Perceptions of plant-based fish among Atlantic Canadians.

There is an increasing demand for plant-based alternatives by individuals living in the Western world. One of the newer plant-based alternatives is plant-based fish and seafood (PBFs). This study aimed to investigate individuals' opinions and attitudes toward PBFs, as well as evaluate the effect of involvement in the fishing industry on the participants' attitudes. Participants (n = 183) were asked to answer questions about their perceptions of PBFs. Participants believed that PBFs were environment-friendly and were interested in trying PBFs but were concerned about the taste and texture of PBFs. Although participants were likely to try PBFs, they were less likely to add them to their regular diet. After reading messages about the benefits of PBFs in this study, participants' willingness to try PBFs and add PBFs into their regular diet increased. In addition, those who worked in the fishing industry or had high food neophobic scores did not believe that PBFs would taste like conventional fish and seafood products. Future studies should investigate the attitudes of individuals living in different regions and investigate whether exposure to PBFs affects consumer perceptions of the food product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Consumer demand for new plant-based products is increasing, but before new products can be released, participants' attitudes and perceptions need to be evaluated. Plant-based alternatives to fish and seafood are a new food product, and therefore, participants' attitudes toward them need to be investigated. It was found that the individuals were more willing to try plant-based fish and seafood. In addition, they were more likely to incorporate them into their diet after reading about the nutritional benefits and sustainability of PBFs.

Effect of Piperine on Saltiness Perception.

Chemical irritants, like piperine, have the potential to increase human perception of tastes and odours, including saltiness. This cross-modal interaction could help the food industry develop new salt-reduced food products that maintain their salty taste. The objective of this study was: firstly, to determine the detection threshold of piperine (n = 72), secondly to evaluate piperine's influence on saltiness perception in model solutions (n = 78), and lastly to identify piperine's effect on sensory perception of low sodium soup using temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA; n = 75). The group mean of the individual threshold was 0.55 ± 0.15 ppm. Piperine increased the saltiness perception of the model solutions, but it also increased the bitterness and decreased the sweetness of the solutions. The piperine significantly increased the saltiness intensity of the soups (evaluated using a generalized labelled magnitude), but during the TCATA task, the salty attribute was selected less for the soup with piperine than the control (based on the average proportion of selection). The TCATA indicated that the peppery attribute dominated the participants' perception of the soup with piperine. More studies are needed to assess piperine's cross-modal interactions.