Abstract This study investigated consumers' perceptions of adding bee pollen to bread. An attitude questionnaire composed of 48 statements related to "general health," "light products," "natural products," "salty products," "food as a reward," "pleasure," and "food neophobia" was answered by the participants, who indicated their level of agreement with each statement according to a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from (1) "totally disagree" to (5) "totally agree." A check-all-that-apply (CATA) questionnaire was also employed to characterize 12 visual stimuli. The creation of stimuli was carried out using a factorial design, resulting in 12 images of bread. Three clusters of consumers were identified, each associating positive attributes with stimuli containing bee pollen, regardless of the health claim, while negative attributes were associated with stimuli without added pollen. The main positive drivers of liking were "I would buy," "attractive," "pleasant color," "healthy," "light," and "natural." On the other hand, the negative drivers of liking were "unattractive," "I don't like it," "I wouldn't buy," "hard," and "unpleasant color." This study provides valuable information for developing healthier bread using natural ingredients with bioactive compounds, such as bee pollen.

ABSTRACT The study aimed to evaluate the combined use of ultrasound (US) and incorporation of micronized salt (MS) as a strategy for reducing sodium without affecting the quality of beef burgers. Ten treatments were manufactured with varying MS content (0.75 %, 1.0 %, and 1.5 %) and ultrasound time (0, 5, and 10 min), with a control treatment manufactured at 1.5 % of regular salt without ultrasound. The beef burgers formulated with 0.75 % MS submitted to the US for 10 min (M0.75US10) reduced the salt content by 50 %, thereby efficiently maintaining texture profile (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness) and decreasing the cooking loss and diameter reduction compared to the control treatment. M0.75US10 treatment also preserved the color of samples after cooking, keeping myoglobin stable. Therefore, micronized salt coupled with ultrasound technology reduces sodium chloride content in beef burgers, enabling the application of clean technology to reduce sodium content in meat products efficiently.

ABSTRACT In the last decade, other quality attributes have emerged as the main aspects that impact pork consumers acceptance, such as environmentally friendly production, nutritional value, and animal welfare. This study applies a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questionnaire for sensory characterization of loins from genetically lean immunocastrated male pigs fed diets containing either a standard commercial diet with 1.5 % soybean oil (control) or 3 % oil from either soybean oil (SO), canola oil (CO), or fish oil (FO) during the growing-finishing phases. Twenty CATA attributes for loin samples were generated. We interviewed 101 consumers to select all the CATA terms that they considered suitable to characterize sensory attributes of longissimus lumborum muscle samples of pigs from each dietary treatment. The CATA results indicated differences among pork loin samples depending on the source and inclusion level of dietary oil. Loins from pigs fed 3 % SO were characterized by a higher frequency of the “juicy texture” attribute (p < 0.05) and a lower frequency of the “dry texture” attribute (p < 0.05) compared to loins from 3 % FO-fed pigs. Moreover, loins from pigs fed 3 % SO had a lower citation frequency of the “tasteless” attribute (p < 0.05) compared to loins from 3 % FO-fed pigs. The attributes “cooked pork meat-like taste”, “juicy texture”, “tender texture”, and “brightness” were placed close to the overall liking. “Tender texture”, “juicy texture”, “pork meat-like” (odor and taste), and “cooked pork meat-like taste” attributes were considered drivers of liking. Feeding genetically lean immunocastrated male pigs with diets containing 3 % SO may be advisable from a pork sensory quality perspective.

Abstract Food choice is often influenced by extrinsic factors, which drive consumer perception of a given product or service. It is therefore critical to study them during the design of food packaging. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of extrinsic factors on the expected acceptance, purchase intention and holistic perception of consumers of the popular Peruvian dessert mazamorra morada. Twelve stimuli were created by using a fractional factorial design considering packaging material, nutritional information, quality, convenience, and naturalness as factors, previously obtained by open-ended questions. Ninety-seven consumers answered an online survey indicating their expected acceptance, purchase intention and holistic perception. The results showed that the most salient factors for consumers, in terms of expected acceptance, purchase intention, and holistic perception, were packaging material and convenience. For these factors, the levels that increased expected acceptance and purchase intention were the "package made of food grade paper", conveniently adding a "spoon and napkin".

Abstract Several kinds of emerging technology have begun to be applied to food processes as prospective alternatives to conventional methods. Among these, ultrasound has been used. Despite the vast literature on the subject, some important aspects, including the sensory and hedonic perception of consumers towards this technology have not been properly addressed. In this study, consumer attitudes toward expected acceptance, pricing and purchase intention of guava juice processed with ultrasound technology were analyzed by using the conjoint analysis. The holistic perception of guava juice using projective mapping was also evaluated. The results indicate that consumers have greater acceptance and purchase intention for products that inform them of the benefits of the ultrasound process, while purchase intention was mainly influenced by the lowest price. Moreover, the product information regarding the ultrasound technology -displayed on individual packages- was a predominant factor which also served as a criterion for grouping the stimuli. Overall, the information highlighting the use of ultrasound technology during the processing of guava juice did not have any negative effect on the consumers’ acceptance and purchase intention. These findings can be considered as a positive indicator towards the possible application of this technology to industrial juice processing.

The high heterogeneity of meat and meat products can influence the sensory perception of the consumers, being necessary to measure the real impact of these non-controllable variables on the dynamic sensory properties of the smoked bacon during tasting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking and fat content on the dynamic sensory perception of bacon by Brazilian consumers. For this, four different samples were prepared, varying the fat content (from "low" to "high") and the type of smoking shown on the product label (natural and artificial). Thirty-five habitual smoked bacon consumers evaluated the dynamic sensory properties of the product using the Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) method. The results were submitted to univariate (bandplot by attribute) and multivariate analyzes (Principal Component Analysis) to study both the dominance rate and its duration, respectively. The main attributes modified during tasting were "salty," "fatty," and "succulent," thus showing that the dynamic sensory perception of smoked bacon was modified by the type of smoking and the fat content of the sample.

Identifying the ideal product is the most important step in new product development and improvement of existing ones. The aim of this study was to identify the ideal smoked bacon using PrefMFA and PrefMap considering three different sensory spaces obtained via descriptive analysis (DA), projectivemapping (PM) and CATA questions. Six smoked bacons were characterized by ten trained assessors using DA, and by two consumers panel using PM (n=93) and CATA questions (n=100). Also, one hundred consumers indicated their overall liking using a nine-point hedonic scale. The results showed that both techniques identified an ideal product. However, the sensory method has a greater effect than the multivariate procedure to obtain the sensory spaces prior to the preference mapping. Subsequent studies with other food matrices are still necessary in order to generalize our results

The first contact between consumers and the food product is usually the packaging and it’s labelling. Therefore, it is the primary means to generate consumer’s expectations. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of nutritional and health claims on acceptance of salami with reduced sodium content, aimed at finding guidance for the product reformulation. Sixty consumers evaluated four samples of salami. The overall acceptance was evaluated using a nine-point hedonic scale, and the attributes color, tenderness, characteristic flavor and salt content, were evaluated by 7 - point just-about-right (JAR) scale. For the expectation test, overall liking of salami with reduced sodium content was evaluated by consumers under three conditions: (1) blind test (B); (2) expectation generated by nutritional and health claims (E), and (3) consumers re-tasted the salami having the nutrition and health claims available (R). Student’s t-tests performed on data indicated no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the mean acceptance under the blind (B) and real (R) conditions, although expectation ratings (E) were significantly higher than (B) (p ≤ 0.05). However, linear regression of (R - B) x (E - B) ratings revealed a major assimilation effect of expectation, especially under negative disconfirmation (E > B). Contrast effect was also observed, but to a lesser extent. The results showed that saltiness attribute was not decisive in decreased acceptance according to the JAR scale, but it was relevant in the aftertaste generated by adding salt substitutes. Finally, nutritional and health claims had little effect on consumer acceptance.

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to develop low sodium salami prepared with pork, low-fat beef and a small quantity of pork back fat (150 g kg−1). Sodium chloride (NaCl) was replaced by potassium chloride (KCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2), and salamis were tasted to obtain low-salt salami with sensory characteristics similar to those found in commercial ones. Salamis were prepared following seven different treatments. Treatments included five different combinations of KCl and CaCl2 which varied from 5 g kg−1 to 10 g kg−1 and two controls containing high (25 g kg−1) and low (10 g kg−1) concentrations of NaCl. The right level of saltiness of each treatment was evaluated on “just-about-right” (JAR) scales and analyzed by Penalty Analysis. The results showed differences in pH and Aw (water activity) due to NaCl reduction. Salt replacement mixtures of KCl/CaCl2 in salamis did not affect this process technologically (slicing, appearance and texture), and the decrease in Na content was approximately 55 %. Although no significant differences were observed in appearance, treatments differed (p ≤ 0.05) in flavor, texture, and overall liking. As regards salt content of salami, consumers considered treatments with low NaCl content and replacers KCl and CaCl2 (% Na) as having an acceptable level of saltiness. However, this replacement produced a strange taste. Thus, the production of low sodium salamis using salt replacers (KCl and CaCl2) or salamis without replacers with a value higher than 1 % of NaCl can be used effectively without compromising major sensorial attributes.

Meat has played a crucial role in human evolution and is an important component of a healthy and well-balanced diet on account of its nutritional properties, its high biological value as a source of protein, and the vitamins and minerals it supplies. We studied the effects of animal fat reduction and substitution by hydrogenated vegetal fat, sodium alginate and guar gum. Fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation, color and instrumental texture as well as the sensorial difference between low, substituted-fat and the traditional formulations for mortadella-type products were analyzed. Both substitution and reduction of animal fat decreased the saturated fatty acids percentage from 40% down to 31%. A texture profile analysis showed differences between the formulations. Furthermore, lipid oxidation values were not significant for treatments as regards the type and quantity of fat used while the use of sodium alginate and guar gum reduced the amounts of liquid released after cooking. Animal fat substitution does cause, however, a difference in overall sensorial perception compared with non-substituted products. The results confirm the viability of substituting vegetal fat for animal fat.

Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão da literatura existente, mais recente, sobre visão computacional aplicada à inspeção de frutas e verduras. Foram analisadas as técnicas mais empregadas para estimar diversas propriedades relacionadas com a qualidade. Os objetivos das aplicações típicas de tais sistemas incluem a classificação, a estimativa da qualidade segundo características internas ou externas, o seguimento dos processos da fruta durante o armazenamento ou a avaliação de tratamentos experimentais. Em geral, um sistema de visão computacional não só pode substituir a inspeção manual, mas também melhorar suas capacidades. Conclui-se que os sistemas de visão computacional são potentes ferramentas para a inspeção automática da qualidade de frutas e verduras, e o desenvolvimento de sistemas deste tipo, adaptados à indústria de alimentos, é fundamental para adquirir vantagens competitivas.

This is a review of the current existing literature concerning the inspection of fruits and vegetables with the application of computer vision, where the techniques most used to estimate various properties related to quality are analyzed. The objectives of the typical applications of such systems include the classification, quality estimation according to the internal and external characteristics, supervision of fruit processes during storage or the evaluation of experimental treatments. In general, computer vision systems do not only replace manual inspection, but can also improve their skills. In conclusion, computer vision systems are powerful tools for the automatic inspection of fruits and vegetables. In addition, the development of such systems adapted to the food industry is fundamental to achieve competitive advantages.