Sensory and physicochemical changes in gluten-free oat biscuits stored under different packaging and light conditions.

The influence of different packaging films and their thickness (polyethylene terephthalate/casting polypropylene (PET/CPP_34), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP_40), polyvinylchloride (PVC_12), BOPP/CPP_50 and polyethylene/ethylene vinyl alcohol/polypropylene (PE/EVOH/PP_50) on the quality of gluten-free oat biscuits was evaluated for a storage period up to 3 months under light and darkness conditions. Periodically (day 30, 60 and 90), physical parameters, peroxide value, texture and microbiological parameters together with sensory attributes (surface colour, smell, taste, crunchiness and off-flavour) were assessed. Moisture and water activity of biscuits decreased during storage in all packages. The highest peroxide value was obtained for biscuits packed in PVC_12, while the lowest was for the PE/EVOH/PP_50, for both storage conditions. The biscuits' colour changed from yellow-brown to light yellow and the change was more pronounced in the light as compared to the dark storage conditions. The hardness value decreased (p > 0.05) during the storage period. The electronic nose system showed that the distinct volatile composition of the biscuits stored in the light was correlated with the higher scores of the off-flavour attribute and with the peroxide values. The sensory data showed that BOPP/CPP_50 preserved the colour of the biscuits, while PE/EVOH/PP_50 kept the initial crunchiness of the biscuits up to 90 days of storage in both light and dark conditions. The study suggested that BOPP/CPP_50 and PE/EVOH/PP_50 can be used for gluten-free oat biscuits' packaging and storage up to 90 days for both conditions studied, without adversely affecting their physicochemical and sensory properties.

Foods with increased protein content: A qualitative study on European consumer preferences and perceptions.

Foods with increased protein content have rapidly become one of the fastest-growing product categories targeting image- and health-focused consumers. However, it is not clear whether consumers really understand the difference between 'inherently rich in protein' and 'artificially increased protein'. This study used a qualitative focus group approach to investigate the consumer preferences and perceptions of foods with increased protein content among mixed-age and older population in four European countries. In total fifty-two participants were involved in the study. Understanding of the concept of foods with 'increased protein' content was limited. Both older and mixed-age participants could not differentiate between natural sources of protein and foods with increased protein content, no matter whether foods with animal or plant proteins were mentioned. Older participants expressed more scepticism towards foods with increased protein content than mixed-age participants. The combination of protein type and food carrier closer to conventional foods received more acceptance among both older and mixed-age participants. Future use and acceptance of foods with increased protein content will depend on the extent to which consumer concerns about incorporating additional protein into a diet can be responded.

A taste of things to come: Effect of temporal order of information and product experience on evaluation of healthy and sustainable plant-based products.

Current patterns of meat consumption are considered unsustainable. Plant-based products are presented as a solution. However, while some plant-based products thrive, others do not make the cut due to the information "framing" effect issues related to the way information is presented to the consumers. Information on the nutrition and health properties of food products are usually made available at the point of purchase, but their effect on consumer product evaluation and subsequent purchase intent can also occur later, during or after consumption. This research demonstrates that the effect of nutrition information on product evaluation and purchase intention depends on when such information is made available-before first tasting or after first tasting-and that the information interacts with the taste experience in its effect on product evaluation and subsequent purchase intent. Using three plant-based products as an example, we conducted a cross-cultural experimental sensory evaluation with temporal order of information as the main between-subject experimental condition (informed before taste vs. informed after taste vs. control condition), and product experience phase (expectation vs. experience vs. post-experience phase) and information content as within-subject conditions. Information content had two levels: lower vs. higher share of oat protein in the product (i.e., source of protein vs. high in protein). The results indicate that information generally increases consumers' purchase intentions with information before tasting having a higher weight when compared to the condition when information was presented after tasting. Presenting the information before tasting also mitigates a drop in the evaluation of taste after tasting, observed in the two other conditions. Further, taste acts as a healthiness cue, but the direction of the inference depends on the availability of health-related information: tasting in the informed condition increased the healthiness perception, whereas tasting in the uninformed condition had the opposite effect. Giving the information before the first tasting also increased the weight of healthiness as compared to taste in the formation of purchase intentions. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the effect of temporal order of information and product tasting have on the consumers' product evaluations of plant-based products from theoretical and managerial perspectives.