Consumer Behavior Based on Food Source, Technology and Health Effect

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensory and Consumer Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 14207

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
Interests: sensory & consumer science; cross-cultural food acceptance; sustainable food consumption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Consumers’ food behavior is derived not only from the innate sensory quality of the food itself, but from many other factors. The values that consumers seek within food are not limited to satisfaction of physiological needs. Environmental sustainability, innovative food tech, cultural consonance, and health benefits are becoming increasingly critical motivators when it comes to food choice, and consumers’ demographical and psychographic characteristics influence their perception toward foods and the elements involved in its creation, affecting food behavior. An in-depth understanding of the relationships between consumer behavior and the ecological, technical, and health components that constitute the identity of food will provide a clear direction for innovative product development, and for strategic approaches that respond to consumers’ needs.

This Special Issue invites researchers that can contribute to the advancement of understanding consumer behavior in relation to food sources, technology and health effects.

Prof. Dr. Seo-Jin Chung
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • elements constituting food choice
  • sustainable eating practice
  • consumer’s attitude towards food innovation
  • consumer and health functionality
  • contextual appropriateness of foods

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1176 KiB  
Article
Exploring Causes and Potential Solutions for Food Waste among Young Consumers
by Jesper Clement, Gitana Alenčikienė, Inkeri Riipi, Ugnė Starkutė, Kornelija Čepytė, Agnė Buraitytė, Aelita Zabulionė and Alvija Šalaševičienė
Foods 2023, 12(13), 2570; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12132570 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6315
Abstract
Young consumers are often described as innovative and concerned about the environment. However, their practices sometimes are not strong enough, which are described as the attitude–behavior gap and are seen in significant amounts of food waste. The objective of this study is to [...] Read more.
Young consumers are often described as innovative and concerned about the environment. However, their practices sometimes are not strong enough, which are described as the attitude–behavior gap and are seen in significant amounts of food waste. The objective of this study is to focus on food waste among young consumers in high-income countries and to outline the main determinants of food waste generation. Qualitative data gathered from nine focus groups in Lithuania, Finland and Denmark (2021–2022) contribute to formulating potential intervention to decrease food waste behavior within this segment. The article provides a substantial literature review on food waste and discusses recommendations for possible interventions and further research to solve the attitude–behavior gap. The findings show four specific fields for potential solutions, related to (1) special occasions, (2) assessing food quality, (3) kitchen habits, and (4) shopping habits. Our contribution is discussed at the end of the article. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Behavior Based on Food Source, Technology and Health Effect)
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13 pages, 1258 KiB  
Article
Textural and Consumer-Aided Characterisation and Acceptability of a Hybrid Meat and Plant-Based Burger Patty
by Bjørn Petrat-Melin and Svend Dam
Foods 2023, 12(11), 2246; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12112246 - 1 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3333
Abstract
The hamburger has been targeted for substitution by numerous plant-based alternatives. However, many consumers find the taste of these alternatives lacking, and thus we proposed a hybrid meat and plant-based burger as a more acceptable alternative for these consumers. The burger was made [...] Read more.
The hamburger has been targeted for substitution by numerous plant-based alternatives. However, many consumers find the taste of these alternatives lacking, and thus we proposed a hybrid meat and plant-based burger as a more acceptable alternative for these consumers. The burger was made from 50% meat (beef and pork, 4:1) and 50% plant-based ingredients, including texturised legume protein. Texture and sensory properties were evaluated instrumentally and through a consumer survey (n = 381) using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Expressible moisture measurements indicated a significantly juicier eating experience for the hybrid compared to a beef burger (33.5% vs. 22.3%), which was supported by the CATA survey where “juicy” was used more to describe the hybrid than the beef burger (53% vs. 12%). Texture profile analysis showed the hybrid burger was significantly softer (Young’s modulus: 332 ± 34 vs. 679 ± 80 kPa) and less cohesive than a beef burger (Ratio 0.48 ± 0.02 vs. 0.58 ± 0.01). Despite having different textural and CATA profiles, overall liking of the hybrid burger and a beef burger were not significantly different. Penalty analysis indicated that “meat flavour”, “juiciness”, “spiciness” and “saltiness” were the most important attributes for a burger. In conclusion, the hybrid burger had different attributes and was described with different CATA terms than a beef burger but had the same overall acceptability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Behavior Based on Food Source, Technology and Health Effect)
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10 pages, 1186 KiB  
Communication
Comparison of Sensory Profiling by Descriptive Analysis, Free-Choice Profiling, and Polarized Sensory Positioning on Bottled Water
by JeongAe Heo, Sang Sook Kim, Mi-Ran Kim and Han Sub Kwak
Foods 2023, 12(8), 1579; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12081579 - 7 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
Consumer-oriented rapid profiling methodologies, including free-choice profiling (FCP) and polarized sensory positioning (PSP), have been studied in recent decades, highlighting alternative aspects of conventional descriptive analysis (DA). In the present study, water samples were evaluated using DA, FCP, and PSP with open-ended questions [...] Read more.
Consumer-oriented rapid profiling methodologies, including free-choice profiling (FCP) and polarized sensory positioning (PSP), have been studied in recent decades, highlighting alternative aspects of conventional descriptive analysis (DA). In the present study, water samples were evaluated using DA, FCP, and PSP with open-ended questions to compare the sensory profiles. Ten bottled water samples and one filtered water sample were evaluated by a trained panel for DA (n = 11), a semi-trained panel for FCP (n = 16), and naïve consumers for PSP (n = 63). The results were analyzed using principal component analysis for DA and multiple factor analysis for FCP and PSP data. The water samples were discriminated by their total mineral content, which was mainly associated with heavy mouthfeel. The overall discrimination patterns for the samples were similar between FCP and PSP, whereas DA showed different patterns. Sample discrimination through confidence ellipses from DA, FCP, and PSP showed that two consumer-oriented methodologies distinguished samples more clearly than DA. Throughout this study, consumer-oriented profiling methodologies were able to be used to investigate sensory profiles and provide rich information on consumer-derived sensory attributes even for subtly different samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Behavior Based on Food Source, Technology and Health Effect)
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18 pages, 3154 KiB  
Article
Effects of Test Location and Sample Number on the Liking Ratings of Almond Beverage and Vegan Ramen Products
by Jae-Yeon Yoon, Han-Sub Kwak, Mi-Ran Kim and Seo-Jin Chung
Foods 2023, 12(3), 632; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12030632 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1510
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of the evaluation environment and sample number on liking ratings within the same testing session. It comprised two experiments that determined consumer taste ratings of the following food products: (1) almond beverage and (2) vegan ramen, as [...] Read more.
The present study investigated the effects of the evaluation environment and sample number on liking ratings within the same testing session. It comprised two experiments that determined consumer taste ratings of the following food products: (1) almond beverage and (2) vegan ramen, as rated by 322 and 287 Korean consumers, respectively. Consumers tasted each food product under either laboratory or home-used test conditions. Additionally, three levels of sample numbers were established for evaluation (almond beverage test: 1, 2, and 4; vegan ramen test: 1, 3, and 5) in each test condition. A target sample was selected for each of the two food products to directly ascertain the effects of the evaluation environment and sample number on the liking ratings. The results revealed that during the same evaluation session, the sample number affected the liking ratings of the target sample more than the testing location. Moreover, the sample number effect was product item dependent, that is, no significant change was noted in the liking ratings of the target almond beverage sample according to sample number, whereas significant differences were observed in the liking ratings of the target vegan ramen sample. Furthermore, the sample number effect was more prominent under laboratory test conditions than under home-used test conditions probably due to the serving order effect driven by hedonic contrast, carry over effect, and sensory specific satiety. The findings demonstrate that home-used tests should be recommended over laboratory tests when measuring the liking of a small number of multiple sample food items with high flavor complexity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Behavior Based on Food Source, Technology and Health Effect)
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