An assessment of the sensory drivers influencing consumer preference in infant formula, assessed via sensory evaluation and GC-O-MS.

Consumer partiality for food products is related to purchase and consumption behavior, and are influenced by sensory preferences. The sensory and chemical drivers behind consumer preference in the infant formula (IF) were analyzed. A total of 31 aroma-active compounds were identified, playing an important role in the production of off-flavors (especially fishy). Combined with the correlation analysis, the key aroma substances affecting the sensory attributes of IF were initially identified. A21, A22, B9 represented the key substances responsible for producing milky and creamy, while A2, A5, A11, A12, B5, C15, H5 primarily produced fishy. In addition, the two sensory attributes namely milky and creamy, and the T-sweet were more strongly correlated with consumer preference. Therefore, it can be concluded that consumers are more interested in the main flavor of the product than the off-flavor. These findings will inform the quality control of IF and the maintenance of sensory quality.

Combinative effect of pulsed-light irradiation and solid-state fermentation on ginkgolic acids, ginkgols, ginkgolides, bilobalide, flavonoids, product quality and sensory assessment of Ginkgo biloba dark tea.

Pulsed light (PL) is a prospective non-thermal technology that can improve the degradation of ginkgolic acid (GA) and retain the main bioactive compounds in Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBL). However, only using PL hasn't yet achieved the ideal effect of reducing GA. Fermentation of GBL to make ginkgo dark tea (GDT) could decrease GA. Because different microbial strains are used for fermentation, their metabolites and product quality might differ. However, there is no research on the combinative effect of PL irradiation fixation and microbial strain fermentation on main bioactive compounds and sensory assessment of GDT. In this research, first, Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were selected as fermentation strains that can reduce GA from the five microbial strains. Next, the fresh GBL was irradiated by PL for 200 s (fluences of 0.52 J/cm2), followed by B. subtilis, S. cerevisiae, or natural fermentation to make GDT. The results showed that compared with the control (unirradiated and unfermented GBL) and the only PL irradiated GBL, the GA in GDT using PL + B. subtilis fermentation was the lowest, decreasing by 29.74%; PL + natural fermentation reduced by 24.53%. The total flavonoid content increased by 14.64% in GDT using PL + B. subtilis fermentation, whose phenolic and antioxidant levels also increased significantly. Sensory evaluation showed that the color, aroma, and taste of the tea infusion of PL + B. subtilis fermentation had the highest scores. In conclusion, the combined PL irradiation and solid-state fermentation using B. subtilis can effectively reduce GA and increase the main bioactive compounds, thus providing a new technological approach for GDT with lower GA.

Assessment of Bitterness in Non-Charged Pharmaceuticals with a Taste Sensor: A Study on Substances with Xanthine Scaffold and Allopurinol.

Taste sensors with an allostery approach have been studied to detect non-charged bitter substances, such as xanthine derivatives, used in foods (e.g., caffeine) or pharmaceuticals (e.g., etofylline). In this study, the authors modified a taste sensor with 3-bromo-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid and used it in conjunction with sensory tests to assess the bitterness of non-charged pharmaceuticals with xanthine scaffolds (i.e., acefylline and doxofylline), as well as allopurinol, an analogue of hypoxanthine. The results show that the sensor was able to differentiate between different levels of sample bitterness. For instance, when assessing a 30 mM sample solution, the sensor response to acefylline was 34.24 mV, which corresponded to the highest level of bitterness (τ = 3.50), while the response to allopurinol was lowest at 2.72 mV, corresponding to relatively weaker bitterness (τ = 0.50). Additionally, this study extended the application of the sensor to detect pentoxifylline, an active pharmaceutical ingredient in pediatric medicines. These results underscore the taste sensor's value as an additional tool for early-stage assessment and prediction of bitterness in non-charged pharmaceuticals.

Cognitive influence on the evaluation of wine: The impact and assessment of price.

Price is one of the most important product-extrinsic factors influencing the consumers' response to, and presumably experience of, wine. This is ironic inasmuch as the research tends to highlight either no, or else even a slightly negative relationship between price and liking in typical consumers when they taste wines blind. Nevertheless, providing price information, especially when it is high leads to enhanced taste ratings, especially for low to mid-priced wines. Similarly, bottle and label information (that makes a wine look cheaper or more expensive) has also been shown to influence the evaluation of wine by regular consumers (i.e., non-experts). Indeed, product-extrinsic information often appears to outweigh the product-intrinsic sensory attributes of wine in people's hedonic (in not necessarily in their sensory-discriminative) ratings. Such findings therefore highlight the importance of cognitive as compared to direct sensory cues in the evaluation of wine. This narrative historical review critically reviews and evaluates the published experimental literature that has examined the impact of price on wine ratings.

Advancements in production, assessment, and food applications of salty and saltiness-enhancing peptides: A review.

Salt is important for food flavor, but excessive sodium intake leads to adverse health consequences. Thus, salty and saltiness-enhancing peptides are developed for sodium-reduction products. This review elucidates saltiness perception process and analyses correlation between the peptide structure and saltiness-enhancing ability. These peptides interact with taste receptors to produce saltiness perception, including ENaC, TRPV1, and TMC4. This review also outlines preparation, isolation, purification, characterization, screening, and assessment techniques of these peptides and discusses their potential applications. These peptides are from various sources and produced through enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, or Millard reaction and then separated, purified, identified, and screened. Sensory evaluation, electronic tongue, bioelectronic tongue, and cell and animal models are the primary saltiness assessment approaches. These peptides can be used in sodium-reduction food products to produce "clean label" items, and the peptides with biological activity can also serve as functional ingredients, making them very promising for food industry.

Spirulina-based carbon materials as adsorbents for drinking water taste and odor control: Removal efficiency and assessment of cyto-genotoxic effects.

The sensory quality of drinking water, and particularly its taste and odor (T&O) is a key determinant of consumer acceptability, as consumers evaluate water by their senses. Some of the conventional treatment processes to control compounds which impart unpleasant T&O have limitations because of their low efficiency and/or high costs. Therefore, there is a great need to develop an effective process for removing T&O compounds without secondary concerns. The primary objective of this study was to assess for the first time the effectiveness of spirulina-based carbon materials in removing geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) from water, two commonly occurring natural T&O compounds. The efficiency of the materials to remove environmentally relevant concentrations of GSM and 2-MIB (ng L-1) from ultrapure and raw water was investigated using a sensitive headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS) method. Moreover, the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of the spirulina-based materials were assessed for the first time to evaluate their safety and their potential in the treatment of water for human consumption. Based on the results, spirulina-based materials were found to be promising for drinking water treatment applications, as they did not exert geno-cytotoxic effects on human cells, while presenting high efficiency in removing GSM and 2-MIB from water.

Geographical traceability of flavor compounds in Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Implications for quality differentiation, authenticity assessment, and mechanism research.

Geographical traceability plays a crucial role in ensuring quality assurance, brand establishment, and the sustainable development of the crab industry. In this study, we examined the possibility of using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry with multivariate statistical authenticity analysis to identify the origin of crabs from five sites downstream of the Yangtze River. Significant variations were observed in the levels of alcoholic flavor compounds in the hepatopancreas and muscles of crabs from different geographical locations, and a support vector machine exhibited discriminant ability with 100% accuracy. These flavor variations exhibited significant correlations with the types and concentrations of elements within the crabs, as well as with free amino acids. This study offers a practical approach for determining the geographical traceability of Chinese mitten crabs and elucidates the role of elements in flavor modulation, thereby providing innovative strategies to enhance the efficiency of crab farming.

Comparative assessment of Riesling wine fault development by the electronic tongue and a sensory panel.

Wine faults threaten brand recognition and consumer brand loyalty. The objective of this study was to compare the acuteness of e-tongue and human sensory evaluation of wine fault development in Riesling wine over 42 days of storage. Riesling wines uninoculated (control) or inoculated with 104 CFU/mL cultures of Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Acetobacter aceti, Lactobacillus brevis, or Pediococcus parvulus were assessed every 7 days with the e-tongue and a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) sensory panel. After 7 days of storage, the e-tongue detected differences in all four wine spoilage microorganism treatments, compared to control wine, with discrimination indices over 86%. The RATA sensory panel detected significant differences beginning on day 35 of storage, 28 days after the e-tongue detected differences. This study showed that the e-tongue was more sensitive than the human panel as a detection tool, without sensory fatigue. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research is useful for winemakers seeking additional instrumental methods in the early detection of wine faults. Given the results of this study, the e-tongue can be a useful tool for detecting early chemical changes in white wines that have undergone microbial spoilage, providing winemakers with time to mitigate faults before they surpass sensory thresholds.

Bioavailability assessment of a brompheniramine taste-masked pediatric formulation in a juvenile porcine model.

A brompheniramine taste-masked pediatric formulation was developed as part of the National Institutes of Health Pediatric Formulation Initiative to help address low patient compliance caused by the bitter taste of many adult formulations. To confirm that the taste-masked formulation can provide a similar pharmacological effect to the previous marketed adult formulations, a juvenile porcine model was used to screen the model pediatric formulation to compare the bioavailability between the marketed brompheniramine maleate and the taste-masked maleate/tannate formulation. Pigs were dosed orally with both formulations and blood samples were obtained from 0 to 48 h. Plasma samples were prepared and extracted using solid-phase extraction. The mass spectrometer was operated under selected ion monitoring mode. The selected ion monitoring channels were set to m/z 319.1 for brompheniramine and m/z 275.2 for the internal standard chlorpheniramine. Calibration curves were linear over the analytical range 0.2-20 ng/ml (r2 > 0.995) for brompheniramine in plasma. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were between 98.0 and 105% with 5.73% RSD precision. The bioanalytical method was successfully applied to a preclinical bioavailability study. The bioavailability profiles were not significantly different between the two formulations, which demonstrates that taste-masking with tannic acid is a promising approach for formulation modification for pediatric patients.

Assessment of beef sensory attributes and physicochemical characteristics: A comparative study of intermediate versus normal ultimate pH striploin cuts.

The quality of beef, defined by key attributes such as the intrinsic sensory qualities texture, flavour, and juiciness, is shaped by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study conducted a detailed examination of Nellore beef, focusing on two categories based on ultimate pH (pHu) levels: intermediate (pHu ≥ 5.8) and normal (pHu < 5.6) beef. A comprehensive approach was taken, involving twenty trained assessors who applied the Optimised Descriptive Profile (ODP) method to evaluate grilled striploin steak samples. In parallel, consumer preferences were measured through a hedonic test and a Check-all-that-apply (CATA) task, involving 135 participants. The ODP results revealed that the intermediate pHu samples were juicier (P < 0.05) compared to the normal pHu group. The CATA analysis highlighted differences in both intermediate and normal pHu beef, especially in juiciness, a crucial factor for consumer satisfaction. Notably, variations in deoxymyoglobin content linked to ageing were observed, with higher levels at the 3rd day compared to the 28th day, especially in the intermediate pHu samples (P < 0.05). Moreover, colour-related aspects such as L*, b*, chroma (C*), and oxymyoglobin were significantly influenced (P < 0.05) by both the pHu category and ageing time. Regarding consumer acceptance, the study found no significant difference in perception between the intermediate and normal pHu groups (P > 0.05). These findings revealed the complex interactions between pHu levels, sensory characteristics, and consumer preferences in beef quality, offering valuable insights for both the industry and research community.

Taste assessment for paediatric drug Development: A comparison of bitterness taste aversion in children versus Naïve and expert young adult assessors.

Medicines for children often taste bitter, presenting a significant challenge to treatment compliance. However, most studies on paediatric drug development rely on adult volunteers for sensory research, and the level of expertise required from these assessors is unclear. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating perceived bitterness aversion to taste strips impregnated with different concentrations of quinine hydrochloride in 439 school-aged children. Expert (n = 26) and naïve (n = 65) young adult assessors evaluated quinine solutions as well as taste strips, for methodological bridging purposes. All assessors differentiated the aversiveness of the taste strips in a dose dependent manner. Younger children aged 4-8 years had difficulty discriminating higher bitter concentrations, whereas pre-adolescents 9-11 years and naive adults showed better discrimination at the top of the scale. Naive assessors showed similar bitter perception as children. However, the results were slightly different between strips and solution in adults. These findings highlight the key role that adult panels can play in paediatric formulation development. Taste strips show promise as a safe and pragmatic tool for sensory pharmaceutical evaluations, though further studies are warranted to establish the relationship between age and hedonic taste perception using compounds with diverse physicochemical and sensory qualities.

Dual-sensory fusion self-powered triboelectric taste-sensing system towards effective and low-cost liquid identification.

Infusing human taste perception into smart sensing devices to mimic the processing ability of gustatory organs to perceive liquid substances remains challenging. Here we developed a self-powered droplet-tasting sensor system based on the dynamic morphological changes of droplets and liquid-solid contact electrification. The sensor system has achieved accuracies of liquid recognition higher than 90% in five different applications by combining triboelectric fingerprint signals and deep learning. Furthermore, an image sensor is integrated to extract the visual features of liquids, and the recognition capability of the liquid-sensing system is improved to up to 96.0%. The design of this dual-sensory fusion self-powered liquid-sensing system, along with the droplet-tasting sensor that can autonomously generate triboelectric signals, provides a promising technological approach for the development of effective and low-cost liquid sensing for liquid food safety identification and management.

Effect of Taste-Induced Mood on ERP and Emotional Assessment of Images.

Tastes affect the body and our emotions. We used tasteless, sweet, and bitter stimuli to induce participants' moods, and we examined the effect of mood on an emotional evaluation of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant images using event-related potentials, N2, N400, and late positive potential (LPP), which reflect emotional evaluation in the brain. The results indicated that mood valence was most positive for sweetness and most negative for bitterness. Moreover, there was no significant mood effect on subjective valence ratings of emotional images. Furthermore, the N2 amplitude, which is related to the early semantic processing of preceding stimuli, was unaffected by the taste induced mood. In contrast, we found that the N400 amplitude, which is related to the mismatch of emotional valence between stimuli, increased significantly for unpleasant images when participants were in a positive rather than negative mood state. Also, the LPP amplitude, which is related to the emotional valence of images, showed only the main effect of the images' emotional valence. The N2's results suggest that the early semantic processing of taste stimuli might have had a negligible impact on emotional evaluation because taste stimuli minimize semantic processing that accompanies mood induction. In contrast, the N400 reflected the effects of the induced mood, and the LPP reflected the impact of the valence of emotional images. The use of taste stimuli to induce mood revealed different brain processing of taste-induced mood effects on emotional evaluation, including N2's involvement in semantic processing, N400's involvement in matching emotions between mood and stimuli, and LPP's involvement in subjective evaluations of stimuli.

What cultural hierarchy? Cultural tastes, status and inequality.

Research on cultural stratification often draws on Bourdieu's misrecognition model to interpret socioeconomic gradients in cultural tastes and participation. In this model, an assumed cultural hierarchy leads individuals to adopt cultural tastes and behaviours whose status is congruent with that of their socioeconomic position (SEP). Yet, this assumed cultural hierarchy remains opaque. In this paper, we derive and test three empirical implications of the cultural hierarchy: (1) cultural activities have different status (recognition); (2) individuals in high and low SEPs have similar perceptions of the status of cultural activities (necessary condition for misrecognition); and (3) individuals prefer and engage in cultural activities whose status matches that of their SEP (status congruence). We collected survey data in Denmark and find that cultural activities differ in terms of perceived status (e.g., opera has higher perceived status than flea market), status perceptions are similar in high- and low-SEP groups and individuals prefer activities whose status matches that of their SEP. These results are consistent with the idea that a cultural hierarchy exists that sustains SEP gradients in cultural tastes and participation.

Bitterness-masking assessment of luteolin encapsulated in whey protein isolate-coated liposomes.

An unacceptable bitter taste limits the application of luteolin in healthier food systems. In this study, a bitterness-masking assessment was performed on whey protein isolate-coated liposomes loaded with luteolin (WPI-coated liposomes) using an electronic tongue and human sensory test. The physical properties of the WPI-coated colloidal nanocarrier were characterized by zeta potential, average diameter, distribution, and morphology analyses. The results indicated that WPI-coated nanocarrier systems exhibited a uniformly dispersed distribution and spherical morphology. After the comparison of the bitterness value, the bitterness-reducing effect of 5% WPI-coated liposomes was the most significant and reduced the bitterness of luteolin by 75%. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the decoration of WPI on the liposomes reduced the free motion of lipid molecules. This promoted the ordering at the polar headgroup area and hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer, which explained why luteolin-loaded liposomes (uncoated liposomes) and WPI-coated liposomes could reduce the bitterness of luteolin from the perspective of bitter molecular groups. Combined with the Raman spectral data, the bilayer rigidity of 5% WPI-coated liposomes was positively responsive to the stabilization of uncoated liposomes against storage and resistance ability against surfactants. It was proven that the emergence of the surface modification of the WPI coating enhanced the stability of uncoated liposomes. These results may contribute to the use of WPI-coated liposomes as prospective candidates for effective delivery of the bioactive bitter substance in nutraceuticals and functional foods.

An Overview of Taste-Masking Technologies: Approaches, Application, and Assessment Methods.

It is well-known that plenty of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) inherently possess an unpleasant taste, which influences the acceptance of patients, especially children. Therefore, manufacturing taste-masked dosage forms has attracted a lot of attention. This review describes in detail the taste-masking technologies based on the difference in the taste transmission mechanism which is currently available. In particular, the review highlights the application of various methods, with a special focus on how to screen the appropriate masking technology according to the properties of API. Subsequently, we overviewed how to assess taste-masking efficacy, guiding researchers to rationally design taste-masking formulations.

How French children food representations and tastes vary according to their social backgrounds: a study of disparities in food habitus.

The diet of individuals is influenced by social and cultural factors. Children's food tastes and representations, being principally transmitted by their parents, are likely to depend on their social backgrounds. As it is known that parents' feeding strategies and food education differ depending on their social positions, this study aimed at examining how food representations and tastes vary among children. A qualitative sociological study, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted with 40 children, aged from 9 to 11 years, from four French elementary schools. Results showed that children from disadvantaged social backgrounds mentioned less foods, seemed to have a less varied diet, to consume less vegetables, and to enjoy eating ultra-processed foods more than other children. Different food habitus were found, that can be put into perspective using Bourdieu's distinction theory, including different preoccupations regarding health and necessity among social groups. Disparities in children's food habitus could be theoretically linked with observed and growing social inequalities in health, when taking into consideration the potential practises that these habitus imply, and their probable effects on health. Participatory food education classes at school could aim to reduce such disparities, although some concerns and limits must be acknowledged.

["It's Left a Bitter Taste" Psychotherapists' Perspectives on the Abolition of the German Assessment Procedure for Outpatient Psychotherapy]. / "Es hat so einen etwas bitteren Beigeschmack" Die Abschaffung des Antrags- und Gutachterverfahrens aus Sicht von Psychotherapeut*innen in der ambulanten Versorgung.

BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH QUESTION: In 2019, the abolition and replacement of the present German assessment procedure for outpatient psychotherapy was resolved and adopted into law. This study examined what psychotherapists think about the new plan. METHODS: We conducted semi-guided interviews with psychotherapists about their experience and opinion of the current psychotherapeutic care situation in Germany. Statements about the assessment procedure were evaluated using qualitative text analyses. We compared the psychotherapists' opinion on the assessment procedure with the psychotherapeutic approach as well as the age group. RESULTS: Of 41 psychotherapists 27 reported their thoughts about the assessment procedure. The following themes could be drawn from their statements: Appreciation as well as criticism of quality control of the procedure, worries about a future loss of economic and treatment certainty, perception that the assessment procedure questions one's competence, disapproval of the low remuneration of the reports, the connection between individual attitudes towards the assessment report and conscientiousness in writing the reports, and the lack of transparency of the legislative initiative. Psychodynamic psychotherapists wanted to keep the assessment procedure slightly more often compared to behavioural psychotherapists; child and youth psychotherapists wanted to keep it more often than psychotherapists for adults. DISCUSSION: Psychotherapists perceive the reform of the assessment procedure as a process with a substantial impact on their current clinical practice as well as their psychotherapeutical identity. To improve the quality and acceptance of the future quality assurance procedure, psychotherapists should be an active part of the development process.

Safety Assessment Systems for Microbial Starters Derived from Fermented Foods.

Microorganisms involved in food fermentation not only improve the aroma and taste of the food, but also enhance its preservation. Thus, they are added as starter cultures to boost the final product quality of commercial fermented foods. Although these microorganisms originate from fermented foods and have a long history of consumption, the European Union recently applied the concept of Qualified presumption of Safety (QPS), which is a safety evaluation system for microorganisms used in food or feed in Europe. The QPS system is a species-level safety system and shares results with the European Novel Food System, a strain-level safety evaluation system. In the United States, microorganisms added to fermented foods are considered as food additives or Generally Recognized as Safe substance. In Korea, food microbe lists are presented at the species level. Moreover, the nation has established a strain-oriented evaluation system that applies temporary safety evaluation methods for food raw materials as well as new raw materials. However, when it comes to microorganisms isolated from traditional fermented foods and other fermented food products, there is no definition of the term "species," and there is a lack of an evaluation system at the species level. Therefore, such an evaluation system for microbial species used in Korean fermented foods is necessary.

Exploratory Research on Sweetness Perception: Decision Trees to Study Electroencephalographic Data and Its Relationship with the Explicit Response to Sweet Odor, Taste, and Flavor.

Using implicit responses to determine consumers' response to different stimuli is becoming a popular approach, but research is still needed to understand the outputs of the different technologies used to collect data. During the present research, electroencephalography (EEG) responses and self-reported liking and emotions were collected on different stimuli (odor, taste, flavor samples) to better understand sweetness perception. Artificial intelligence analytics were used to classify the implicit responses, identifying decision trees to discriminate the stimuli by activated sensory system (odor/taste/flavor) and by nature of the stimuli ('sweet' vs. 'non-sweet' odors; 'sweet-taste', 'sweet-flavor', and 'non-sweet flavor'; and 'sweet stimuli' vs. 'non-sweet stimuli'). Significant differences were found among self-reported-liking of the stimuli and the emotions elicited by the stimuli, but no clear relationship was identified between explicit and implicit data. The present research sums interesting data for the EEG-linked research as well as for EEG data analysis, although much is still unknown about how to properly exploit implicit measurement technologies and their data.