SRP. Partial substitution effects occurred when SRP was combined with Organic in both markets, but SRP cannot fully replace the Organic label. Complementary effects emerged when SRP was combined with trustworthy single-issue labels or favourable origin labels. Importantly, multi-labelling with Organic, Fairtrade and WWF labels outperformed the SRP label by almost double in Singapore and triple in Germany, suggesting consumers value multiple simple certifications over a single, complex multidimensional label. These findings contribute to existing literature on multidimensional and multi-labelling scheme effectiveness, revealing market-specific consumer preferences. The results have significant implications for sustainable labelling strategies in the rice industry and can guide policymakers and food companies in developing more effective sustainability communication approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105812"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681136","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":"Comparison of emoji and lexicon questionnaires for measuring spicy flavor-evoked emotions","authors":"Darong Chen ,&nbsp;Siyi Jiang ,&nbsp;Risu Na ,&nbsp;Lina Ren ,&nbsp;Pengfei Han","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105806","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105806","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sensory properties of food (taste, smell and chemesthesis) play a crucial role in eliciting emotions during consumption. This study compared the effectiveness of emoji-based and lexicon-based questionnaires in capturing emotional responses to spicy flavor. Thirty low-frequency (LF) and 30 high-frequency (HF) spicy food consumers tasted food samples infused with three levels of chili oil (45°, 52°, and 65° Li Spicy units) and rated the intensity of their emotions on a 4-point scale using the Rate-All-That-Apply method. In the LF group, 18 words and 13 emojis showed significant emotional intensity differences across spiciness levels, while 6 words and 1 emoji showed changes in the HF group. When all participants were considered, both questionnaires indicated a significant increase in negative emotions as spiciness levels increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001, η² = 0.347). For positive emotion however, a significant decrease was only observed among the LF participants as spiciness increased from 45° to 65°using the emoji questionnaire (<em>p</em> = 0.017). Moreover, the emoji questionnaire revealed significant group differences in positive (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.006) and negative (<em>p</em> = 0.064) emotional responses between the HF and LF participants at medium-to-high spiciness levels (52° and 65°), which were not detected using the lexicon questionnaire. Besides, emotional responses to the 65° level measured via emojis were the strongest predictors of individual spicy food consumption behavior. These findings highlight the usefulness of emoji-based questionnaires as a complementary tool to lexicon-based measures for capturing emotional responses across varying spicy food habits and spiciness levels. Further studies could investigate their combined applicability in diverse populations and eating contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105806"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681232","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":"Sensory profile and drivers of liking of grass-fed and total mixed ration butters","authors":"Lauren McGuinness ,&nbsp;Mark Timlin ,&nbsp;Sean A. Hogan ,&nbsp;Tom F. O'Callaghan ,&nbsp;John P. Murphy ,&nbsp;Deirdre Hennessy ,&nbsp;Michael O'Donovan ,&nbsp;Ellen Fitzpatrick ,&nbsp;Kieran McCarthy ,&nbsp;E. Dolores O'Riordan ,&nbsp;Andre Brodkorb ,&nbsp;Emma L. Feeney","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105813","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105813","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bovine diet and stage of lactation can influence milk fat composition, flavour, and texture. The impact of these on sensory perception and consumer acceptance of butter remain poorly understood. In Ireland, commercial production typically uses a 95 % grass-fed (GRS) system. Previous research has focused on comparisons between 100 % GRS butter and total mixed ration. This study evaluated the sensory attributes and consumer perceptions of butters derived from 95 % GRS, partial mixed ration (PMR), and total mixed ration (TMR) feeding systems.</div><div>300 consumers evaluated GRS, TMR and PMR butter samples, providing hedonic and intensity ratings for taste, texture, colour, and flavour. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed three independent perceptual dimensions accounting for 60.3 % of variance: hedonic (liking of appearance, smell, flavour, and overall impression), textural/visual (spreadability, creaminess, colour), and taste/aftertaste (flavour intensity, saltiness, aftertaste). No clear separation between consumer preference segments was observed in the PCA. Across feeding systems, GRS butter received significantly higher ratings than TMR for overall liking, appearance, smell, taste/flavour, spreadability, colour intensity, flavour intensity, saltiness, and creaminess (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Multiple regression indicated that flavour and creaminess intensity were the strongest positive predictors of overall liking. Overall, while production system influenced measurable sensory properties, consumer preferences were heterogeneous. These findings suggest that butter liking is primarily driven by flavour and texture attributes, but the relative importance of these factors varies across consumer groups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105813"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681233","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":"Increasing meatless options to decrease meat consumption - a quantitative analysis of the relationship between the percentage of meatless items offered on a specials menu and meatless purchases","authors":"Danielle Mary Edwards ,&nbsp;Peter Ondish ,&nbsp;Roni Neff","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105763","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105763","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive meat production and consumption have significant negative consequences, such as adverse health conditions for individuals and the exacerbation of climate change for society. The present research proposes and tests a behavioral “nudging” prediction about meatless consumption within restaurants. One economically practical, yet understudied, means to nudge individuals towards more meatless options is making target options more salient via a specials menu. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between the percentage of meatless items offered on a restaurant's specials menu and the likelihood that an item ordered was meatless. Importantly, the present research does this in an ecologically valid context: an operating restaurant in rural Pennsylvania, USA. Results indicate that for main dishes, the percentage of meatless specials offered predicted the likelihood of an individual purchasing a meatless food item. Specifically, if a menu has five total main dish specials, one of which is meatless, changing the menu to two meatless main dishes (and thus increasing the total percentage points of meatless main dishes from 20% to 40%) would increase the likelihood that a single main dish ordered was meatless by about 3.38%. Similar results, however, were not obtained for side dishes. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105763"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145518626","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":"Examining the co-occurrence of nutritional warning labels and environmental labels on food packages: Effects on consumer perceptions and likelihood of purchase","authors":"Fernanda Mediano ,&nbsp;Gastón Ares ,&nbsp;Camila Román ,&nbsp;Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier ,&nbsp;Gemma Galvez ,&nbsp;Camila Corvalán","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105799","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105799","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Health and environment front-of-package labels are increasingly used to influence consumer behavior. This study aimed to assess the impact of calorie warnings and environment-related labels and their combined effects on consumers' product perceptions and likelihood of purchase. An online randomized 2 × 3 factorial design was used to test the effects of the Chilean warning label (none vs. “high-in calorie”) and environment-related labels (none vs. the Chilean eco-label vs. a fictitious environmental warning) on consumer perceptions and behavioral intention, using cereal bars and ice cream as case study. Participants (<em>N</em> = 611), were randomly assigned to one of six conditions. They were asked to rate purchase likelihood and perceptions of calorie content, healthiness, health risk, social approval, environmental friendliness, and sodium content. Analyses were conducted using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests. For cereal bars, the calorie warning increased perceived calorie content, and health risk, and reduced healthiness, and social approval perceptions. The environmental warning decreased the likelihood of purchase, product healthiness, environmental friendliness, and social approval. Examining a near-significant interaction, the eco-label increased social approval for products with a calorie warning. For ice cream, the environmental warning decreased the likelihood of purchase and perceptions of environmental friendliness (Ps &gt;. 05). This study found that the calorie warning on cereal bars influenced consumer perceptions as intended, while the fictitious environmental warning had a negative impact on product assessment. However, within products with calorie warnings, the Chilean eco-label may increase the product's social approval. These preliminary findings suggest the need for coherent policies that promote health and sustainability without conflicting effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105799"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145570191","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":"Demographic, anthropometric and genetic (salt taste receptors SCNN1B and TRPV1) determinants of salt taste intensity, pleasantness, and sodium intake: Evidence from young adults in Malaysia","authors":"Muhamad Adam Razak Hamzah ,&nbsp;Janice Xin Yi Lim ,&nbsp;Victoria Olubunmi Olarewaju ,&nbsp;Joshica Kaur Gill Gurcharan Singh ,&nbsp;Geetha Letchumanan ,&nbsp;Jack Bee Chook ,&nbsp;Yook Chin Chia ,&nbsp;Yee-How Say","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excess sodium (Na) intake is a major risk factor for hypertension, with taste perception and hedonic preference influencing consumption. This study examined demographic, body composition, and genetic influences on saltiness perception, pleasantness ratings, and Na intake among 211 young adults in Malaysia (median age 21 ± 3 years; 64.9 % females). Participants evaluated NaCl solutions (0.01, 0.1, 1.0 M) and spiced soups varying in NaCl, KCl, and MSG, answered a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire of 22 common high-Na Malaysian foods, had anthropometrics/body compositions taken, and <em>SCNN1B</em> rs239345 and <em>TRPV1</em> rs8065080 genotyped. Saltiness intensity ratings rose with concentration, while pleasantness followed an inverted U-shape, peaking for 0.1 M NaCl and low NaCl+low KCl + high MSG soup. Pleasantness did not differ between high NaCl soup and low NaCl+high KCl + low MSG soup (<em>p</em> = 0.107). Males rated higher pleasantness ratings for low NaCl solution and soups, lower perceived saltiness of low NaCl+high KCl + low MSG soup and higher total daily Na intake (median 1891.1 ± 1260.2 vs. 1404.4 ± 1396.7 mg/day) than females. Central adiposity was associated with lower perceived saltiness of control and low NaCl+low KCl + high MSG soups. <em>SCNN1B</em> and <em>TRPV1</em> had limited genetic influences on sensory evaluations of salty stimuli, but were associated with Na consumption patterns - <em>TRPV1</em> CC genotype/C allele carriers had higher daily Na intakes from selected Malaysian foods. These findings highlight demographic, physiological, and genetic drivers of Na consumption, suggesting that public health strategies incorporating taste modulation and genetic awareness may help reduce excess salt intake in young adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105800"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145569955","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":"Slow food, fast intentions?Linking values with sustainable food choices","authors":"Qian Chen ,&nbsp;QingChuo Zhang ,&nbsp;Rong Huang ,&nbsp;Jinhua Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The acceleration of modern life has driven consumers to pursue efficiency at the expense of well-being, leading to a loss of mindful eating and reduced attention to sustainability. Although awareness of sustainable food practices is increasing, little is known about how culturally rooted value systems such as Slow Food influence consumers' sustainable choices. This study aims to examine how perceptions of Slow Food values affect sustainable food-consumption intentions. Study 1 employed qualitative interviews (<em>N</em> = 26) to identify three key value dimensions: mindful pacing, cultural rootedness, and ecological responsibility, which together underpin consumer engagement with Slow Food. Building on these findings, Study 2 integrated the Value–Belief–Norm theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour through a questionnaire survey (<em>N</em> = 434) and applied PLS-SEM to test the structural pathways from perceived Slow Food values to pro-environmental food intentions. The results show that perceived Slow Food values, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control significantly predict sustainable food choices, with perceived behavioural control emerging as the strongest predictor, while personal norms have no direct effect. This study contributes by developing a validated framework of Slow Food value perceptions and by integrating moral and self-interest motivations within sustainable food behaviour. Practically, the findings offer guidance for policymakers and hospitality operators to promote environmentally responsible and culturally grounded eating practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105779"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145464843","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":"Saltiness can be modulated by the aerosol generation behavior of salt solution","authors":"Lele Chen ,&nbsp;Jianshe Chen ,&nbsp;Xinmiao Wang ,&nbsp;Yue He","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105815","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105815","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Odor-induced saltiness enhancement is an effective strategy in reducing salt usage of foods, making the aroma transfer a saltiness-related factor during food consumption; yet the contribution of aerosol-mediated retro-nasal delivery is underexplored. Aerosol droplets are well-recognized as carriers of aroma compounds, and their generation can be sensitively influenced by salt content. Therefore, this study aimed to quantitatively evaluate aerosol generation from salt solutions within their typical food applications, as well as the resulting release and perception of four representative aroma compounds known to enhance saltiness using both trained (<em>n</em> = 10) and untrained (<em>n</em> = 40) subjects. As main results, NaCl was approved to significantly increase aerosol numbers and mass contents than pure water at the in-vitro tests (up to ∼110 fold, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Aroma compounds, congruent with saltiness, and with higher hydrophilicity (3-(methylthio) propanal and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine) or lower volatility (2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine) were more prone to be transferred via aerosol. In contrast, the release of aroma compounds with hydrophobic and high volatility (dimethyl trisulfide), was primarily governed by molecular diffusion. Significant correlations were observed between the release content of aroma compounds and aerosol numbers (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The aerosol-induced olfaction was approved via the sensory tests (dual reminder A-not A test and 15-cm linear scale), and the resulted saltiness intensity was depended on the aroma concentration. This is the first study to demonstrate that both aroma release and odor-induced saltiness enhancement can be modulated by presence of aerosol droplets, which is also sensitively affected by the salt content.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105815"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681137","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":"Chinese consumer perceptions of dairy products with lighter fat and grass fed labels","authors":"Lauren McGuinness ,&nbsp;Shuhua Yang ,&nbsp;Jingjing Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaoxia Dong ,&nbsp;Chenguang Li ,&nbsp;Eileen R. Gibney ,&nbsp;Dolores O'Riordan ,&nbsp;Emma L. Feeney","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dairy product consumption in China has increased in recent years, however the perception of dairy products among Chinese consumers are not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of front-of-pack nutrition and grass fed claims on the perceived sensory characteristics and portion selection for dairy products in Chinese consumers. Participants (<em>n</em> = 3058) completed an online survey and were presented with one of three products – milk, Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese varying in label condition: (1) regular fat (RF) and regular fat grass fed (RFGF) or (2) lighter fat (LF) and lighter fat grass fed (LFGF). Participants rated the sensory, healthiness and naturalness perceptions of each label condition. Participants were shown portion size images and selected a portion they would likely consume. The effect of fat label and claim on sensory, healthiness and naturalness perceptions and portion selection was analysed via two-way ANOVA. Considering the expected sensory characteristics, expectations for both ‘aftertaste’ and ‘flavour intensity’ were higher for RF milk than LF milk but expected liking was not affected. In Cheddar, participants expected to like LF Cheddar more than RF Cheddar but there was no effect for Mozzarella. The LF versions were perceived as healthier than RF for both milk and Cheddar but not for Mozzarella. Including a GF claim increased expected liking and perceptions of ‘healthiness’ of cheese products, and perceptions of ‘naturalness’ were higher for GF in all three products. With regard to portion, participants selected larger portions of LF milk vs RF, however, the GF claim did not influence portion selection. Overall, a GF claim may positively affect perceptions of dairy products, particularly cheese, by increasing sensory expectations, healthiness and naturalness perceptions in Chinese consumers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105810"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681138","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":"Enhancing taste without salt or sugar: Cross-modal flavor modulation via olfactory cues","authors":"Ao Wang ,&nbsp;Xinyi Wu ,&nbsp;Lin Gao ,&nbsp;Qingya Yang ,&nbsp;Liuqing Wei ,&nbsp;Lingkai Ji ,&nbsp;Simin Zhao ,&nbsp;Weiping Yang ,&nbsp;Mengling Chen ,&nbsp;Pei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing taste perception without increasing sugar or salt is vital for health-oriented food innovation. This study investigated whether olfactory cues alone can modulate taste perception in a gustatorily neutral context and whether such modulation reflects genuine cross-modal integration or transient sensory substitution. In Experiment 1 (<em>N</em> = 29), participants sampled plain water while exposed to salty, sour, sweet, bitter, or neutral (control) odors and rated the perceived intensity of four basic tastes. Congruent odors (salty, sour, sweet) significantly enhanced corresponding taste ratings, whereas the bitter odor showed no effect—suggesting that olfactory input can selectively activate learned gustatory representations. Experiment 2 (<em>N</em> = 21) examined the temporal stability of this enhancement by introducing time delays (5 s, 10 s, 30 s) between odor exposure and tasting. Sweetness enhancement emerged only at 5 s, indicating a short-lived expectancy-driven effect, whereas saltiness enhancement appeared at 10 s and 30 s but not at 5 s, suggesting a delayed yet durable cross-modal activation. Together, these findings demonstrate that olfactory stimuli can enhance perceived taste intensity even in the absence of tastants, with odor–taste congruency and temporal dynamics jointly modulating the strength and persistence of the effect. The results provide behavioral evidence supporting both cross-modal integration and expectation-based models of flavor perception, offering practical implications for aroma-driven strategies in designing low-sodium and low-sugar foods without compromising flavor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":322,"journal":{"name":"Food Quality and Preference","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 105803"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145570190","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}