Consumer Perception of Retail Pork Bacon Attributes Using Adaptive Choice-based Conjoint Analysis and Maximum Differential Scaling.

Bacon is one of the most recognizable consumer pork products and is differentiated by appearance, flavor, thickness, and several possible product claims. The objective of this study was to explore the attributes of retail bacon that influence consumers to purchase and consume bacon. An Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) survey was designed for attributes of raw American-style bacon. An ACBC survey (N = 1410 consumers) and Kano questioning were applied to determine the key attributes that influenced consumer purchase. Attributes included package size, brand, thickness, label claims, flavor, price, and images of the bacon package displaying fat:lean ratio. Maximum Difference Scaling (MaxDiff) was used to rank appeal of 20 different bacon images with variable fat:lean ration and slice shape. The most important attribute for bacon purchase was price followed by fat:lean appearance and then flavor. Three consumer clusters were identified with distinct preferences. For 2 clusters, price was not the primary attribute. Understanding preferences of distinct consumer clusters will enable manufacturers to target consumers and make more appealing bacon. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) is a research technique that allows consumers to react to assembled products and identify product attributes that they prefer. Kano questions allow researchers to look at the individual aspects of a product and understand consumer sentiment and expectations towards those product qualities while Maximum Difference scaling allows consumers to directly rank single attributes of a product relative to one another. A combination of these 3 approaches can provide key understandings on consumer perception of retail bacon allowing companies to optimize and maximize their development and advertising resources.

Screening for arteriovenous malformations in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia were being screened according to international guidelines, and to review recent evidence in order to provide up-to-date guidelines for the initial systemic management of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia. METHODS: A retrospective case note analysis was conducted, assessing patients in terms of screening for: genetics, cerebral arteriovenous malformations, pulmonary and hepatic arteriovenous malformations, and gastrointestinal telangiectasia. Databases searched included Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Embase. RESULTS: Screening investigations were most frequently performed for hepatic arteriovenous malformations and least frequently for genetics. Recent data suggest avoiding routine genetic and cerebral arteriovenous malformation screening because of treatment morbidities; performing high-resolution chest computed tomography for pulmonary arteriovenous malformation screening; using capsule endoscopy (if possible) to reduce complications from upper gastrointestinal endoscopy; and omitting routine liver enzyme testing in favour of Doppler ultrasound. CONCLUSION: Opportunities for systemic arteriovenous malformation screening are frequently overlooked. This review highlights the need for screening and considers the form in which it should be undertaken.

The effect of extrinsic attributes on liking of cottage cheese.

Preference mapping studies with cottage cheese have demonstrated that cottage cheese liking is influenced by flavor, texture, curd size, and dressing content. However, extrinsic factors such as package, label claims, and brand name may also influence liking and have not been studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of package attributes and brand on the liking of cottage cheese. A conjoint survey with Kano analysis (n=460) was conducted to explore the effect of extrinsic attributes (brand, label claim, milkfat content, and price) on liking. Following the survey, 150 consumers evaluated intrinsic attributes of 7 cottage cheeses with and without brand information in a 2-d crossover design. Results were evaluated by 2-way ANOVA and multivariate analyses. Milkfat content and price had the highest influence on liking by conjoint analysis. Cottage cheese with 2% milkfat and a low price was preferred. Specific label claims such as "excellent source of calcium (>10%)" were more attractive to consumers than "low sodium" or "extra creamy." Branding influenced overall liking and purchase intent for cottage cheeses to differing degrees. For national brands, acceptance scores were enhanced in the presence of the brand. An all-natural claim was more appealing than organic by conjoint analysis and this result was also confirmed with consumer acceptance testing. Findings from this study can help manufacturers, as well as food marketers, better target their products and brands with attributes that drive consumer choice.

Examining extrinsic factors that influence product acceptance: a review.

Drivers of liking (DOL) studies are useful for product development to formulate acceptable products; however, DOL alone are insufficient for understanding why a product is purchased and repurchased, which is ultimately the indication of a successful product. Ultimately sensory attributes drive product success (that is, repeat and continued purchase). However, ignoring the importance of extrinsic factors may neglect the vital product attributes responsible for the initial purchase, which may in turn, affect repeat purchase. The perception of sensory attributes assessed by DOL is mitigated by external perceptions of quality. If the sensory attributes do not deliver based upon the quality cues, the product will not be acceptable. Four key extrinsic factors that affect DOL are the perceived satiety, brand and labeling, price, and the emotional impact to decision making. In order to more thoroughly understand what the DOL for a product is, these 4 product cues should be considered in conjunction with sensory attribute perception to gain a holistic understanding of product acceptance.

Consumer attitudes and preferences for fresh market tomatoes.

UNLABELLED: This study established attractive attributes and consumer desires for fresh tomatoes. Three focus groups (n = 28 participants) were conducted to explore how consumers perceived tomatoes, including how they purchased and consumed them. Subsequently, an Adaptive Choice Based Conjoint (ACBC) survey was conducted to understand consumer preferences toward traditional tomatoes. The ACBC survey with Kano questions (n = 1037 consumers in Raleigh, NC) explored the importance of color, firmness, size, skin, texture, interior, seed presence, flavor, and health benefits. The most important tomato attribute was color, then juice when sliced, followed by size, followed by seed presence, which was at parity with firmness. An attractive tomato was red, firm, medium/small sized, crisp, meaty, juicy, flavorful, and with few seeds. Deviations from these features resulted in a tomato that was rejected by consumers. Segmentations of consumers were determined by patterns in utility scores. External attributes were the main drivers of tomato liking, but different groups of tomato consumers exist with distinct preferences for juiciness, firmness, flavor, and health benefits. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Conjoint analysis is a research technique that collects a large amount of data from consumers in a format designed to be reflective of a real life market setting and can be combined with qualitative insight from focus groups to gain information on consumer consumption and purchase behaviors. This study established that the most important fresh tomato attributes were color, amount of juice when sliced, and size. Distinct consumer clusters were differentiated by preference for color/appearance, juiciness and firm texture. Tomato growers can utilize the results to target attributes that drive consumer choice for fresh tomatoes.

Influence of heating and acidification on the flavor of whey protein isolate.

Previous studies have established that whey protein manufacture unit operations influence the flavor of dried whey proteins. Additionally, manufacturers generally instantize whey protein isolate (WPI; ≥ 90% protein) by agglomeration with lecithin to increase solubility and wettability. Whey protein isolate is often subjected to additional postprocessing steps in beverage manufacturing, including acidification and heat treatment. These postprocessing treatments may further influence formation or release of flavors. The objective of the first study was to characterize the effect of 2 processing steps inherent to manufacturing of acidic protein beverages (acidification and heat treatment) on the flavor of non-instant WPI. The second study sought to determine the effect of lecithin agglomeration, a common form of instantized (INST) WPI used in beverage manufacturing, on the flavor of WPI after acidification and heat treatment. In the first experiment, commercial non-instantized (NI) WPI were rehydrated and evaluated as is (control); acidified to pH 3.2; heated to 85°C for 5 min in a benchtop high temperature, short time (HTST) pasteurizer; or acidified to 3.2 and heated to 85°C for 30s (AH-HTST). In the second experiment, INST and NI commercial WPI were subsequently evaluated as control, acidified, heated, or AH-HTST. All samples were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis, solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Acidification of NI WPI produced higher concentrations of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and sensory detection of potato/brothy flavors, whereas heating increased cooked/sulfur flavors. Acidification and heating increased cardboard, potato/brothy, and malty flavors and produced higher concentrations of aldehydes, ketones, and sulfur compounds. Differences between INST and NI WPI existed before treatment; INST WPI displayed cucumber flavors not present in NI WPI. After acidification, INST WPI were distinguished by higher intensity of cucumber flavor and higher concentrations of E-2-nonenal. No perceivable differences were observed between INST and NI WPI after heating; sulfur and eggy flavors increased in both types of WPI. After treatment, AH-INST-HTST samples were differentiated from AH-NI-HTST by grassy/hay and grainy flavor and increased lipid oxidation products. Further processing of WPI in food applications has negative effects on the flavor contributions of WPI.

Increased severity of acute graft versus host disease as a result of differential expression following a homozygous gene deletion.

Acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD) is a major cause of early morbidity post-haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with minor histocompatibility antigens being a contributing factor. One mHA encoded by the UDP glycosyltransferase 2 family polypeptide B17 (UGT2B17) gene has been shown to be immunogenic because of differential expression in the donor and recipient. We investigated the effects of a homozygous gene deletion of UGT2B17 on the severity of acute aGvHD post-HSCT in HLA-matched related donors. 115 donor and recipient HLA and UGT2B17 genotypes were determined using PCR-SSO and PCR-SSP, respectively. aGvHD grading was determined using routine criteria and dichotomized into either nonclinically significant (0-I) or clinically significant (II-IV). For all analyses, P-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. The frequency of the gene deletion within the total cohort tested was 29.1%. A significant increase in aGvHD severity (grades II-IV) was seen in UGT2B17 recipients expressing the protein when transplanted with a UGT2B17 disparate donor (P = 0.011). We observed a significant association between UGT2B17 expressing recipients and UGT2B17 deficient donors with the severity of aGvHD. This study provides additional evidence that genomic variations may predispose to more severe aGvHD, but are not a mechanism for GvHD.

Effect of bleaching whey on sensory and functional properties of 80% whey protein concentrate.

Whey is a highly functional food that has found widespread use in a variety of food and beverage applications. A large amount of the whey proteins produced in the United States is derived from annatto-colored Cheddar cheese. Color from annatto is undesirable in whey and must be bleached. The objective of this study was to compare 2 commercially approved bleaching agents, benzoyl peroxide (BP) and hydrogen peroxide (HP), and their effects on the flavor and functionality of 80% whey protein concentrate (WPC80). Colored and uncolored liquid wheys were bleached with BP or HP, and then ultrafiltered, diafiltered, and spray-dried; WPC80 from unbleached colored and uncolored Cheddar whey were manufactured as controls. All treatments were manufactured in triplicate. The WPC80 were then assessed by sensory, instrumental, functionality, color, and proximate analysis techniques. The HP-bleached WPC80 were higher in lipid oxidation compounds (specifically hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, decanal, dimethyl disulfide, and 1-octen-3-one) and had higher fatty and cardboard flavors compared with the other unbleached and BP-bleached WPC80. The WPC80 bleached with BP had lower norbixin concentrations compared with WPC80 bleached with HP. The WPC powders differed in Hunter color values (L, a, b), with bleached powders being more white, less red, and less yellow than unbleached powders. Bleaching with BP under the conditions used in this study resulted in larger reductions in yellowness of the powders made from whey with annatto color than did bleaching with HP. Functionality testing demonstrated that whey bleached with HP treatments had more soluble protein after 10 min of heating at 90°C at pH 4.6 and pH 7 than the no-bleach and BP treatments, regardless of additional color. Overall, HP bleaching caused more lipid oxidation products and subsequent off-flavors compared with BP bleaching. However, heat stability of WPC80 was enhanced by HP bleaching compared with control or BP-bleached WPC80.

Comparison of the flavor chemistry and flavor stability of mozzarella and cheddar wheys.

The flavor and flavor stability of fresh and stored liquid Cheddar and Mozzarella wheys were compared. Pasteurized, fat separated, and unseparated Cheddar and Mozzarella wheys were manufactured in triplicate and evaluated immediately or stored for 72 h at 3 °C. Flavor profiles were documented by descriptive sensory analysis, and volatile components were extracted and characterized by solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry with aroma extract dilution analysis. Cheddar and Mozzarella wheys were distinct by sensory and volatile analysis (P < 0.05). Fresh Cheddar whey had higher intensities of buttery and sweet aromatic flavors and higher cardboard flavor intensities following storage compared to Mozzarella whey. High aroma impact compounds (FD(log3) > 8) in fresh Cheddar whey included diacetyl, 1-octen-3-one, 2-phenethanol, butyric acid, and (E)-2-nonenal, while those in Mozzarella whey included diacetyl, octanal, (E)-2-nonenal, and 2-phenethanol. Fresh Cheddar whey had higher concentrations of diacetyl, 2/3-methyl butanal, (E)-2-nonenal, 2-phenethanol, and 1-octen-3-one compared to fresh Mozzarella whey. Lipid oxidation products increased in both whey types during storage but increases were more pronounced in Cheddar whey than Mozzarella whey. Increases in lipid oxidation products were also more pronounced in wheys without fat separation compared to those with fat separation. Results suggest that similar compounds in different concentrations comprise the flavor of these 2 whey sources and that steps should be taken to minimize lipid oxidation during fluid whey processing. Practical Application: Cheddar and Mozzarella wheys are the primary sources of dried whey ingredients in the United States. An enhanced understanding of the flavor of these 2 raw product streams will enable manufacturers to identify methods to optimize quality.

A practical approach to soft-copy display consistency for PC-based review workstations.

The use of non-permanent, digital image display, i.e. soft-copy display, is increasing within hospitals due to the growth in the use of digital modalities and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). Non-dedicated image review using standard PCs is being employed as a cost-effective method of image access. These workstations do not have specialized display systems and are likely to suffer from inconsistent image presentation. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) Working Group 11 has developed a display function standard (part 14) to standardize the display of grey scale images. Although this standard is starting to be adopted by manufacturers of proprietary reporting systems it is not easily applied to the existing number of non-dedicated, PC-based review systems. The aim of this work was to investigate whether display consistency could be achieved simply and reproducibly on these systems, outside of the DICOM standard: part 14, by adjusting monitor brightness and contrast settings and using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) digital test pattern. The study showed that by adjusting the brightness and contrast settings alone it was possible to approximate the display characteristic curves to the grey scale standard display function (GSDF) defined in the DICOM standard: part 14, but only at unacceptably low luminances. Intradisplay and interdisplay consistency could be achieved using a simple monitor set-up procedure and the SMPTE test pattern.