Sensory evaluation of Protected Designation of origin Wines: Development of olfactive descriptive profile and references.

Wines covered by PDO or PGI quality labels have specific sensory characteristics. According to EU regulations, product characteristics (including the sensory description) must be defined in the PDO technical specification and should be verified for their compliance. There exist internationally harmonized quantitative descriptive sensory methods applied to products such as virgin olive oil, with well-defined attributes described in the method itself. Currently, in the case of wine, there is no harmonized international sensory descriptive method that allows comparison of results between different PDOs or laboratories. In this work, a qualitative and quantitative olfactory profile for a broad variety of wines (11 PDO and 37 wine types) and their corresponding reference standards are proposed. The sensory profile obtained can be used both to verify compliance with the technical specifications of the product and to categorize wines by type or region, thus becoming a powerful tool for the wine sector.

Consumer Expectation and Perception of Farmed Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Fed with Insect Meal (Tenebrio molitor).

In recent years, insect meal has attracted increasing interest as an innovative protein source to replace fish meal in feed formulations due to its valuable nutritional profile. This research aimed to compare the effects of different levels of dietary inclusion of the yellow mealworm beetle (T. molitor) larvae meal on the sensory quality of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets and retrospectively on the acceptability of this protein source to consumers. The results showed that the inclusion of T. molitor larvae meal did not induce sensory changes in the trout fillets, while regarding consumer acceptability and willingness to buy and pay, it was shown that a certain level of rejection towards this alternative protein still exists. The work described in this scientific manuscript adds more knowledge on the study of consumer acceptability of this protein source.

Development of a Descriptive Profile and References for the Assessment of Taste and Mouthfeel Descriptors of Protected Designation of Origin Wines.

Producers of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wines must submit to the EU authorities' technical specifications that include the specific sensory description of each product typology, to be subsequently checked by the competent authority in each country. Unfortunately, there is no consensual and standardized approach for the development of sensory control methods for PDO wines. The aim of this work was to develop a sensory profile for the taste and mouthfeel descriptors that allows the characterization of wines from 11 existing PDOs in Catalonia (Spain), and with the purpose of advancing the process of harmonization of the official sensory analysis of wines. This paper includes the selection process of tasters, the procedure used for the definition and grouping of descriptors, and the development of references for the selected attributes. The use of this analytical tool should allow PDO/PGI product certification and control authorities to verify compliance with their specifications (descriptive and quantitative) based on objectively evaluated results.

Making Full Use of Qualitative Data to Generate New Fish Product Ideas through Co-Creation with Consumers: A Methodological Approach.

Co-creation is a process that directly involves different stakeholders in the idea generation phase of a new product development process. A pool of 112 new aquaculture fish product ideas was obtained by applying a combination of creative and projective techniques to the co-creation process with consumers in six focus groups conducted in three European countries (Germany, France, and Spain). The subjectivity of qualitative data analysis (e.g., focus groups) is one of its recognised disadvantages. To overcome this drawback, a combination of specialised software (i.e., Alceste), along with word frequency, co-occurrence, and context checking, was applied to provide a different approach to data analyses in qualitative studies. The method identified the most salient dimensions behind the participants' discourse (naturalness, quality, ethics, price, and health) and inferred the importance those dimensions had for them, thus proving the existence of a correlation of 0.7 between what the participants said (frequency of mention) and what they liked the most (importance). Overall, the exploratory approach proposed is deemed useful for drawing key conclusions from qualitative research, thus offering an alternative to traditional content analysis. In future, the results obtained may be useful for selecting the co-created ideas with the greatest potential to be well received in the market.

Use and Understanding of Nutrition Labels: Impact of Diet Attachment.

Food labels may have an important function in communicating nutrition information and have considerable potential to influence food choice and dietary behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate Spanish consumers' reasons for reading or not reading nutrition information, their nutrition knowledge, perception and understanding of nutrition label information, and the possible impact of following a diet on all these. A 74-item questionnaire was developed to assess nutrition knowledge, attitude toward food labels, reasons for never reading nutrition information, food choice, the perceived importance of nutrition facts, and label-reading behavior. The results indicated that dietary patterns, nutrition knowledge, and sociodemographic characteristics strongly influenced label use. Based on the participants' beliefs, four segments were identified for those who followed a diet and three segments for those who did not. Our study suggests that following a diet increases Spanish consumers' nutrition knowledge as well as their use of nutrition labels, although this cause-effect relationship could be reversed. Nonetheless, further studies would be necessary to clarify the causal direction.

Co-Creation with Consumers for Packaging Design Validated through Implicit and Explicit Methods: Exploratory Effect of Visual and Textual Attributes.

Packaging is no longer a mere structural element that only aims to preserve foods, but it is also a powerful marketing tool able to affect product perception, purchase decision and consumers' food choices. Incorporating consumers' voices into packaging design through co-creation could maximise its impact on the market. The main goal of this exploratory study was to test the usefulness of co-creation with consumers for packaging design. For that purpose, a survey with 200 Spanish participants was conducted to find out which of the presented visual and textual packaging attributes were the most appropriate. A validation study with 40 participants using implicit (eye tracker, galvanic skin response and automatic facial expression analysis) and explicit measurements was used to test the packaging co-created by consumers against some of its possible competitors in the market. The co-creation process with consumers allowed for the identification of the visual and textual attributes, among the available options, that best fit their preferences, whereas the validation process confirmed that the packaging design co-created by consumers was equally or even preferred over the competitors. The information gathered might help designers and marketers to guide the packaging design for fish products in the Spanish market.

Consumers' Expectations about Meat from Surgical Castrated or Immunocastrated Male and Female Iberian Pigs.

A common practice in Iberian pigs is the castration of both males and females, and it can be carried out surgically or by immunization against gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF). The aim of this work was to determine consumers' overall liking and expectations towards Iberian pork from five different sex types (castrated females, entire females, GnRF-vaccinated females, castrated males and GnRF-vaccinated males), as well as to know the attitudes and beliefs of consumers towards castration and immunocastration. Loins from 83 Iberian pigs were collected and evaluated by 252 consumers in Barcelona and Madrid. Consumers evaluated the five types of meat in three situations: blind condition (tasting the product), expectations (without tasting) and informed condition. Finally, attitudes and beliefs towards castration and immunocastration were also determined. Results distinguished three segments of consumers labeled as "Indifferent", "Against castration and immunocastration" and "Against immunocastration". Meat from castrated males had higher overall liking scores in the blind condition. Expectations towards pork depending on its sex type affect consumer-informed acceptability; thus, it is important to consider marketing strategies to avoid or direct the effect of the information provided on the acceptability of the pork.

Consumer Attitudes toward Consumption of Meat Products Containing Offal and Offal Extracts.

The development of food products containing offal and offal extracts could be part of the solution to the upcoming demand for animal protein. This study aimed to determine Spanish consumers' attitudes toward offal and the development of meat products containing offal extracts. Consumers' perceptions were evaluated by means of focus group discussions and a survey (N = 400) to validate the focus group results in various Spanish provinces. The theory of planned behavior was used to examine consumer attitudes. Results indicated that nutritional properties, environmental sustainability, and affordability were the main drivers, while sensory attributes, low frequency consumption, and perceived higher content of undesirable compounds were the main barriers. Three segments were identified according to their beliefs: those in favor of these products, those that were health and environmentally conscious, and those who were reluctant about them. The identification of these segments and their profiles demonstrated the necessity to focus efforts on providing reliable information on sensory and health-related issues to improve acceptability. Attitude was the most important predictor of behavioral intention regarding the global model, while the social component (subjective norm) was significant for two of the identified segments, emphasizing the relevance of the social component for acceptability.

A cross-cultural perspective on impact of health and nutrition claims, country-of-origin and eco-label on consumer choice of new aquaculture products.

Over the last decade, an increasing number of new value-added aquaculture products made their way onto the European market, as a response to growing demand for healthier diet, and more sustainable and locally produced protein sources. The importance of these drivers of consumer choice for aquaculture products' acceptance paves the way for a relevant reorientation of the European aquaculture industry towards a more consumer-centred approach. This research uses discrete choice experiments to examine the effect of health and nutrition claims, country-of-origin (COO), and eco-labels on consumer choice of new aquaculture products in a cross-cultural context. Three products with different preserving methods have been chosen for the study: fresh (chilled), canned, and smoked product. Results indicate that COO label "produced in own country" together with ASC eco-label function better than the health and nutrition claims as driver of choice. Results further point to the existence of different segments of "nutrition conscious", "ethnocentric", "price conscious", and "eco-conscious" consumers.

Sensory characterization, physico-chemical properties and somatic yields of five emerging fish species.

Aquaculture plays an important role in supplying the fresh fish. However its production is dominated by only few long-established species that in turn limit the variety of available products in the market. Therefore, new fish species need to be properly introduced to create a diversification in the current market. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to know, understand and characterize their quality features so they can be addressed to local and global markets. Sensory, compositional, instrumental texture parameters and somatic properties of five emerging fish species, namely wreckfish, greater amberjack, grey mullet, meagre, and pikeperch, were examined for characterization purposes. Sensory references were specifically developed for the training of the assessors, both from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. Twenty two sensory descriptors were used for describing the samples. Several differences were observed among the measured parameters. Somatic measures revealed the filleting yield to be the most important of them. Regarding the compositional parameters, fat content was among the most relevant discriminating aspect between species, while hardness was among the most differentiating ones when dealing with texture. Greater amberjack was described with sour flavor, pikeperch was associated to an earthy flavor and grey mullet was characterized by bitter flavor. Sensory firmness was clearly distinctive for wreckfish, while meagre related to juicy texture. The analysis of the relationship between all parameters provided important correlations, especially those related to texture parameters, fat content, laminar structure and teeth adherence. The species in this study exhibited a wide range of physicochemical and sensory characteristics that show their potential for being further exploited when designing new products.

Quality changes and shelf-life extension of ready-to-eat fish patties by adding encapsulated citric acid.

BACKGROUND: Citric acid is commonly used as a flavoring and preservative in food and beverages. The effect of adding citric acid directly or encapsulated (each at 1 and 2 g kg-1 ) on the quality and shelf-life of ready-to-eat sea bass patties was evaluated during storage at 4 °C in vacuum skin packaging. RESULTS: Microbial growth and total basic volatile nitrogen were maintained at relatively low levels up to 8 weeks of storage. With respect to oxidative stability, the addition of encapsulated citric acid minimized secondary oxidation values more efficiently than its direct addition, regardless of the concentration. This is in agreement with the decreased fishy odor observed in those patties containing encapsulated citric acid. Accordingly, sensory analysis showed that the addition of encapsulated citric acid at 1 g kg-1 resulted in lower scores in fish aroma compared to that of the control. Sourness is dependent on the amount of citric acid added, regardless of the form (direct or encapsulated). CONCLUSIONS: The form of citric acid addition, rather than the amount of citric acid added, caused changes in texture. Therefore, the use of encapsulated citric acid represents a suitable strategy that is of great interest in the seafood industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Consumer beliefs regarding farmed versus wild fish.

Aquaculture is a food-producing activity, alternative to traditional extractive fishing, which still acts as a reference for most consumers. The main objective of the present paper was to study which consumer beliefs, regarding farmed versus wild fish, hinder the potential development of the aquaculture sector. To achieve this purpose the study was organized into two complementary steps: a qualitative approach (focus groups) aimed at assessing consumer perception about wild and farmed fish and to identify the salient beliefs that differentiate them; and a quantitative approach (survey by means of a questionnaire) to validate the results obtained in the focus group discussions over a representative sample of participants (n = 919). Results showed that participants perceive clear differences between farmed and wild fish. Although no significant differences between both kinds of fish were detected on safety, in general farmed fish was perceived to be less affected by marine pollution, heavy metals and parasites. In the contrary, wild fish was considered to have healthier feeding, to contain fewer antibiotics and to be fresher, healthier, less handled and more natural. Beliefs related to quality were in favour of wild fish, while those related to availability and price were in favour of farmed fish. Significant differences were observed in the perception of both kinds of fish depending on the consumers' objective knowledge about fish, on the level of education, age and gender and on the three segments of consumers identified: "Traditional/Conservative", "Connoisseur", "Open to aquaculture". The results provided could play an important role when planning and designing efficient marketing strategies for promoting farmed fish by adapting the information provided to the perception of each segment of consumers identified by the present study.