This research paper addresses the hypotheses that Kluyveromyces marxianus can be cultured with good alcohol production on different whey-derived matrices, and that the fermented product can be used in order to develop alcoholic beverages with acceptable sensory characteristics by mixtures with yeast-fermented fruit-based matrices. Growth and fermentative characteristics of Kluyveromyces marxianus LFIQK1 in different whey-derived matrices were explored by culturing (24 h, 30°C) on reconstituted whey, demineralized whey, heat-treated whey and milk permeate media. High lactose consumption, ethanol production and yield were observed. Reconstituted whey matrix was selected for mixing with orange or strawberry juices fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to obtain alcoholic beverages (W-OR and W-ST, respectively). Consumer evaluation of beverages was performed using acceptability and Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questions. Good acceptance was observed, significantly higher for W-ST than for W-OR. CATA questions gave information about organoleptic characteristics of beverages. Penalty analysis showed W-R and W-ST were positively associated with smooth/refreshing and fruity/natural, respectively. Liking was represented, accordingly with penalty analysis, by natural/refreshing. A novel alternative for utilization of whey and whey-related matrices by alcoholic beverages production with natural ingredients is presented.

Like other plant-based (PB) product categories, PB milk alternatives (PBMA) are in ascendency as part of the green consumer transition and a greater focus on personal health. However, consumption remains far below that for cow\'s milk, and among multiple barriers to uptake, inferior sensory properties is one problem, nutritional inadequacies another. While exceptions exist in both instances, a general need for improved products remains. The present research is situated in this nexus, and its primary aim was to contribute new consumer-centric insight regarding the sensory drivers of liking/disliking in the PBMA category. This was achieved through a central location study with adult New Zealanders (n = 143, not regular PBMA consumers) who tasted 18 different PBMA samples spanning a broad range of PB ingredients (soy, oat, coconut, almond, rice, cashew, peanut, macadamia, lentil, hemp, sesame) in different product types (single PB source, blends, barista style) with varying nutritional profiles. The most liked sample (6.5/9), which was made from soy, had the nutritional profile that most approximated cow\'s milk (3 g/100 mL protein), as well as a milky appearance and taste. Its mouthfeel was smooth, and this sensory characteristic was also paramount for barista-style PBMAs being well-liked (>5.9/9) regardless of their constituent PB ingredient (oat, almond, coconut). Opportunities for product innovation within this type of PBMA was identified including for using barista-style beyond hot beverages, as these samples received positive liking scores on average. The same applied to blends as multiple-source PBMAs can facilitate improved nutritional composition, and significant scope seemed to exist to identify more liked vs less liked PB ingredient combinations (e.g., almond/rice vs coconut/sesame). By identifying, through penalty/lift analysis that positive sensory drivers of PBMA liking span all sensory modalities (appearance, taste, flavour, texture and mouthfeel), it becomes easier to appreciate that products in this category are complex and challenging to optimise. A second minor research aim was focused on the modulating influence of PBMA consumption frequency on product liking and the sensory drivers of liking. The key result was a positive association between liking and higher consumption frequency, and greater appreciation of sweet, coconut, nutty and cereal/oaty characteristics of PBMAs.

Valorization of persimmon discards is a current challenge for the food industry. Obtaining dehydrated persimmon products can be a good option, but studies are necessary to predict consumer responses before placing new products on the market. In this study, we produced dried slices, chips, leathers and powder from persimmons that were discarded at harvest. A consumer study was performed with 100 participants. For a realistic context, the four products were presented to the participants in specifically designed packages to simulate commercial packages. The participants were asked about their interest in having each product available on the market. Then, they were asked to taste the samples and to state their acceptance and purchase intention. The participants characterized the main sensory properties of the samples using the CATA questions. The consumption contexts evoked by each product were also investigated based on the item-by-use method, plus the CATA questions. Our results revealed that, before tasting the samples, the participants showed special interest in having chips and slices available on the market. After tasting, the participants reported very good acceptance of chips, slices and powder, but leathers were less liked. According to the consumer characterizations, slices had the most intense persimmon taste and a succulent texture, while powder was characterized by its caramel taste. Chips were differentiated from the other samples, mainly for their crispy texture, while leathers were sticky and tasteless, which explained their poor acceptance. By evaluating the data on acceptance and the evoked consumption contexts together, we conclude that persimmon consumption could be enhanced by commercializing slices, chips and powder. The participants described chips and slices as healthy snacks in different daily situations, while powder could be used as a sweetener for yoghurts or hot drinks and as an ingredient for baking desserts. These are all contexts in which fresh persimmon would be not consumed as reported by the participants.

This study investigated consumers\' perception of labels of burgers with sodium reduction and/or addition of mushroom flavor enhancer. Six visual stimuli were created using a factorial design with sodium content (regular, sodium-reduced, and sodium-reduced plus health claim) and flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate (MSG) and mushroom extract) as factors. Consumers answered an attitudinal questionnaire and evaluated the stimuli through expected liking and check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions. Three consumers\' clusters were identified, which associated positive attributes to labels of burgers with mushroom flavor enhancer and negative attributes to labels of MSG-burgers, regardless of sodium content. The main positive drivers of liking were \"I would buy\", \"attractive\", \"innovative\", \"tasty\", and \"contain fewer additives\", which were associated with burgers with mushroom flavor enhancer, while \"contain additives\", \"processed\", \"artificial\", \"unhealthy\", and \"not attractive\" were the negative drivers of liking that should be modified in a reformulation to increase liking. This study provides valuable information for the development of healthier burgers and their positioning in the market.

BACKGROUND: Under certain climate conditions, citrus fruit may reach optimum internal maturity while the rind is still green. It is therefore customary to enhance skin colour changes by submitting early citrus varieties to ethylene degreening treatment, which implies a cost and may result in external disorders. In this study, the effect on consumer expectations (sensory and hedonic) of providing them with information about the internal maturity of non-degreened mandarins (greenish-coloured rind) was evaluated.
RESULTS: Mandarins with three different external colour indices (CI), CI = -6, CI = +1 and CI = +5, and three ways of conveying information, were investigated: (i) No information (NoInfo), (ii) The text \'Mandarins ready to eat\' (Text) and (iii) Text + Visualisation of mandarin flesh (orange-coloured in all cases) (Text+Flesh). Consumer expected liking, purchase intention and sensory expectations were markedly affected after receiving the different information types. The greatest effect was detected when Text+Flesh information was provided. Rind mandarin colour was also a determinant factor of how consumer expectations were modified by the received information. Moreover, our results revealed some differences among Spanish and Mexican consumers, since maturity information had a stronger effect on hedonic expectations of Mexican consumers.
CONCLUSIONS: When mandarins reach CI = +5 (pale orange-coloured rind with small areas still green), letting consumers know that mandarins are ready to eat by means of Text+Flesh information may be a non-cost strategy to avoid degreening treatment or to shorten its length. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

In recent years, a decreasing trend in fruit consumption has been detected in Mediterranean countries, with the consequent risk for the population\'s health. The objective of this study was to obtain consumer knowledge that can be useful to promote fruit consumption by designing specific interventions. This study was conducted in Spain as its inhabitants have traditionally adhered to the Mediterranean diet. Firstly, four fresh fruit types were identified based on the consumer perception of the fruit characteristics that condition the eating process (fruit size, the need for cutlery to peel/eat fruit, and susceptibility to be spoiled during transportation). Then consumer perception of situational appropriateness of six different fruit types (the 4 types of fresh fruit previously identified, dehydrated non-traditional fruit (DF), and fresh-cut fruit ready to eat on the go (FCF)) was investigated by the Item-By-Use method using Check-All-That Apply (CATA) questions. The potential of DF and FCF to broaden fruit consumption situations, and barriers for their consumption, were evaluated. Fresh fruits, particularly \'easy-to-peel\' ones like mandarins or bananas, were those preferred by consumers in most evaluated contexts. DF were considered mainly appropriate to be consumed \'As an ingredient\' and \'As a healthy snack\', while FCF were more suitable \'To be included in school lunchboxes\' and \'To eat immediately\'. According to our results, these two processed fruit types can help to increase the fruit consumption of a non-negligible percentage of the population (38% of participants), but it is necessary to overcome the barriers related mostly to sensory properties, plastic packaging and consumer misperception of fewer healthy properties compared to fresh fruit.

This study aimed to evaluate the sensory and hedonic perceptions of chicken burger manufactured with pink pepper residue extract (PPE) added to the meat and to the chitosan film. Five samples were manufactured: CT: control, without antioxidant; DP and FP: addition of PPE to the meat batter and to the film, respectively; C1 and C2: commercial brands of chicken burgers. Consumers characterized the samples using the overall liking test and Check-all-that-apply questions. The samples showed a medium-high level of acceptance and no significant differences were found between them. DP was the farthest sample from the ideal and FP showed positive results, since its characteristics were like the commercial samples. The direct extract application may lead to a reduction in the liking of chicken burgers, demonstrating that the technology of active films is a viable alternative to the use of natural antioxidant extracts in meat products.

Products for consumers with special needs (celiac) and those who prefer a differentiated diet are necessary due to growing demand and a niche market to be exploited. The incorporation of other substances in the formulation of cakes requires a detailed analysis of their characteristics and sensorial attributes. However, the use of these flours may change the sensory characteristics of a product that is normally made from wheat flour. This study aimed to identify the ideal formulation of gluten- and lactose-free brownies made with rice flour and beans/lentils in consumer perception, through the combination of sensory tests. Using these data, the aim was to define recommendations for the reformulation of a product of high consumer acceptance, using easily accessible ingredients. The sensory methods used were descriptive analysis with a group of 20 trained evaluators and a group of 100 consumers evaluated through the check-all-that-apply and just-about-right questionnaire; all groups performed the acceptance test by hedonic scale. Data were analyzed using multivariate techniques and correlation matrices. The results showed that the attributes selected by the trained evaluators and consumers were sufficient to indicate that color and texture were the most striking characteristics that should be improved in brownie formulations without gluten and lactose. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The study assumes that from the combination of sensory methods it is possible to verify the attributes that are most attractive to consumers in gluten-free and lactose-free cake formulations, using easily accessible ingredients that have technological, nutritional, and sensory quality, such as those formulated with wheat.

Phenolic compounds play a major role in the intensity and characteristics of wine astringency. However, studies involving commercial wine samples are still scarce. The aim of the present work was to study the relationship between astringency and phenolic composition of commercial Uruguayan Tannat wines using boosted regression trees (BRT), a novel predictive method. Forty commercial Tannat wines were evaluated by a trained sensory panel (9 members), who assessed their total astringency intensity using time-intensity (TI) and described their astringency sub-qualities using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) question composed of sixteen terms. The polyphenolic profiles of the wines were determined by HPLC-MS and conventional oenological parameters were also obtained. Fifty BRT models with different partitions of the data in training and test sets were built for astringency maximum intensity (Imax) and for the frequency of use of the 16 astringency sub-qualities considered in the CATA question. As predictor variables, 84 phenolic compounds and oenological parameters were considered for all BRT models. Both strong and weak predictive models were obtained for each response variable. Predictive accuracy was much higher for astringency intensity than for the frequency of mention of astringency sub-qualities. Still, the BRT models allowed to point out to some compositional variables most likely involved in wine astringency perception. Total tannin concentration (chemically determined) was the most relevant explanatory variable for sensory astringency, while flavan-3-ols were the individual phenolic compounds with the highest contribution to astringency, particularly some dimers, trimers and the sum of non-galloylated tetramers. However, the effect of these predictors differed according to the astringency sub-quality considered as response. As expected, non-linear relationships between phenolic compounds and astringency were found. These results contribute to the understanding of the influence of phenolic composition on wine astringency and stress the potential of BRT models for identifying the compounds responsible for this complex sensory characteristic.

Astringency is one of the most important characteristics that define the quality of red wine, and is of particular relevance for Tannat, Uruguayan emblematic red wine variety. Astringency is a time-dependant and complex sensory characteristic, related to several sensations, or sub-qualities, that can be simultaneously perceived. The aim of the present study was to obtain a sensory characterization of the astringency of commercial Uruguayan Tannat wines. Forty samples with different characteristics in terms of vintage, price segment and aging in oak barrels were assessed by a panel of 9 trained assessors. Total astringency intensity was evaluated using time-intensity (TI), while astringency sub-qualities were described using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) question composed of sixteen terms. TI and the CATA question provided different information on the astringency of Tannat wines. Regarding global astringency, samples mainly differed in intensity-related parameters rather than in the development of astringency over time, although the variability was moderate. A wide range of sub-qualities, from silky and velvety to harsh and aggressive were used to describe the astringency of the evaluated wines. Four groups of samples with different astringency characteristics were identified, but this sorting was not related to vintage, price segment or aging in oak barrels. Further research is necessary to better understand how astringency characteristics are influenced by production variables, and to understand their relationship to consumers\' and experts\' perceived quality of Tannat wines.