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A review of visual cues associated with food acceptance and consumption
Abstract
Several sensory cues affect food intake including appearance, taste, odor, texture, temperature, and flavor. Although taste is an important factor regulating food intake, in most cases, the first sensory contact with food is through the eyes. Few studies have examined the effects of the appearance of a food portion on food acceptance and consumption. The purpose of this review is to identify the various visual factors associated with food such as proximity, visibility, color, variety, portion size, height, shape, number, volume, and the surface area and their effects on food acceptance and consumption. We suggest some ways that visual cues can be used to increase fruit and vegetable intake in children and decrease excessive food intake in adults. In addition, we discuss the need for future studies that can further establish the relationship between several unexplored visual dimensions of food (specifically shape, number, size, and surface area) and food intake.
... The decision to purchase a particular food item is strongly influenced by its appearance [1][2][3]. One such quality is food colour, which may be interpreted as an indicator of flavour, freshness, maturity or wholesomeness, and its intensity may also affect taste perception [2,4,5]. ...
... The decision to purchase a particular food item is strongly influenced by its appearance [1][2][3]. One such quality is food colour, which may be interpreted as an indicator of flavour, freshness, maturity or wholesomeness, and its intensity may also affect taste perception [2,4,5]. Therefore, food manufacturers often employ additives to improve the colour of their products and make them more attractive to consumers. ...
... Two such analyses were carried out, the first including all processed meat products analysed in the study and the second including only sausages, as this group presented the highest frequency of dyes. In the all-products model, the dependent variable was the presence of a dye in the product, marked as 1, and the lack of a dye, marked as 0. The explanatory variables were product features that were obtained from the information on the labels, including (1) food technology groups (divided into five main groups: meat preparations, smoked meats, sausages, offal meat and other meat products); (2) water as an ingredient (two categories: lack and presence of water); (3) flavours (two categories: lack and presence of flavours); and (4) covariates: protein (g/100 g of product), carbohydrates (g/100 g of product) and fat (g/100 g of product). ...
Manufacturers are obliged to label processed meat products with information concerning the additives used and nutritional values. The aim of the study was to identify the dyes most frequently used in processed meat, evaluate their influence on specific food qualities, assess whether their use was correct and review their effect on health. The analysis was based on information on the labels and images of processed meat, and used a generalised linear model with a binary dependent variable. The risks and benefits for human health were defined based on the available literature. Twelve dyes were found to be used in the manufacture of processed meat. Carmine was found in 183 of 273 (67.03%) evaluated assortments containing dyes. The occurrence of water, flavourings and high fat and carbohydrate contents increased the chances that a dye would be present in a particular product. Unauthorised use of food additives was found in 20 products, with smoked meat products demonstrating the highest number of non-compliances. In general, the dyes used with food are considered safe; however, reservations are associated with the use of E150C and E150D caramels due to their potential carcinogenic effect, and carmine and annatto due to their allergic effects.
... For example, children with 43 ASD reported that they could not eat strawberries because the aggregates on the surface 44 were too much for their eyes (Heart-net, 2019). In general, eating behavior is influenced not 45 only by olfactory and gustatory information but also by visual information (Blechert et al.,46 2016; Kokaji & Nakatani, 2021;Spence et al., 2022;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). In 47 the case of strawberries, the introspective reporter may have been more stressed by visually 48 related features than by smell or taste. ...
... Food neophobia has been suggested to be related to picky eating (N. C. Cole et al.,65 2017) and visual function (Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). Food neophobia is the most 66 prevalent of a variety of eating behavior problems in individuals with ASD (Kuschner 67 et al., 2015;Williams et al., 2000). ...
... This situation is possibly linked to wide (and most likely mutual) dissemination of photos and videos related to food. As a result, the ubiquity of food messages now extends beyond mainstream media (cookbooks, magazines, and television) to online social platforms such as the blogs, websites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (Wadhera et al. 2014). ...
... Research suggests external cues have a significant influence on food consumption behaviour in adults (Wadhera et al. 2014). Additionally, a classic study indicates that the exposure to the sensory properties of palatable foods (including their visual properties) has increased the subjective desire for and consumption of food in spite of being fully satiated to begin with (Cornell et al. 1989). ...
Understanding the influence of social network sites (SNS) on food preoccupation is important to understanding the reasons behind the obesity epidemic and other food-related issues, such as food addiction and eating disorders, especially among university students. We documented the adaptation process and established the validity and reliability of the Social Network Sites Food Preoccupation Scale Malay Version among 100 students at a private university in Malaysia. Principal components analysis suggests the items in the inventory fall into a two-factor solution, consisting of an active (i.e., actively sharing and creating content) and a passive aspect (i.e., passively consuming content) of SNS food preoccupation. The scale demonstrates good convergent validity against the Malay Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, with an acceptable internal consistency and reliability overall (α = 0.886), in the Active subscale (α = 0.920), but were low in the Passive subscale (α = 0.653). The adapted Social Network Sites Food Preoccupation Scale (Malay Version) is deemed valid for usage among university students in Malaysia but requires further testing of its internal consistency.
Keywords: Social media network, food preoccupation, reliability, validity, cross-cultural validation, Malaysia, university students
... Regarding either color, form, taste, flavor or their crossmodal correspondences (for a literature overview see Piqueras-Fiszman et al., 2012;Piqueras-Fiszman and Spence 2014;Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips 2014;Prescott 2015;Spence 2015;Velasco et al., 2016;Spence and Youssef 2019;Cifci et al., 2021;Spence and Levitan 2021) six food samples were assessed during the sessions. The food samples were created out of curiosity by our chef to try new variations outside of his restaurant: (1) different salt notes, (2) teas with different degrees of bitterness, (3) a naturally glutamate-rich shiitake risotto, (4) desserts with different fat contents, (5) cocktails with varying acids, and (6) sweet identical drops in different forms. ...
... As regards limitations, the focus of this evening was our culinary concept: offering our participants a tasting journey based on scientific literature with several food samples created by our cook. Therefore, the following limitations need to be addressed: Having in mind that behavior can be influenced by physical surroundings we kept contextual factors such as plate size, plate color, or lighting constant during all sessions (Oberfeld et al., 2009;Piqueras-Fiszman et al., 2012;Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips 2014;Spence et al., 2014;Spence 2015). However, the occurrence of sequence effects (Dean 1980) could have been a possibility. ...
... Duyusal analizde amaç, gıdaların işitme duyuları olan görme, koku, tat, dokunma tarafından algılanmasıyla ne gibi tepkilerin oluşacağını ortaya çıkarmaktır (Piggott, Simpson & Williams, 1998, s.8 Yiyecek ürünlerinin görsel değerlendirilmeleri üzerine daha geniş kapsamda bilimsel çalışmanın gerekliliğine vurgu yapılmaktadır (Hutchings, 1977: s.277). Ayrıca, görselliğin yanında sesin de dahil edildiği ve lezzet algısına olan etkilerine ilişkin çokça araştırma yapılmış ve hem görselliğin hem de sesin gıdaların kabul edilmesine lezzet algısına ve isteğinin artmasına (Kawai, Guo, & Nakata, 2021) etki ettiğine dair (Wadhera, & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Okajima, & Spence, 2011;Biswas, Labrecque & Lehmann, 2021) bulgulara rastlanılmıştır. Hatta, yiyeceklerin görsellerini ışık gibi uyarıcılarla manipüle ederek lezzet algısını artıcı etkilerin varlığını tespit eden çalışmaların varlığı da literatürde göze çarpmaktadır (Ueda, Spence & Okajima, K., 2020). ...
... (Hutchings, 1977: p.277). In the following processes, a lot of research has been done on the effects of visual as well as sound on the perception of taste, and it has been stated that both visuality and sound affect the acceptance of foods, perception of taste and increase in taste (Kawai, Guo & Nakata, 2021;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Okajima & Spence, 2011;Biswas, Labrecque & Lehmann, 2021) were found. In fact, there are studies in the literature that detect the existence of flavor-enhancing effects by manipulating the visuals of foods with stimulants such as light. ...
Bu çalışmada Anadolu’nun unutulmak üzere olan yemeklerinin geliştirilmesine yönelik algısal haritalar kullanılarak orijinal reçeteler ile ders süresince önceden kararlaştırılmış farklı reçetelerin karşılaştırması yer almaktadır. Çalışmaya katılan öğrencilerin güncel tat algıları da gözetilerek oluşturulan alternatif reçetelerin toplum tarafından benimsenip benimsenemeyeceği sorgulanmaktadır. Değerlendirme sürecinde farklı gruplara aynı malzemelerin kullanılması kaydıyla, ürünün hem alternatif reçetesi hem de orijinal reçetesi yaptırılmıştır. Eğitim düzeyleri yeterli olduğu düşünülen Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Uygulamalı Bilimler Yüksekokulu ikinci sınıf öğrencileri panelistler olarak belirlenmiştir. Araştırma için kullanılan reçeteler ile ürünlerin duyusal analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Analizi gerçekleştirilen ürünlerin algısal haritaları karşılaştırmalı olarak araştırma bulgularına eklenmiş ve farklılıklar çıkarım, öneri ve değerlendirme yoluyla bulgulara eklenmiştir. Ürün geliştirme dersi kapsamında gerçekleştirilen çalışma Anadolu yemeklerinin geliştirilebilir potansiyelde olduğunu göstermiştir. Yemeklerin kültürleri yayma, ekonomik katkı ve tanıtma (Özdemir, 2012) özellikleri de düşünüldüğünde söz konusu potansiyelin daha yaygın bir biçimde değerlendirilmesinin önem arz ettiği düşünülmektedir. Araştırmanın amaçlarından bir tanesi de ders kapsamının uygulama yapılarak öğrencilerin konuları daha iyi kavrayabilmeleri sağlanmaya çalışılmıştır.
... Research on consumer perceptions about food indicates that vision is a crucial element of the food experience process. Studies in the literature show that the sense of vision is especially important in food acceptance (Imram, 1999;Cardello, 1996: 4;Imram, 1999;Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Jang and Kim, 2015;Melovic et al., 2020;Hoppu et al., 2020;Ueda et al., 2020). The presentation of food and how it is visually perceived are highly important factors in understanding the role of the sense of vision in the food perception process (Cornell et al., 1989). ...
... The presentation of food and how it is visually perceived are highly important factors in understanding the role of the sense of vision in the food perception process (Cornell et al., 1989). Preferring a food, creating a sense of willingness about a food (Ueda et al., 2020), deciding on the acceptability or touchableness of a food (Hoppu et al., 2020), having a mental process about the quality of food (White et al., 2020), and decreasing neophobia about food (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips, 2014) are all related to the process of seeing, and thus perceiving food. ...
This study focuses on analyzing the impact of creating modernist visual presentations of national foods on international acceptability. In this context, a classical Turkish menu including an entrée, savory appetizer, main course, side dish, and dessert is prepared and presented. Classical presentations have been created using tools found in Turkish cuisine. Modernist presentations are created in the style of Nouvelle cuisine. These courses are prepared and sent to the European consumers, a significant tourist group for Turkey's touristic demand. The data is obtained from a total of 82 participants from 19 different European countries using comparative test techniques and hedonic scales. When the data is analyzed, it is seen that modernist presentations are preferred in all courses. The scores of appreciations in modernist presentations are higher than that of the traditional versions. Based on these findings, it is found that preparing modernist presentations in line with the target market habits have a positive impact on the acceptance of traditional foods. The findings may be important in terms of making sense of the food consumption preferences of European visitors and increasing the extra benefit.
... Eine Metaanalyse von Interventionsstudien berichtete zudem von einem höheren Konsum, wenn Eltern ein bestimmtes Gemüse wiederholt einzeln anboten [132]. Eltern sollten neue Lebensmittel auch anbieten, wenn das Kind diese nicht probieren möchte; die wiederholte visuelle Exposition kann die Bereitschaft zum Probieren erhöhen [130,203]. ...
... Eltern wecken die Neugier des Kindes, wenn sie Speisen abwechslungsreich, appetitlich und kindgerecht (z. B. hinsichtlich Textur und Größe der Lebensmittelstücke) anrichten und selbst genussvoll mitessen [130,203]. Studien zum Lernen durch Beobachtung zeigen, dass Kleinkinder ab dem zweiten Lebensjahr auf das achten, was Eltern, Gleichaltrige und andere Bezugspersonen essen, und dass sie eher bereit sind, diese Lebensmittel ebenfalls zu probieren und zu essen [130]. ...
BackgroundA balanced, age-appropriate, sustainable diet, and plenty of physical activity contribute to a healthy development and well-being of young children. An early adaptation of appropriate behavior can positively influence later behavior and thus improve health in the short, medium and long term. The recommendations for action on nutrition and physical activity in young children have been updated and are intended to provide professionals with a reliable basis for counselling of families with young children.Methods
Current systematic reviews, meta-analyses, guidelines, and other relevant articles on the topics of nutrition and physical activity in young children (aged 1–3 years), were reviewed by representatives of the professional societies and institutions of the network. They evaluated the scientific evidence and updated the existing recommendations or formulated recommendations for action on some issues for the first time. Sustainability aspects were also taken into account. The process was coordinated by the Healthy Start—Young Family Network.RecommendationsSmall children should have regular mealtimes. They should participate in family meals and eat with other family members as often as possible. Attention to the child’s hunger and satiety signals (responsive feeding) contributes to the development of healthy eating habits. Food should not be used as a reward or punishment. The recommended infant diet includes plenty of plant foods and moderate amounts of animal foods. A vegetarian diet must be carefully matched to the child’s nutritional needs. Young children should be physically active as much as possible, especially outside and in a variety of ways. Parents should support physical activity. Screen devices are not recommended for young children. Parents should provide the child with opportunities for regular rest and sleep. Professionals and families should explore together ways to implement these recommendations in everyday family life.
... Tüketime hazır olan yiyeceğin görüntüsü, o yiyecek hakkında birçok bilgi vermektedir. "İlk tat gözle alınır" (Zellner vd., 2014) ifadesinden de anlaşılacağı üzere, görsel duyu tüketilecek yiyecek hakkında önemli bir karar unsurudur (Cardello, 1996;Imram, 1999;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Jang & Kim, 2015;Melović vd., 2020). ...
... Söz konusu düzenlemeler de yiyeceğin tercih edilmesini sağlar (Cornell vd., 1989). Bir yiyeceğin tercihine veya kabulüne etki eden görsel duyu ile ilgili süreç, yiyeceğe karşı yeme isteği uyandırılması (Ueda, Spence & Okajima, 2020), yiyeceğin kabul edilebilirliğine veya tüketilebilirliğine karar vermek, yiyeceğin kalitesi hakkında zihinsel bir süreç işletmek ve yiyeceğe ilişkin neofobiyi azaltmak (Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014) aşamalarını içerir. Yiyeceğe yönelik görsel değerlendirmenin çok boyutlu süreci içerisinde ön plana çıkan kriterler, yemeğin tazeliği, lezzeti, rengi, dokusu, yoğunluğu, boyutu ve şekli (Arce-Lopera vd., 2015; Motoki vd., 2020;Ueda vd., 2020;Cardello, 1996;Szczesniak, 2002) vb. ...
The gastronomy sector has witnessed significant changes since the emergence of the first restaurants aiming to meet the physical needs by providing food and beverage services. The changes and developments experienced have resulted in restaurants gaining importance as places that meet the social needs of consumers from all classes as well as their physical needs (Maviş, 2005; Morgan, 2006). The importance of plate presentation, which expresses the visual dimension of the food served for out-of-home consumption, has also increased with the new culinary trend reaching a scope that shapes the gastronomy sector (Lane, 2011). Emphasizing the importance of visuality in modern gastronomy, eating and drinking, along with other practices in daily life, is increasingly associated with aesthetic
approaches (Miele & Murdoch, 2015). The presentation of a food includes an arrangement for exposing that food to the visual sense. These regulations also ensure that food is preferred (Cornell et al., 1989). In this context, in this study şırdan, which is generally accepted as a bad-looking dish in Turkish society, is discussed. An application was carried out that aims to reveal the effects of visual manipulative arrangements on şırdan and the change in the acceptance situation in the society. Within the scope of the study, 5 modern şırdan presentations were created. Each presentation is photographed at right angles on the same white plate and red background. After the traditional presentation of şırdan was shown to the participants, “Do you know şırdan?” question was posed. Then, “Do you eat şırdan?” were asked to answer the question. The participants in the study sample answered the question “Do you eat şırdan?” were determined as those who answered “no” to the question. Then, 5 presentations photographed within the scope of the research were projected onto the screen in order, and the participants were asked to score between 1 (I didn't like it
too much) and 9 (I liked it too much) according to the parameters of color, shape, visual texture and general presentation (composition). As a result of the data obtained, it can be stated that the reasons such as the presentation of the traditional stuffed şırdan as a whole, the visual texture and the taste that the participants stated in the other option, the dislike of offal, the absence of the product in the region they live in, or the fact that it is made from the stomach of an animal have a negative impact on the decision to consume şırdan.
In the color, shape, visual texture and general presentation (composition) scoring of the 5 presentations prepared within the scope of the research, the most liked plate presentation was 2 for each parameter. It is thought that the elements such as the composition, presentation of the şırdan horizontally so that the inner rice is visible, the use of vivid colors in the sauces, the round form of the sauces and the stuffing, affect the views of the participants positively and make it the most popular dish. As a result of the research, the dish presentation 3 was not liked, remaining below 5 points in all parameter values. Elements such as the pastel colors used in presentation 3, the asymmetrical and aesthetic distribution of the sauces on the plate, the color harmonies created by the edible flowers could not manipulate the effect of presenting the dish as a whole. When we look at the shapes of şırdan in the presentations, the fact that all compositions except presentation 3 have a value above 5 proves the predicted thesis about the negative effect of presenting şırdan as a whole. When the average scores of the parameters between the presentations were compared, it was concluded that the vivid colors should be positioned to soften the color of the filling and the color variety used in the plate should be more. In addition, it has been determined that the şırdan is cut and presented, making the dish accepted by the participants. In addition, it has been observed that the features such as the presence
of sauces and spices on the plate and the fact that the only focal note of the plate is not şırdan have an effect on increasing the appreciation score in the parameters measured in the presentation. Considering the presentations 2 and 4, which have the highest scores in the visual texture parameter, the use of sauces in a round form and sections from the şırdan draw attention as common features. Based on this data, it is seen that the round form touch gives positive results in the presentation of şırdan. In the general presentation parameter,
it has been determined that the elements such as taking sections from the şırdan, using edible flowers and filling the empty spaces on the plate with spices or sauces, giving color and texture to the plate, positively affect the taste of the plate. The data obtained in the study showed positive results that the view of a dish that can be termed as bad-looking
can be changed with a few presentation techniques. The results of the study are considered valuable in terms of emphasizing the severity of the effect of visuality on taste perception and consumption motivation. Similar researches should be done on different dishes and products and alternative presentation suggestions should be developed. Developed presentations should be presented to the consumer's taste, especially in Turkish cuisine restaurants visited by large numbers of local and foreign tourists. Dishes that are exposed to visual prejudices throughout the society should be promoted by sharing them in TV programs, publication channels such as magazines and newspapers, social media accounts in the field of gastronomy, and various gastronomy festivals, and people should be provided with the opportunity to experience different tastes. The results obtained are considered important in terms of developing a solution proposal for the preservation, transfer to future generations and promotion of dishes such as şırdan and similar, which are a valuable part of Turkish culture. Adoption of a food is related to people's belonging to food culture elements. Societies that aim to come to the fore in the field of gastronomy should promote and keep their local dishes alive in the national and then international arenas before condemning them to the limits of cultural consumption of small masses without exposing them to various labels.
... Tüketime hazır olan yiyeceğin görüntüsü, o yiyecek hakkında birçok bilgi vermektedir. "İlk tat gözle alınır" (Zellner vd., 2014) ifadesinden de anlaşılacağı üzere, görsel duyu tüketilecek yiyecek hakkında önemli bir karar unsurudur (Cardello, 1996;Imram, 1999;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Jang & Kim, 2015;Melović vd., 2020). ...
... Söz konusu düzenlemeler de yiyeceğin tercih edilmesini sağlar (Cornell vd., 1989). Bir yiyeceğin tercihine veya kabulüne etki eden görsel duyu ile ilgili süreç, yiyeceğe karşı yeme isteği uyandırılması (Ueda, Spence & Okajima, 2020), yiyeceğin kabul edilebilirliğine veya tüketilebilirliğine karar vermek, yiyeceğin kalitesi hakkında zihinsel bir süreç işletmek ve yiyeceğe ilişkin neofobiyi azaltmak (Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014) aşamalarını içerir. Yiyeceğe yönelik görsel değerlendirmenin çok boyutlu süreci içerisinde ön plana çıkan kriterler, yemeğin tazeliği, lezzeti, rengi, dokusu, yoğunluğu, boyutu ve şekli (Arce-Lopera vd., 2015; Motoki vd., 2020;Ueda vd., 2020;Cardello, 1996;Szczesniak, 2002) vb. ...
Bu çalışma, görünümü sebebiyle tüketimi tercih edilmeyen yemeklerin estetik değeri bulunan sunumlar yoluyla kabulünün artırılmasını ele almaktadır. Bu kapsamda kötü görünümlü yemekleri temsilen şırdan dolması, yenilikçi sunum teknikleri kullanılarak 5 farklı şekilde sunulmuştur. Sunumların değerlendirilmesi amacıyla hazırlanan anket formu, Türk tüketicilere çevrimiçi olarak iletilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında hazırlanan 5 sunum özelinde renk, görsel doku, şekil ve genel sunum (komposizyon) parametreleri belirlenerek beğeni testi uygulanmıştır. Şırdan dolmasını görsel özelliklerinden dolayı tüketmek istemediğini ifade eden 215 katılımcıdan elde edilen veriler sonucunda, şırdan dolmasının bütün halde sunulmasının beğeni puanını olumsuz etkilediği ve şırdandan alınan kesitlerin yatay sunumunun tüm parametreler bazında daha fazla beğeni puanı aldığı tespit edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra şırdan dolmasına yönelik en fazla beğeni toplayan tabakların sunumları incelendiğinde, renk çeşitliliği ve canlı renk kullanımı, sos veya baharat kullanımı, şırdan dolması miktarı, tabak doluluk oranı ve tabağın odak noktasının şırdan dolması olmaması gibi unsurların etkili olduğu dikkat çekmiştir. Araştırma bulgularından hareketle, şırdan dolması ve temsil ettiği yiyeceklerin yenilikçi sunum teknikleriyle tüketici nezdinde kabul görme oranının artırılabileceğine ve görsel manipülasyonun tüketici tercihlerinde sahip olduğu etkiye yönelik önemli sonuçlara ulaşılmıştır.
... Despite this, there is a general gap in integrative research in this field because of the inherent difficulties in measuring these parameters simultaneously and in real time. Behavioral and physiological measures tend to interact, and the extent to which this occurs may vary across individuals (Allison & Baskin, 2009) (Crum et al., 2011;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). This means that combining and synchronizing visual attention parameters, meal micro-structure, and hormonal responses can be complex, however, this step is essential in order to relate behavioral, cognitive, and physiological responses to food interventions in real time. ...
... Knowledge gaps remain, particularly around the cognitive processes involved in long-term (6 months and beyond) portion control and how the effects differ across gender and with body weight. Previous studies suggest that visual cues from food and food containers are able to elicit both physiological and cognitive processes that eventually modulate intake (Almiron-Roig, Forde, et al., 2019a;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014) (Wansink & van Ittersum, 2003). Within this context, the design of tableware has been shown to be a potentially effective strategy to modulate intake by aiding portion control. ...
To fully understand the causes and mechanisms involved in overeating and obesity, measures of both cognitive and physiological determinants of eating behavior need to be integrated. Effectively synchronizing behavioral measures such as meal micro-structure (e.g., eating speed), cognitive processing of sensory stimuli, and metabolic parameters, can be complex. However, this step is central to understanding the impact of food interventions on body weight. In this paper, we provide an overview of the existing gaps in eating behavior research and describe the development and validation of a new methodological platform to address some of these issues. As part of a controlled trial, 76 men and women self-served and consumed food from a buffet, using a portion-control plate with visual stimuli for appropriate amounts of main food groups, or a conventional plate, on two different days, in a random order. In both sessions participants completed behavioral and cognitive tests using a novel methodological platform that measured gaze movement (as a proxy for visual attention), eating rate and bite size, memory for portion sizes, subjective appetite and portion-size perceptions. In a sub-sample of women, hormonal secretion in response to the meal was also measured. The novel platform showed a significant improvement in meal micro-structure measures from published data (13 vs. 33% failure rate) and high comparability between an automated gaze mapping protocol vs. manual coding for eye-tracking studies involving an eating test (ICC between methods 0.85; 90% CI 0.74, 0.92). This trial was registered at Clinical Trials.gov with Identifier NCT03610776.
... Although appearances play a pivotal role in decision-making, studies highlight a societal bias toward visually appealing produce, which can, potentially hindering sustainable consumption practices (Helmert et al., 2017;de Hooge et al., 2018). Beneath this surface-level obsession lies a complex reality: the relentless pursuit of cosmetic perfection in agriculture has led to industrial practices that often overlook nature's inherent diversity and the subtleties of ecological balance (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). Employing advanced breeding technologies and heavily relying on toxic chemicals, the industrial agricultural complex has sculpted our food to meet superficial standards, often at the expense of sustainability, health, and the environment. ...
... Christmas dinner is all about reuniting the family, food celebration, and the way the house, room, and table look, smells, and attracts everyone around it. Considering that appearance, taste, odor, texture, temperature, and flavor, along with taste, all impact the amount of food intake, Wadhera Devina and Calapdi-Phillips Elizabeth propose a review that identifies various visual factors associated with food, such as proximity, visibility, color, variety, portion, size height, shape number, volume and the surface area that affect foot acceptance and consumption [89]. The authors used the combination of dietary intake and visual cue keywords to generate scientific, peer-reviewed articles from prestigious databases, such as Medline, Nutrition, PsychINFO, and marketing databases and included both children and adults. ...
(1) Background: There has been a growing interest in understanding the causes of obesity and developing effective prevention strategies. Lifestyle change programs are often considered the gold standard for weight reduction, and they can help individuals with obesity achieve an annual weight loss of around 8–10%. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of food during the winter holidays. This knowledge will serve as a valuable foundation for the development of targeted interventions and prevention programs. (2) Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature via one database (PubMed). The search was limited to studies published in English in the last 10 years, with adult participants, but without specifying limits regarding the study design. We excluded articles that addressed intermittent fasting diets or weight loss intervention methods during the holidays through various diets. (3) In separate sections, we analyzed the psychological causes of gaining weight during the winter holidays, behavioral patterns, prevention strategies and the nutritional composition of the different types of food served during the festive period. Results: Using the combination of the terms “holiday and obesity”, “holiday and weight gain”, “festive season and obesity”, and “festive season and weight gain” we obtained 216 results involving the addressed topic. Thus, only ten articles remained after screening, with a total of 4627 participants. Most participants experienced weight fluctuations during the study period, particularly during holidays. One concerning observation was that most of the weight gained during these periods was maintained even after the end of the studies, especially in those with obesity. A supervised exercise program and a controlled diet at work over the Christmas period are effective strategies for avoiding weight gain and its deleterious effects in people with metabolic syndrome or weight problems. (4) In addition, attention must be focused on the psycho-social factors during the holidays because for some people it is a stressful period and can cause a much higher caloric consumption. The simplest method to approach during the holidays is to implement small tips and tricks during this period that will prevent individuals from gaining extra pounds. Conclusions: It is essential to acknowledge that obesity is a multifaceted condition that requires a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to address its underlying factors and provide ongoing assistance to individuals in their weight-management endeavors. Even the most effective short-term interventions are likely to produce continued positive outcomes with persistent intervention and support.
... Food shaping has the potential to improve the appeal of food for older adults with swallowing difficulties [1], and such enhancement can increase its consumption [2]. Encouraging the consumption of food is particularly important in residential aged care settings, where it has been estimated that up to 50% of residents are malnourished [3,4]. ...
Objective: Food-shaping methods, particularly for texture-modified foods, present numerous opportunities to improve the visual appeal of food and potentially the nutrition of older people with dysphagia (swallowing difficulty). This review appraises and synthesizes the evidence on the use of food-shaping methods to enhance nutrition in older adults with swallowing difficulties.
Methods: In August 2022, five electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched for original research related to the intersection of nutrition, food shaping, and older adults with swallowing difficulties. Characteristics of included studies were described and data from results and findings extracted for analysis across studies.
Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria and encompassed a variety of settings, including aged care settings (n = 15) and food science laboratories (n = 3). Qualitative and quantitative findings demonstrated a variety of impacts of food shaping for the older adult with swallowing difficulty, including enhanced nutrition and wellbeing. The content themes identified across studies were: links between food shaping and nutrition, shaping food for individual choice, food shaping for enjoyment, a combination of supporting factors, collaborative inter-disciplinary teams and roles, and implementation aligns with local contexts.
Conclusion: With recent growth in research on food shaping, the body of studies reviewed identified an influence of food-shaping methods on the nutritional status of older adults with swallowing difficulties. Given the identified potential benefit of food shaping and attention to the visual appeal of food for older people, further research examining links between food shaping and nutrition are warranted.
... Thereby, the popular adage "you eat with your eyes" (Hurling and Shepherd, 2003;Delwiche, 2012;Spence et al., 2016). Several studies have been conducted to show that visual cues prompt flavor or satiation expectations for our food (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips, 2014;Spence, 2015) The presentation of a dish on a plate, the cutlery used (Wansink et al., 2005), or even the packaging (Spence, 2018) influence the appeal of a given food, our behavior towards the food and even how satiated the food can make us feel. Visual food cues constitute a primary sensory input that allows predictions about the edibility and palatability of a food object (Blechert et al., 2014). ...
In this paper, we explore the current technical possibilities of eating in virtual reality (VR) and show how this could be used to influence eating behaviors. Cue-based exposure therapy is a well-known method used to treat eating disorders. There are several benefits to using VR in combination with cue-based therapy. However, before VR-based cue-exposure can be used for therapeutic purposes, the ability of the VR environment to elicit craving responses in participants must be assessed. This was the objective of the first part of the study, where we assessed whether our VR environment elicited food craving responses in participants. Results showed that our VR environment elicited food craving responses: Salivation Magnitude, Food Craving State and Urge to Eat was significantly different from the neutral baseline. In addition, results showed that food cravings measured through the salivation magnitude in response to the virtual condition were not significantly different from the real condition, thus showing that VR had a comparable effect on producing food cravings. The second part of the study was conducted to determine whether the addition of olfactory and interaction cues in VR increased the development of food cravings. The results of this part showed that adding synthetic olfactory cues, paired with visual cues, to our system, provided a significant further increase in food cravings. Our results demonstrate that the use of food cues in VR can increase the development of food cravings and that it is possible to provide a simple yet convincing eating experience in VR. Inevitably, food interaction in VR is still underexplored territory and further research is needed to improve utility and application in disciplines related to food and eating.
... Older people have neophobia about new algae food products due to their culture and food habits. Earlier research found that older individuals are more averse to attempting new food products 64) , though lessening with increasing income and education 65) . Retired people are more interested in buying tablets than other products. ...
Faced with starvation and malnutrition, Spirulina may be considered an alternative
potential food supplement in developing countries like Bangladesh. Building on the safety and broadly accepted use of algae as an alternative food resource in Bangladesh, this study aimed to evaluate the willingness to pay (WTP) for three kinds of algae food products: Spirulina tablet/capsule, Spirulina powder, and Spirulina supplement foods. A survey was conducted through online and inperson interviews among Bangladeshi adults by using contingent valuation (CV) method. The surveyor collected socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, uses, acceptance, and attribute preference of Spirulina as a food supplement. Statistical tool ANOVA was executed to analyze and identify the influencing factors of Spirulina as a future food supplement. Among the 3000 respondents surveyed, 1533 (51.11%) stated that they would accept Spirulina as a food supplement, while others would accept Spirulina as a tablet/capsule (15.64%) and powder (33.43%), respectively. The average WTPs of Spirulina tablet/capsule, powder, and supplement are estimated to be US$ 4.18, US$ 3.66, and US$ 4.8, respectively. To introduce Spirulina food products in Bangladesh as a practical importance for the industrial production of algae-based food supplements, we present positive and welcoming public attitudes towards new food products that are safe, healthy, and affordable.
... Darker food powders, such as cocoa powder, usually express low lightness, with values of L* 42 [45]; lightly roasted coffee presented values of L* 26 [46]. Usually, these darker colors are perceived by consumers as having a bitter taste [10]. Well-accepted protein powders, such as whey protein, exhibit light colors, with high values of L*, which increase from 71 to 90 [47]. ...
This study aimed to improve the visual aspects and chemical, techno-functional and rheological characteristics of Gryllus bimaculatus cricket powder through the use of different solvents, with the objective of using it as a protein source in food production. Four treatments (pH 5 aqueous solution, ethanol 20%, ethanol 99.5%, and hexane) were applied to the powder, and analyses were conducted to assess changes in the previously mentioned parameters. The results showed that the treatments led to an increase in protein concentration (from 55.4 to 72.5%) and a decrease in fat concentration (from 33.0 to 6.8%) in ethanol 99.5% treated powder, as well as a reduction in anti-nutritional compounds concentration, such as tannins (from 13.3 to 5.9 g/kg), in pH 5 treated powder, which is important for the nutritional value of the final product. The color of the powders was improved, being lighter after hexane and ethanol 99.5% treatments due to the removal of melanin with the defatting process. Flowability, water, and oil holding capacity were also improved in the defatted powders. All the results suggest that the main composition of the powder directly influences the analyzed parameters. These findings suggest that cricket powder treated with solvents can be used as a protein source in different food applications.
... [1][2][3] The sight, taste, and touch of food can all help prepare the body for the subsequent food consumption and digestion. [4][5][6] The response to odors by the olfactory system is a particularly potent sensory stimulus influencing neural circuits controlling hunger, 7 food intake, and thermogenesis. 3 An animal's nutritional state also feeds back to influence olfactory sensitivity, which may subsequently alter feeding behavior. ...
Olfactory stimuli from food influence energy balance, preparing the body for digestion when food is consumed. Social chemosensory cues predict subsequent energetic changes required for social interactions and could be an additional sensory input influencing energy balance. We show that exposure to female chemostimuli increases metabolic rate in male mice and reduces body weight and adipose tissue expansion when mice are fed a high-fat diet. These responses are linked to detection of female chemostimuli via G-protein Gαo-expressing vomeronasal sensory neurons. Males with Gαo deleted in the olfactory system are fertile but do not show changes in body weight when paired with females and show severely blunted changes in energy expenditure when exposed to female bedding. These results establish that metabolic and reproductive responses to females can be partly uncoupled in male mice and that detection of female chemostimuli is a central regulator of energy metabolism and lipid storage.
... Consumers who link colour with quality use it as the primary factor for accepting or rejecting food goods. The vibrant colours of fruits and vegetables stimulate appetite and digestion while also increasing food pleasure (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips 2014). The most prevalent category of carotene in carrots as colour pigments are beta carotenes, which are antioxidants (Dai and Row 2019), while orange carrots are one of the best sources of pro-vitamin A carotenoids in the diet (Eggersdorfer and Wyss 2018). ...
Carrots (Daucus carota) are root vegetables that contain carotenoids, flavonoids, polyacetylenes, vitamins, and minerals. They are high in antioxidants, anticarcinogens, and immune enhancers making them excellent for the eyes. Carrots suffer from significant postharvest losses in Sri Lanka due to their perishable nature, as well as rejections due to their odd morphologies. Even though demand for carrot is high all around the country, losses are unavoidable. Freezing techniques play a vital role in maintaining freshness and avoiding deterioration simultaneously. The goal of the present study was to find the best freezing method among blast freezing (-30 °C) and conventional (-18 °C) freezing circumstances for a superior quality of frozen carrot dice. Blanched (90 °C for 3min) carrot dice (Cape market variety) were frozen and thawed, then physicochemical parameters like drip loss (%), pH and colour, and other aspects including length ratio, hardness and cutting shearing strength and sensory parameters like colour, odour, texture and overall quality changes during freezing were analyzed. The blast frozen-thawed carrot dices showed the best quality of fresh colour, 8.50 ± 2.83 of colour change, 5.573 ± 0.555 % of drip loss, 0.0333 ± 0.007 length ratio, 21.53 N ± 3.78 hardness, 0.1366 J ± 0.0361 cutting and shearing strength, and 5.6867 ± 0.01 pH than conventional frozen-thawed dices. Mann Whitney U test resulted that blast frozen carrot dices had significantly (p<0.05) higher consumer preference than conventionally treated samples during the sensory analysis.
... Nowadays, there are a number of different reasons as to why food and drink products and/or their packaging might be colored in a particular way (Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). Oftentimes, color is used in processed foods to signal the variant and/or reinforce the flavor visually (e.g., Calvo et al., 2001;Tuorila-Ollikainen, 1982, 1984. ...
While there has long been public concern over the use of artificial/synthetic food colors, it should be remembered that food and drink products (e.g., red wine) have been purposefully colored for millennia. This narrative historical review highlights a number of reasons that food and drink have been colored, including to capture the shopper's visual attention through to signaling the likely taste/flavor. Over the course of the last century, there has, on occasion, also been interest in the playful, or sometimes even deliberately discombobulating, use of food coloring by modernist chefs and others. The coloring (or absence of color) of food and drink can, though, sometimes also take on more of a symbolic meaning, and, in a few cases, specific food colors may acquire a signature, or branded (i.e., semantic) association. That said, with food color being associated with so many different potential "meanings," it is an open question as to which meaning the consumer will associate with any given instance of color in food, and what role context may play in their decision. Laboratory-based sensory science research may not necessarily successfully capture the full range of meanings that may be associated with food color in the mind of the consumer. Nevertheless, it seems likely that food color will continue to play an important role in dictating consumer behavior in the years to come, even though the visual appearance of food is increasingly being mediated via technological means, including virtual and augmented reality.
... In relation to food products, visual appearance, taste, texture, nutritional value, and food safety are among the most important product characteristics to generate customer value (Deliza et al. 2003;Shepherd 1990). Given that the first sensory contact with food is usually through the eyes (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips 2014), visual appearance of food plays a critical role in consumers' decision making. Put simply, food that looks unappetizing puts consumers off, whereas food that looks appetizing "makes the mouth water". ...
Cultured meat, i.e. meat produced in-vitro through the cultivation of animal stem cells, is a radical innovation that prepares to enter the market in the near future. It has the potential to substantially reduce the negative externalities of today’s meat production and consumption and pave the way for a more sustainable global food system. However, this potential can only be realized if cultured meat penetrates the mass-market, which renders consumer acceptance a critical bottleneck. Using structural equation modeling, the present paper investigates the role of hitherto neglected organizational factors (trustworthiness, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and extrinsic motives) as antecedents of consumer acceptance of cultured meat. To this end, a pre-post intervention design in terms of a two-part online questionnaire was used with the final sample consisting of 966 participants. We found that in addition to established antecedents on the product level, organizational trustworthiness and CSR have a significant influence on consumers’ willingness to buy cultured meat. The findings indicate that organizational factors matter for consumer acceptance of cultured meat.
... El color de la cáscara en los frutos es un atributo de calidad que influencia las preferencias del consumidor, e induce la expectativa de sabor, gusto y palatabilidad (Wadhera y Capaldi-Phillips, 2014), siendo al mismo tiempo en la mayor parte de los vegetales una variable utilizada como indicador de estado de madurez y/o deterioro de calidad de los mismos (Castro Camacho, Cerquera Peña y Gutierrez Guzmán, 2013;Wadhera y Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). Es por ello que también es de utilidad para su aplicación en cultivo y/o industria construir escalas de colores utilizando instrumentos como colorímetros, procesamiento digital de imágenes y otras técnicas de determinación objetivas de color, para reducir la subjetividad de los operadores (CIE, 2004;Castro Camacho, Cerquera Peña y Gutierrez Guzmán, 2013). ...
El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar cinco colores de cáscara de fruta de guayabo del país establecidas en una escala visual utilizada en la selección y mejoramiento genético de esta especie en Uruguay con los parámetros colorimétricos en el espacio tridimensional CIELAB y cuantificar el contenido de clorofila total, clorofila a, clorofila b y carotenoides totales. La escala visual analizada comprende los colores de cáscara Amarillo (A), Amarillo Verde (AV), Verde Amarillo (VA), Verde (V) y Verde Verde (VV). La luminosidad y la saturación del color de la cáscara de los frutos bajaron al aumentar el color verde de la escala visual (L* 57,2 a 36,4; C*ab 41,4 a 15,9). El tono varió de 90,4 a 121,3 ºhab coincidiendo con lo percibido en la escala visual en las categorías de color de cáscara desde A a VV. La diferencia de color (∆Eab) entre las categorías de la escala visual es distinguida fácilmente por un observador no experto. El índice de color discriminó estadísticamente los cinco colores de cáscara siendo los valores 0 (A), -4 (AV), -5 (VA), -12 (V) y -17 (VV). El contenido de clorofila total (0,160 a 0,119 mg g-1) y de clorofila a (0,085 a 0,362 mg g-1 peso fresco) se correlacionó positivamente con la escala creciente de verde de la cáscara (r = 0,56 y 0,80; p ≤ 10-5). En cambio, los carotenoides totales (0,043 a 0,119 mg g-1 peso fresco) no se correspondieron claramente en función de la escala visual (r = -0,03; p 0,225) probablemente enmascarados por la clorofila y también con contenido de clorofila más alto en los frutos VV.
... In line with the optimal-level of stimulation model, exposure during infancy increases the appeal of a novel food (Appleton et al., 2016;Birch, 1998;Birch et al., 1987;Carruth et al., 2004;Gerrish & Mennella, 2001;Maier et al., 2007;Maier-Nöth et al., 2016;Mennella et al., 2008) but excessive familiarity may lead to "monotony" (Rozin & Vollmecke, 1986;Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). Other studies comparing food complexity and hedonic responses found either a negative relationship, or were inconclusive (Palczak et al., 2019). ...
Phenomena such as engagement, attention and curiosity rely heavily on the “optimal-level of stimulation (or arousal)” model, which suggests they are driven by stimuli being neither too simple nor too complex. Two points often overlooked in psychology are that each stimulus is simultaneously processed with its context, and that a stimulus complexity is relative to an individual’s cognitive resources to process it. According to the “optimal-level of stimulation” model, while familiar contexts may decrease the overall stimulation and favour exploration of novelty, a novel context may increase the overall stimulation and favour preference for familiarity. In order to stay closer to their optimum when stimulation is getting too high or too low, individuals can explore other stimuli, adopt a different processing style or be creative. The need and the ability to adopt such strategies will depend upon the cognitive resources available, which can be affected by contextual stimulation and by other factors such as age, mood or arousability. Drawing on empirical research in cognitive and developmental psychology, we provide here an updated “optimal-level of stimulation” model, which is holistic and coherent with previous literature. Once taken into account the role of contextual stimulation as well as the diverse factors influencing internal cognitive resources, such model fits with and enriches other existing theories related to exploratory behaviors. By doing so, it provides a useful framework to investigate proximate explanations underlying learning and cognitive development, and to develop future interventions related, for example, to eating, and learning disorders.
... These valuable pigments have applications in biomedical research, as bioactive molecules with antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anticarcinogenic activities, or as colourants because of their pinkish and reddish colour (Mercier et al. 2022). Pink and red colours are associated with sweet flavours (Spence 2019), probably because the association of redness and ripeness or maturity of fruits (Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips 2014). This is one of the reasons why several naturally uncoloured products are coloured pink/red before commercialisation. ...
Phycobiliproteins, including phycoerythrins, are a group of water-soluble pigments produced by microalgae that show potential for being used as natural colourants. The replacement of synthetic compounds with natural colourants obtained from renewable resources is gaining increased interest in the beverages industry. The aim of the present study was to generate and characterise a phycoerythrin-rich extract from the microalga Porphyridium cruentum and to assess its potential use as a pink colourant in four commercial beverages: gin, wine, tonic water, and an isotonic drink. The extract, obtained after water extraction and protein precipitation contained B-phycoerythrin (79%) and R-phycocyanin (21%). Its B-phycoerythrin concentration was 0.75 gB-PE·L⁻¹. The purity grade (A565/A280\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${A}_{565}/{A}_{280}$$\end{document}) of the extract was 2.50; purity ratios higher than 0.7 are considered as sufficient for food applications. The extract was pink and was shown to be stable at pH values ranging from 3.0 to 9.0. The staining factors, which refer to the amount of extract needed to mimic the colour of the commercial products, were 1.5, 2.9, 1.6, and 4.4 mg·L⁻¹ for gin, wine, tonic water and the isotonic drink, respectively. The influence of temperature on the stability of the extract was studied, having found the lowest degradation ratios for 4 ºC and the gin sample. The colour of the product was stable during an 11-day storage period and the colour of the phycoerythrin-containing products was well accepted by a group of 44 semi-trained panellists. The results reported here demonstrate the potential of P. cruentum for being used as a natural source of phycobiliproteins that could be used as a natural pink colouring agent in different beverages.
... Prior work has extensively looked at how the visual appearance of food influences consumer inferences. Such factors include visibility (Barkeling et al., 2003), plating (Deroy et al., 2014), variety (Haws and Redden, 2013), color (Hoegg and Alba, 2007), EJM contrast (Piqueras-Fiszman et al., 2012), portion size (Zlatevska et al., 2014) and orderliness (Zellner et al., 2010; see also Wadhera and Capaldi-Phillips, 2014; Van der Laan et al., 2012 for reviews). For example, enhancing the prettiness of a meal can increase perceptions of healthiness . ...
Purpose
Recent research has demonstrated that people are more likely to engage with fatty food content online. One way health advocates might facilitate engagement with healthier, calorie-light foods is to alter how people process food media. This research paper aims to investigate the moderating role of viewer mindset on consumer responses to digital food media.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were conducted by manipulating the caloric density of food media content and/or one’s mindset before viewing.
Findings
Results show that the relationship between nutrition and engagement is moderated by consumer mindset, where activating a more calculative mindset before exposure can elevate social media engagement for calorie-light food media content.
Research limitations/implications
These findings contribute to the domain of obesogenic digital environments and the role of nutrition in consuming food media. By examining how mindsets interact with affective evaluations, this work demonstrates that a default mindset based on instinct can be shifted and thus alter subsequent behavioral intentions.
Practical implications
This work provides insight into what can boost the visibility and engagement of healthy food content on social media. Marketers can help promote healthier food media by cueing consumers to think more deliberately before exposure.
Originality/value
This research builds on recent work by demonstrating how to boost engagement with healthy foods on social media by cueing a more thoughtful mindset.
... In addition to (1) using locally produced ingredients and (2) taste and flavour, appealing presentation has been described as a third specific characteristic of Thai food [27]. Invariably, colours and graphics help to increase the value of a food because they enhance a consumer's sensory perceptions of the food [68]. The utilisation of local fresh produce to enrich the presentation of a dish has the double advantage of adding value to food, firstly by making it more visually appealing, and secondly, by improving its nutritional value. ...
Traditional diets are generally nutrient-rich and utilise locally available resources. Strategies to help conserve local food wisdom and increase its value could facilitate a reduction in the burden of all forms of malnutrition and achieve global goals. Our objectives were to: (1) investigate the variety of local foods and food preparation methods in Loei province, Thailand; (2) investigate ways of increasing the nutritional, social, and economic value of local food in this province; and (3) construct a local food database to catalogue and conserve the local food wisdom. Nine out of fourteen districts in Loei province were purposively selected. All were designated key sustainable tourist destinations and represented a range of terrains. There were 423 interview participants, representing all villages in one subdistrict of each of the nine selected districts. We also conducted nine focus group discussions with a total of 90 participants. Data were analysed and categorised, based on the content analysis technique, and we created an online database of the catalogued recipes. There were 240 dishes, placed into seven categories of recipe type. Many of the characteristics of the local dishes from Loei province today remain closely connected to the history of this part of Thailand. We identified that the value of local foods could be improved by investing in technology used for home preservation, actively engaging younger generations to improve the transfer of local food wisdom, investment in technology to utilise local biodegradable materials, and tourist activities based around local food heritage. Future work will involve further development of the local food database, and research to evaluate the application of the database. Moreover, this research can serve as a model for retaining and valuing local food wisdom elsewhere, to promote food security, combat malnutrition, and benefit the local economy.
... Among these sensory attributes, vision is usually the first sense and overwhelms the perception of other information in attracting consumers' attention [38]. Visual cues are not only limited to the internal characteristics of the product itself but also involve external characteristics such as product packaging [39]. As the main physical characteristics of food, visual cues not only can indicate the quality of food but also link consumers to other emotional experiences [40,41]. ...
The organic food industry in China has been developing fast with the increasing consumer demand for healthier, safer, and more nutritious foods since the epidemic outbreak. It is of great significance to understand the psychological preference of consumers for organic food and adjust the marketing strategy accordingly. In this study, we adopted the multi-group structural equation model (SEM) to analyze 571 questionnaire data and explored the effects of consumers’ perception on the sensory appeal of organic food, perception on promotional stimulation, positive emotion, and perceived social value on the purchase intention of organic food. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model, this study divides the route affecting organic consumption behavior into the rational route and emotional route. It was proved that the emotional route (positive emotion) has a greater impact on the purchase intention of organic food than the rational route (perceived social value). In addition, there are different purchase intentions among different product types. Specifically, compared with organic tea, positive emotion has a greater effect on the purchase intention for organic rice. This study provides an important reference for the organic food-marketing strategy of enterprises.
... Visual cues for food can affect food intake [39,40]. In this study, when low-carb rice of equivalent weight (low-carb WR (EW); low-carb MR (EW), and low-carb rice) with the same carbohydrate amount (low-carb WR (EC); low-carb MR (EC) was served with regular rice (regular WR; regular MR), even when their weight differed by up to 30 g (about 1-1.5 spoon), the difference was not noticeable with the naked eye. ...
This study evaluates whether blood glucose response differs upon consuming rice cooked in a carbohydrate (carb)-reducing rice cooker. Rice cooked this way exhibited 19% reduced total carbohydrate (34.0 ± 0.3 vs. 27.6 ± 0.9 g/100 g rice) and 20% reduced total calorie (149.0 ± 1.0 vs. 120.8 ± 3.7 kcal/100 g rice) contents. We measured the blood glucose response (at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min) in 13 healthy participants after consuming 6 different rice types: regular white rice (regular WR, 50 g of available carbohydrate (AC)), low-carb WR with equivalent weight as regular WR (low-carb WR (EW)), low-carb WR with equivalent carb as regular WR (low-carb WR (EC), regular mixed-grain rice (regular MR), low-carb MR (EW) as regular MR, and low-carb MR (EC) as regular MR. All rice samples were prepared in an electric carb-reducing rice cooker. Postprandial blood glucose, sensory, and appetite were assessed after each test meal. The incremental area under the curve of 15 and 30 min after rice consumption was significantly lower in low-carb WR (EW) than that in regular WR. These results suggest possible health benefits of low-carb WR in reducing early postprandial spikes in blood glucose level without significant differences in satiety and satisfaction.
... Despite its numerous characteristics that determine the consumer acceptance of the fruit, it is still highly sought after worldwide. While shape and pungency are also determining factors, colour in particular ranks very high in the perceived palatability and perceived flavour intensity of fruits/vegetables [1][2][3]. Colours of the immature pepper fruits vary from ivory to green, and newer varieties may even exhibit different shades of purple, whereas the colouration of mature fruits of cultivated peppers ranges from white through yellow, orange and red to even a brownish hue. The main determinants of colour in pepper fruit are the chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments [4][5][6][7]. ...
To date, several research studies addressed the topic of phytochemical analysis of the different coloured pepper berries during ripening, but none discussed it in the case of purple peppers. In this study we examine whether the anthocyanin accumulation of the berries in the early stages of ripening could result in a higher antioxidant capacity due to the elevated amount of polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity was measured in four distinct phenophases of fruit maturity. Furthermore, the expression of structural and regulatory genes of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway was also investigated. An overall decreasing trend was observed in the polyphenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity of the samples towards biological ripeness. Significant changes both in between the genotypes and in between the phenophases were scored, with the genotype being the most affecting factor on the phytonutrients. An extreme purple pepper yielded outstanding results compared to the other genotypes, with its polyphenolic and flavonoid content as well as its antioxidant capacity being the highest in every phenophase studied. Based on our results, besides MYBa (Ca10g11650) two other putative MYBs participate in the regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway.
... Other visual cues including portion size, number of products present, gloss, evenness, and shape also contribute to perception and liking of foods, whether highly processed or not. 36 These visual cues are especially relevant in the context of UPFs, which consumers expect will remain uniform (in shape, color, taste, and texture) over time and occasion. Since the manufacturers of UPFs have free 'creative' reign to design products of any color, size, or shape, they have the ability to target any preference and continually create products that will be appealing to consumers. ...
There is growing evidence that consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) has become a leading cause of global premature deaths and preventable diet-related diseases. To reduce consumption of UPF requires an understanding of the multiple forces behind it, including the understudied question of what makes UPF appealing. This critical scan of literature across multiple disciplines aims to fill this gap. We conclude that appeal is a multi-dimensional construct generated through the interplay of the products themselves, the people consuming them, and the practices of the corporations that manufacture, market, and distribute them. We argue that these relationships need to be unpacked to understand UPF appeal fully, and that public health interventions must take on the multiple dimensions of UPF appeal in an integrated way to effectively reduce its consumption. We propose a conceptual framework that can guide research to analyze the causes and consequences of UPF appeal and inform the development of policies and other interventions to reduce UPF appeal and consumption.
Smell is highly significant in how humans perceive food. Accordingly, olfactory disorders typically cause changes in patients’ feeding behaviour. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may significantly impair patients’ quality of life and alter the diet they choose to eat [1, 2]. The process of eating food consists of two principal stages, namely an anticipatory stage, wherein the food is seen and its aroma arouses orthonasal perception, and a consumption stage, where the food enters the mouth and any aroma is perceived in a retronasal fashion [3]. Everybody is familiar with the way a coryzal illness alters gustatory perception, and this experience illustrates how significant olfaction is for perceiving food or drink to be tasty [4]. Research has so far focused mainly on how individuals change their diet in response to olfactory dysfunction [5–7], rather than how food actually tastes to people in this situation [8]. Response inhibition is sensitive to unexpected changes in the environment triggered by emotional stimuli [9].KeywordsOlfactoryFeeding behaviourSatietyDietFood
There is a growing demand for practical and healthy food products. Obtaining naturally colored breakfast cereals with the incorporation of functional ingredients is a promising alternative for consumers that are looking for healthiness. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using vegetable flours, rich in pigments, to obtain naturally colored breakfast cereals through thermoplastic extrusion. Vegetables considered "unsuitable for the retail market", classified as "type B", were used to prepare different flours from carrot (CF), spinach (SF) and beetroot (BF). Extrudates were produced from a mixture of 90% broken rice (BR) and 10% vegetable flour (CF, SF or BF). Besides giving the extrudates a natural color, the use of vegetable flours also provided nutritional and functional enrichment due to increased mineral, protein, lipid, fiber and phenolic compound contents, and greater antioxidant capacity. However, some of these components, such as fibers, affect extrudate physical structure and technological characteristics, evidenced by reduced expansion, hardness, paste viscosity and greater interaction with water present in milk under consumption conditions. In general, the evaluated flours proved to be an alternative for imparting a natural color to extruded breakfast cereals, in addition to positively contributing to their nutritional and functional value.
Recently, researchers have developed an interest in the analysis of emotional responses to food. For this reason, the use of implicit (non-verbal) measures to assess consumer response is increasing. In this research, the objective is to find out if there were differences in consumer response (conscious and unconscious) to melon of various origins: Spain, Morocco and Brazil. To do this, we used the biometric measures (Electroencephalography (EEG) and Skin Conductance Response (SCR)) and questionnaires to assess various melon attributes. The results reveal that consumers do not respond differently to fruit from different origins, either consciously or unconsciously.
Background:
The shelf-life of a functional herbal tea-based beverage is not only important for consumer acceptability but also for the retention of bioactive compounds. With this study, we aimed to clarify the role of common iced tea beverage ingredients (citric and ascorbic acids) on the shelf-life stability of an herbal tea-base beverage. A hot water extract of green Cyclopia subternata, also used as honeybush tea, was selected as the main ingredient as it provides different types of phenolic compounds associated with bioactive properties, i.e., xanthones, benzophenones, flavanones, flavones and dihydrochalcones.
Results:
The model solutions were stored for 180 and 90 days at 25 and 40 °C, respectively. Changes in their volatile profiles and color were also quantified due to their contribution to product quality. 3',5'-Di-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-hydroxyphloretin (HPDG; dihydrochalcone) and, to a lesser extent, mangiferin (xanthone), were the most labile compounds. Both compounds were thus identified as critical quality indicators to determine shelf-life. The stability-enhancing activity of the acids depended on the compound; ascorbic acid and citric acid enhanced the stability of HPDG and mangiferin, respectively. However, when considering all the major phenolic compounds, the base solution without acids was the most stable. This was also observed for the color and major volatile aroma-active compounds (α-terpineol, (E)-β-damascenone, 1-p-menthen-9-al and trans-ocimenol).
Conclusion:
Addition of acids, added for stability and taste of ready-to-drink iced tea beverages, could thus have unwanted consequences in that they could accelerate compositional changes and shorten the shelf-life of polyphenol-rich herbal tea beverages. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The use of technological tools, in the food industry, has allowed a quick and reliable identification and measurement of the sensory characteristics of food matrices is of great importance, since they emulate the functioning of the five senses (smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing). Therefore, industry and academia have been conducting research focused on developing and using these instruments. In this review, several of these technological tools are documented, such as the e-nose, e-tongue, artificial vision systems, and instruments that allow texture measurement (texture analyzer, electromyography, others). These allow us to carry out processes of analysis, review, and evaluation of food to determine essential characteristics such as quality, composition, maturity, authenticity, and origin. The determination of these characteristics allows the standardization of food matrices, achieving the improvement of existing foods and encouraging the development of new products that satisfy the sensory experiences of the consumer, driving growth in the food sector.
Unlabelled:
This study explores the relationship between parental food neophobia, feeding practices, and preschoolers' food neophobia in China.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1616 pairs of preschoolers and their parents. Electronic questionnaires were conducted to collect information about social and demographic characteristics, scores of food neophobia among both children and their parents, parents' feeding patterns and children's dietary quality.
Results:
Children's average food neophobia score was 23.72 ± 4.45. There was a positive correlation between parental food neophobia score (β: 0.154; 95%CI: 0.113, 0.195), pressure to eat (β: 0.694; 95%CI: 0.423, 0.964), postpartum breastfeeding initiation (β: 0.010; 95%CI: 0.002, 0.018), and children's score of food neophobia. However, parental modeling (β: -0.470; 95%CI: -0.732, -0.207) and the frequency of children eating with their families at home (β: -0.407; 95%CI: -0.707, -0.108) were negatively associated with children's food neophobia scores. The consumption frequencies of vegetables(P < 0.001), fruits(P < 0.001), domestic animals and poultry(P < 0.01), aquatic products(P < 0.05), beans and their products(P < 0.01), eggs(P < 0.05) and nuts(P < 0.05) and children's dietary diversity score (P < 0.001) are negatively associated with children' food neophobia score. While the consumption frequencies of fast food(P < 0.001), sweets(P < 0.01) and puffed/fried food(P < 0.001) were positively associated with children's food neophobia.
Conclusion:
Chinese preschoolers' food neophobia needs more attention because children with high food neophobia tend to have lower dietary quality. Children whose parents have high-level food neophobia should be the focus of early prevention. Earlier postpartum breastfeeding, more use of parental modelling, less pressure to eat and higher frequency of children eating with families are helpful to reduce the incidence of children's food neophobia.
Despite the substantial economic impact of the restaurant industry, large-scale empirical research on restaurant survival has been sparse. We investigate whether consumer-posted photos can serve as a leading indicator of restaurant survival above and beyond reviews, firm characteristics, competitive landscape, and macroconditions. We employ machine learning techniques to extract features from 755,758 photos and 1,121,069 reviews posted on Yelp between 2004 and 2015 for 17,719 U.S. restaurants. We also collect data on restaurant characteristics (e.g., cuisine type, price level) and competitive landscape as well as entry and exit (if applicable) time from each restaurant’s Yelp/Facebook page, own website, or Google search engine. Using a predictive XGBoost algorithm, we find that consumer-posted photos are strong predictors of restaurant survival. Interestingly, the informativeness of photos (e.g., the proportion of food photos) relates more to restaurant survival than do photographic attributes (e.g., composition, brightness). Additionally, photos carry more predictive power for independent, young or mid-aged, and medium-priced restaurants. Assuming that restaurant owners possess no knowledge about future photos and reviews, photos can predict restaurant survival for up to three years, whereas reviews are only predictive for one year. We further employ causal forests to facilitate the interpretation of our predictive results. Among photo content variables, the proportion of food photos has the largest positive association with restaurant survival, followed by proportions of outside and interior photos. Among others, the proportion of photos with helpful votes also positively relates to restaurant survival.
This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.
Funding: The authors thankNvidia and Clarifai for supporting this research.
Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4359 .
The aim of the present research was to explore consumers' color-harmony preferences on a food plate in relation to four different criteria; aesthetics, taste, healthiness, and satiety. With respect to this aim, four different food plates were designed based on four color-harmony types used in fine arts-analogous, complementary, triadic and quadratic. The sample of the study consisted of 1.162 participants from Turkey who responded to an online survey including pairs of color-combinations and reported their preferences in terms of the selected criteria. The results were analyzed using Cochran's Q Test and Scheffe Test. The results clearly demonstrated that people respond differently to meals comprising of different color-combinations. One major finding was that people seemed to find quadratic food-color harmony as the least tasty and healthy food even though they found it aesthetics. In correspondence to the results of several other studies, the present study found that attractiveness of food plates could be increased through the use of more colors to a certain level. Food plates with quadratic color-harmony were detected to be the least tasty and healthy and less filling by Turkish consumers.
Prior research has suggested the influence of thinking styles in judgments of foods, with individual and cultural differences. Here, we tested whether context sensitivity may influence judgments of a food's basic characteristics (e.g., expected satiation) in the presence of other foods in the surrounding context. Given their greater sensitivity to contextual information, participants from Singapore (compared with the USA) perceived central/focal food items as more satiating when surrounded by other foods that were low (vs. high) in expected satiation—a tendency positively correlated with measures of holistic and interdependent thinking styles (Study 1). Judgments of a central food were influenced by the foods surrounding it when participants had been experimentally primed into high context sensitivity (vs. low context sensitivity) (Study 2). These findings reveal that context-sensitivity may contribute to the emergence of individual and cultural diversity in consumers' perceptions and judgments about multiple foods that are encountered together.
Practical Applications
Although context sensitivity is well known for its implications on perceptions and judgments, rarely has it been extended to judgments of food—a domain of everyday life with numerous health implications. We demonstrate how context sensitivity may guide food judgments in the presence of multiple discrete food items in the surrounding context (e.g., a multi-food meal or display). We show that context sensitivity, both as a tendency that varies across cultures and as a situationally malleable style of cognition, may lead to evaluations of a focal food item in a group being influenced by perceived characteristics of surrounding foods. Given its cultural variance and situational malleability, context sensitivity may be a promising consumer-oriented target when designing food-related environments (e.g., food displays or mealscapes), especially in cultures which place greater emphasis on contextual information as a routine in daily thought.
This study assessed the acceptability of porridge from a corn‐common bean flour blend to increase the diversity of complementary foods in Malawi. Porridges prepared using commercial corn–soybean flour (C‐CSB), homemade orange corn–soybean flour (H‐CSB), and orange corn‐common bean flour (CCBB) were evaluated by 101 pairs of mothers and their respective children aged from 6 to 24 months. A home use test (HUT) setup was used in this study, and the flours were given sequentially to participating households following a randomized complete block design. Each sample type was evaluated for 3 days in a row followed by a 1‐day break (washout period) between sample types. Based on aggregate mean scores, all the samples were liked by both the children and their mothers. However, clustering results revealed two distinct consumer segments for mothers as well as for children. Most of the mothers (59.4% in cluster 1) liked all the samples, while the minority (cluster 2) were neutral (neither like nor dislike) regarding the H‐CSB porridge. Likewise, most children (66.3% in cluster 2) liked all the samples, while the rest in cluster 1 did not like CCBB porridge. Infants (≤12 months) and those from food‐insecure households, respectively, were 5.42 and 6.75 times more likely to like the CCBB porridge than their counterparts. The study has demonstrated the potential of introducing CCBB complementary porridge in Malawi and possibly in other countries with similar food preferences and socioeconomic stature.
Practical Application
The study provides a solution to the limited diversity of complementary foods in sub‐Saharan Africa and Malawi in particular. The findings can help food scientists, nutritionists, marketers, and policymakers develop strategies for promoting the consumption of orange corn‐common bean porridge. Furthermore, the findings can inform decisions on commercializing orange corn‐common bean flour by flour processors.
There is a growing demand for meat substitutes among consumers, given that excessive meat consumption is associated with negative consequences for personal health and the environment. However, the market shares of such meat substitutes remain low, thus highlighting the need to further investigate how to increase consumer acceptance of meat substitutes. The present research investigates social media data of plant-based meat brands and explores how visual features could lead to a high number of likes, which is a numerical representation of social acceptance. The findings of this research show that social media posts with warm color, vertical symmetry, and horizontal symmetry receive a higher number of likes. Further, there is a joint effect between warm color and vertical symmetry, such that vertical symmetry would strengthen the positive effect of warm color on the number of likes. These findings offer a more nuanced understanding of how to increase consumer acceptance of meat substitutes and how to promote plant-based meat brands in social media.
Sugarcane bagasse (SB) is one of the most abundant food wastes. In this research, SB was incorporated into the development of noodles at 3 different ratios i.e 5, 10, and 15%. Total dietary fibre of noodles significantly increased from 3.39% (control noodles; – without SB) to 13.85% with 15% SB incorporation. All SB incorporated noodles (SBNs) were qualified to be labelled as “High in dietary fibre”. The 15% SBN had the highest fibre content and lowest dialyzable glucose, but the organoleptic properties were the lowest. Due to that, 5% SBN was deemed to be the most suitable ratio for noodles incorporation as it had the closest value towards the commercial noodles in terms of color, texture, fibre content and dialyzable glucose concentration of noodles samples. In terms of sensory evaluation, the 5% SBN had the highest overall acceptability, and the ratio was suitable in noodle development.
People tend to associate colors with specific flavors, establishing color–flavor associations, and people can generate flavor expectations about foods and beverages based on color. Recent research has shown that participants can generate color expectations about packaged food based on a flavor label to guide the visual search for this flavor. However, it remains unclear how flavors modulate color processing. Here, we conducted two visual search experiments to address this issue.
In Experiment 1, we used a peristaltic pump to deliver a dose of fruit-flavored beverage or flavorless purified water to the participants’ mouths, followed by a shaped-based visual search task. Half of the participants were informed that the strawberry and pineapple flavors were always followed by targets in the associated colors, while the rest of them were informed that the strawberry and pineapple flavors were always followed by targets in the non-associated colors. The flavorless water was not predictive of the color of the target. Their visual searches were faster when the target appeared in a flavor-associated color or when the target appeared in a non-associated color but the flavor-associated color was absent from the display. By contrast, the flavor cue did not facilitate visual search if the distractor was presented in the flavor-associated color, thus indicative of prioritized attention to this associated color.
Considering that the participants were exposed to the flavor labels when they received their instructions at the beginning of Experiment 1, we conducted Experiment 2 to rule out the possible influence of flavor labels. Experiment 2 was performed with the same methods as in Experiment 1 except for one important difference. The participants were not given information regarding the specific flavors. They were only informed that flavors A and B were always followed by red- and yellow-colored targets, respectively. The flavors were always followed by targets in the associated colors for half of the participants and by non-associated colors for the rest of the participants. We obtained similar result patterns as in Experiment 1.
The results of these two experiments consistently revealed an attentional bias toward flavor-associated colors in the shape-based visual search. These findings show how flavor cues could modulate visual information processing. Our findings provide empirical evidence regarding color-flavor interactions by showing the influence of gustatory cues on visual attention, which allows us to further investigate the underlying mechanisms and neural basis of crossmodal influence in future research.
This research investigated the effect of the food values, positive anticipated emotions, attitude toward the brand, and attitude toward eating a hamburger on purchase intention in fast-food restaurants in Mexico conjointly. The purpose of this study was to discover which variables influenced the consumer´s intention to buy. Data was collected from a survey of 512 Mexicans fast food consumers. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized associations. The results showed that food values and positive anticipated emotions absolutely impact the attitude toward the brand, which impacts the purchase intention of the Mexican consumers. Nonetheless, the positive anticipated emotions impact stronger than food values, and the best way to get a purchase intention is toward the attitude of the brand rather than attitude toward eating a hamburger. The authors discussed inferences and suggestions for consumer approaches.
Behavioral responses of a generalist pest, Spilosoma obliqua Walker (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), towards the leaf surface wax chemicals of three types of jute crops (white jute, Corchorus capsularis , tossa jute, C. olitorious ,, and mesta jute or kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus [Malvaceae]) and their implications in pest management was studied under laboratory conditions. The GC-MS and GC-FID analyses of the jute leaf epicuticular waxes indicated the presence of 27 n-alkanes, having chain lengths from n-C 14 to n-C 36 and 14 free fatty acids (FFAs) having chain lengths from C 12:0 to C 22:0 . Among the identified n-alkanes and FFAs of selected jute cultivars n-C 34 (144.397±6.971 µg leaf ⁻¹ ) and C 16:1 (37.034±0.848 µg leaf ⁻¹ ) of tossa jute leaves were most abundant. The host preference (white jute> tossa jute > mesta jute) of S. obliqua was evaluated simultaneously by olfactory, visual, and tactile recognition, as valid for other lepidopteran species. For olfaction [females], oviposition [gravid females], and feeding [larvae]) in S. obliqua , the most stimulating combined-synthetic-mixture of epicuticular wax components was represented by 4 n-alkanes (n-C 16 , n-C 18 , n-C 20 , n-C 22 ) and 5 FFAs (C 16:1 , C 16:0 , C 18:0 , C 20:0 , C 22:0 ) in mixture at leaf equivalent (µg leaf ⁻¹ ) amounts (195.209±2.950 µg, 119.777±1.857 µg, and 50.567±3.508 µg, respectively) in white jute, tossa jute, and mesta jute, respectively. Thus, the present study suggests that the synthetic blends of 4 n-alkanes and 5 FFAs of respective jute crops can be used as lures to develop baited trap as a part of integrated pest management (IPM) of S. obliqua for sustainable jute cultivation.
A visually appetising and vegetable-rich dish can be an alternative to the traditional dish for well-functioning older consumers. The aim of this study was to investigate older people’s evaluations towards dishes by incorporating dish attributes (main course, potatoes, vegetables, and dish label) with novel dish components. During the test, a total of 100 participants aged from 60-91 were invited to verbally rate their willingness to try, perceived familiarity and healthiness towards eight dish combinations presented randomly in the form of pictures. In the meanwhile, 31 participants’ eye motions for each dish picture were successfully recorded by an eye-tracker. Through conjoint analysis, main course and vegetables were found to have the highest influence on willingness to try, perceived familiarity, perceived healthiness, and total eye fixation time towards the dish. A labelled dish with meatballs, broccolis and plain potatoes was perceived as the most familiar dish. A dish with veggie balls, mixed vegetables and decorated potatoes was perceived as the healthiest. Older participants were most willing to try the dish consisting of mixed vegetables, veggie balls and decorated potatoes when the dish label was added. Females, who emphasised healthy eating and cared about price, variety, organic and health value of a dish were more willing to try veggie balls than meatballs. Regarding the eye metrics, most participants looked at the main course area first, and had the longest total eye fixation time on the dish valued as the healthiest. In the future, to meet older consumers’ demand for daily diet, appropriate selection of dish components with frequent food communication will be indispensable.
To examine the association between the frequency of consuming restaurant food and body fatness in adults.
Usual free-living dietary intake and the frequency of consuming food from seven different restaurant types (fried chicken, burger, pizza, Chinese, Mexican, fried fish, and "other") were assessed by food frequency questionnaire in 73 healthy men and women [ages 19 to 80, body mass index (BMI) 18 to 33]. In addition, body fatness (percent weight) was determined by hydrostatic weighing, and physical activity and other lifestyle parameters were assessed by questionnaire. The relationship between the frequency of consuming restaurant food and body fatness was determined after controlling for age, sex, and other confounders by using multiple regression techniques.
Restaurant food consumption averaged 7.5+/-8.5 (Standard Deviation) times/month. After controlling for age and sex, the frequency of consuming restaurant food was positively associated with body fatness (partial r = 0.36, p = 0.003). The strength of this association did not change after controlling for education level, smoking status, and alcohol intake, but after additionally controlling for physical activity, the partial r increased to 0.42 (p = 0.004). Total daily intakes of energy, fat, and fiber were significantly associated with restaurant food consumption frequency (r = 0.59, 0.28, and -0.45, respectively, p = 0.02 to 0.0001).
The frequency of consuming restaurant food was positively associated with increased body fatness in adults. The increasing proportion of household food income spent on food prepared away from home in the United States may therefore help explain the rising national prevalence of obesity.
Sweetness of cherry-flavored and colored beverages, containing 3.2 to 4.8% sucrose, was quantified by a panel of 10 men and women, ages 22–50, using magnitude estimation. Five intensities of cherry colors were formulated using increasing volumes of Red 40 and a constant volume of both Blue 1 and imitation cherry flavoring. Color measurements from the Gardner XL-23 Colorimeter and the G. E. Recording Spectrophotometer were converted to L*, a* and b*. Sweetness was evaluated against sucrose concentration and arctan (a*/b*). Magnitude tests to evaluate color acceptability and pleasantness were also conducted. All magnitude estimates were normalized and subjected to a two-way ANOVA. Sweetness perception was highly correlated with increasing sucrose concentration (r2> .90), producing a power function exponent of 1.98. Sweetness increased approximately 3 to 13% with increasing color intensity in solutions containing 3.96 to 4.4% sucrose. The exponent describing the sweetness-color relationship was less than 1.0...
Given the number of volume judgments made by consumers, for example, deciding which package is larger and by how much, it is surprising that little research pertaining to volume perceptions has been done in marketing. In this article, the authors examine the interplay of expectations based on perceptual inputs versus experiences based on sensory input in the context of volume perceptions. Specifically, they examine biases in the perception of volume due to container shape. The height of the container emerges as a vital dimension that consumers appear to use as a simplifying visual heuristic to make a volume judgment. However, perceived consumption, contrary to perceived volume, is related inversely to height. This lowered perceived consumption is hypothesized and shown to increase actual consumption. A series of seven laboratory experiments programmatically test model predictions. Results show that perceived volume, perceived consumption, and actual consumption are related sequentially. Furthermore, the authors show that container shape affects preference, choice, and postconsumption satisfaction. The authors discuss theoretical implications for contrast effects when expectancies are disconfirmed, specifically as they relate to biases in visual information processing, and provide managerial implications of the results for package design, communication, and pricing.
Built environments at many scales influence the type and amount of food consumed. Macroscale food systems and food landscapes influence food choices, and microscale rooms, furniture, containers, and objects influence food intake. The authors review literature about how four ubiquitous microscale built environments are persistent but often unrecognized influences on food intake. Kitchenscapes influence food intake through availability, diversity, and visibility of foods; tablescapes through variety, abundance, and accessibility; platescapes through portion and/or package size, arrangement, and utensil type; and food-scapes through food-item forms and landmarks. Microgeographies of built environments provide a subtle, pervasive, and often unconscious influence on food choices, food intake, obesity, and health. Reengineering built environments may offer opportunities to shape food intake.
Currently little is known about how the non-edible items associated with eating and drinking (tableware items such as the plates, bowls, cutlery, glasses, bottles, condiment containers, etc.), or even environmental factors (such as the lighting and/or background music), affect people’s perception of foodstuffs. Here, we review the latest evidence demonstrating the importance of these contextual variables on the consumer’s behavioural and hedonic response to, and sensory perception of, a variety of food and drink items. These effects are explained by a combination of psychological factors (high level attributes, such as perceived quality, that may be mediating the effects under consideration), perceptual factors (such as the Ebbinghaus-Titchener size-contrast illusion and colour contrast in the case of the colour of the plateware affecting taste/flavour perception), and physiological-chemical factors (such as differences in the release of volatile organic compounds from differently-shaped wine glasses). Together, these factors help to explain the growing body of evidence demonstrating that both the tableware and the environment can have a profound effect on our perception of food and drink.
Background
To evaluate the effect of food aroma on bite size, a semisolid vanilla custard dessert was delivered repeatedly into the mouth of test subjects using a pump while various concentrations of cream aroma were presented retronasally to the nose. Termination of the pump, which determined bite size, was controlled by the subject via a push button. Over 30 trials with 10 subjects, the custard was presented randomly either without an aroma, or with aromas presented below or near the detection threshold.
Results
Results for ten subjects (four females and six males), aged between 26 and 50 years, indicated that aroma intensity affected the size of the corresponding bite as well as that of subsequent bites. Higher aroma intensities resulted in significantly smaller sizes.
Conclusions
These results suggest that bite size control during eating is a highly dynamic process affected by the sensations experienced during the current and previous bites.
Prior research has found that under certain conditions, small packages can paradoxically increase consumption. The authors build on this work by suggesting that people low in appearance self-esteem (ASE) are particularly sensitive to external control properties (i.e., packaging-related factors that signal the ability of packaging to regulate food intake) and, as a result, increase consumption levels when packages are small (vs. large or absent). Factors that highlight the external control properties of small packages, such as the visibility of product quantity, location of the caloric content, and communicated caloric content, further increase consumption, particularly among people with low ASE. The underlying process appears to be, at least in part, cognitively driven. The effects are mitigated when participants are under cognitive load, and the findings are mediated by cognitions regarding the ability of small packages to regulate food intake. The results have important practical implications suggesting that to quell the effects of small packages on overconsumption, emphasis on the external control properties of small packages should be minimized.
Objective To examine the self-reported importance of taste, nutrition, cost, convenience, and weight control on personal dietary choices and whether these factors vary across demographic groups, are associated with lifestyle choices related to health (termed health lifestyle), and actually predict eating behavior.Design Data are based on responses to 2 self-administered cross-sectional surveys. The main outcomes measured were consumption of fruits and vegetables, fast foods, cheese, and breakfast cereals, which were determined on the basis of responses to questions about usual and recent consumption and a food diary.Subjects/setting Respondents were a national sample of 2,967 adults. Response rates were 71% to the first survey and 77% to the second survey (which was sent to people who completed the first survey).Statistical analyses Univariate analyses were used to describe importance ratings, bivariate analyses (correlations and t tests) were used to examine demographic and lifestyle differences on importance measures, and multivariate analyses (general linear models) were used to predict lifestyle cluster membership and food consumption.Results Respondents reported that taste is the most important influence on their food choices, followed by cost. Demographic and health lifestyle differences were evident across all 5 importance measures. The importance of nutrition and the importance of weight control were predicted best by subject's membership in a particular health lifestyle cluster. When eating behaviors were examined, demographic measures and membership in a health lifestyle cluster predicted consumption of fruits and vegetables, fast foods, cheese, and breakfast cereal. The importance placed on taste, nutrition, cost, convenience, and weight control also predicted types of foods consumed.Applications Our results suggest that nutritional concerns, per se, are of less relevance to most people than taste and cost. One implication is that nutrition education programs should attempt to design and promote nutritious diets as being tasty and inexpensive. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:1118-1126.
How visual qualities of a food impact perceptions of the amount of food present and consumed have been studied. Previous research has investigated many factors affecting these perceptions, including the height of a glass, the size of a serving bowl, and other food intake cues. We investigated how the number of pieces a serving is divided into impacts perceptions of the amount of food present and consumed. Results indicate that dividing a fixed portion into a greater number of pieces leads people to perceive a greater amount of food in the serving.
Saliva has multiple essential functions in relation to the digestive process taking place in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This paper reviews the role of human saliva and its compositional elements in relation to the GI functions of taste, mastication, bolus formation, enzymatic digestion, and swallowing. The indirect function of saliva in the digestive process that includes maintenance of an intact dentition and mucosa is also reviewed. Finally, pathophysiological considerations of salivary dysfunction in relation to some GI functions are considered.
Examined rules for stimulus integration in 8 experiments with 121 5-yr-olds and 20 8- and 11-yr-olds. Judgments of area of rectangles by 5-yr-olds obeyed an adding rule: height + width. This was surprising, because simple perception of area ought to follow the height × width rule that was obtained with older Ss. For younger Ss, the height + width rule was reliable across all experimental manipulations. This rule is interpreted in terms of a general-purpose integration rule and a general metric sense. Young children lack a clear, adult conception of specific quantities, use whatever quantitative cues seem relevant, and integrate them by a general-purpose adding rule to arrive at their judgment. A single general metric sense, which is present at least by age 3, mediates the expression of quantitative judgments of many physical and social concepts. Experiments showed that judgments of amount of wax in translucent cylinders obeyed the height-only rule when the cylinders were inside of glasses, but obeyed the height + width rule when they stood alone. These results, together with related studies of information integration in children, show that centration is not a pervasive characteristic of the young child's thinking. A new interpretation of conservation suggests that conservation is derivative from object invariance and specific experiential factors. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Chimpanzees were presented with choices between 2 pieces of food, differing in size. Trials differed with respect to the way in which the pieces were presented before choice (both visible, or only one) and during choice (both or one or neither visible). Choice of the larger piece was most frequent when both prices were visible, although presentation of the larger piece alone led to almost as good performance. However, when the size difference of the pieces was relatively great, differences in performance under the various conditions were not very apparent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
When given an array of pieces of food, adult chimpanzees selected the largest piece first, even when the ratio of sizes was only 1.11 to 1.00. When food stimuli were differently oriented, the animals showed a tendency to overestimate the horizontal as compared to the longitudinal or the vertical dimension. "The usefulness of food-size preference as a basis for further examination of primate visual capacity was noted." From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5EF88M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
A common assumption is that the incentive value of food is determined by weight independently of number of food units. In Experiments 1 and 2, rats trained in a
T-maze with four 75-mg pellets in one alternative and a single 300-mg pellet in the other alternative developed a preference for the 75-mg pellet alternative, which did not diminish with extensive training. When the locations of the 75-mg and 300-mg pellets were reversed, rats reversed their choice of arm. Rats preferred a 300-mg pellet to four 45-mg pellets (Experiment 2) and four 75-mg pellets to four 45-mg pellets (Experiment 3). Thus, rats prefer multiple- to single-food units; this effect is permanent rather than temporary, and the incentive value of food is not determined by weight of food alone or number of food units alone. Rats may count food units, judging a given weight of food as greater the greater the number of units—a failure of conservation common, possibly, to a number of species from birds to humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Trained 56 male Charles River hooded rats in a runway with either small- or large-reward magnitude. Both small and large rewards were presented in single- or multiple-pellet form. 1 training trial was given each day for 120 days. Early in training, the large-reward Ss ran faster than those receiving small reward, and the effect was more pronounced in the multiple-pellet condition. Later in training, the small-reward Ss equaled the performance of Ss receiving large reward and even ran somewhat faster in the run section of the alley. The typical extinction effect of greater persistence for small-reward Ss was observed, but only in the goal section. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In the past decade, the proportion snacking has increased. Snack foods consumed are predominantly not nutritious foods. One potential venue to increase children's diet quality is to offer healthy snack foods and we explored if shaped snack foods would lead to increased consumption.
We investigated the consumption of high-fiber snacks (banana bread, pancakes, and sandwiches) served either in normal (round, square) or shaped (heart, hands, animals) form to preschoolers 2-5 years old attending a local child care center (n = 21). The 9 weeks long, prospective, cross-over intervention study was designed to expose each child repeatedly to each snack in each shape (4 times per snack). Snacks were served as morning or afternoon snack and caretakers' reports were used to account for the child's consumption of a meal preceding the study snack (breakfast or lunch).
There was no significant difference in snack consumption between the shaped and normal snacks. However, the mean energy intake from snacks was significantly greater for Caucasian children compared with Asian children. Further, Asian children consumed much less banana bread than the other two snacks. Overall, children who had not eaten breakfast or lunch prior to the morning or afternoon snack ate significantly more calories from the snacks (84.1 kcal, p-value < 0.0001).
Findings of this study confirm previous research that the shape of the foods does not affect snack consumption in children. However, we also report two unexpected findings: a) the strong interaction between ethnicity and snack consumption and b) that Asian children consumed much less banana bread than Caucasian children. The role of children's ethnic background profoundly affects snack preference and must be considered in the study of children's eating behaviors and in interventions to promote healthy eating habits.
The aim of the study was to investigate consumers' preferences for variations of a visually presented meal. The study was conducted in three middle‐sized Danish towns, including 768 respondents who were presented with a computerized questionnaire that initially displayed four consecutive series of photos. The series each consisted of eight unique photos of randomized food dishes arranged around the center square in a 3 × 3 array. Five meal components, each with two levels, were investigated. One level of each component was used for each photo, in total 2 ⁵ = 32 combinations.
The respondents were asked to select the meal they preferred the most, the second most and the least, respectively. Significant interactions were found between meal components and background variables such as, gender, age, geographic variables, purchase store and level of education. The current procedure can be applied to help solve a number of problems involving consumer choices.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This study outlines an approach to use visual images for investigations of food. Our results suggest that rather complex food stimuli of great similarity can be used to subdivide consumers based on sociodemographic background variables. We present an efficient and cheap quick method that provides and captures more information than an ordinary survey that focuses merely on the most preferred option. As a prerequisite for success, stimuli should be well known and appropriately selected. Hence, the present quick method can easily be applied for several practical purposes, such as pretesting, labeling, product flop prevention, and for specific optimization and selection tasks, e.g., convenience meals and institutional meal services in various contexts.
The conjoint layout used allows for late‐based segmentation. It further allows for estimation on aggregate as well as individual level. The current approach is useful for database and/or online implementation.
Four experiments were conducted to assess the effect of food color on flavor identification of noncarbonated beverages and to assess the interactive effect of food color and flavor levels on the perceived flavor intensity and hedonic quality of beverages and cake. Results showed that color masking dramatically decreased flavor identification of fruit-flavored beverages, while atypical colors induced incorrect flavor responses that were characteristically associated with the atypical color. In addition, the color level of beverages had significant effects on their overall acceptability, acceptability of color and of flavor, as well as on flavor intensity. The same results were shown with cake samples, with the exception that a significant interaction of color and flavor level was observed on overall acceptability. Correlational analysis on the subjective dimensions showed that the overall acceptability of both the beverage and cake products was more closely associated with ratings of flavor acceptability than with ratings of color acceptability. In addition, a test of the effect of colorant safety information showed that such information did not decrease any aspect of a product's acceptability.
Against common intuition, we find that variety in an assortment reduces its perceived quantity. Two studies show that people provide larger quantity estimates when shown random patterns of identical colored dots or geometric shapes than when those patterns contain variety. The difference in perceived quantity does not grow as the number of different types increases beyond two, and it disappears if the overall area occupied by the set is made salient through context. We attribute the results to the natural consolidation of identical items into a single Gestalt whole that makes the set seem larger. Two additional studies show that this perceptual influence also causes people to pour more when using varied items to match a sample of food. The article closes with a discussion of the potential implications of these findings for variety research and portion control.
Many product categories, from pizzas to real estate, present buyers with purchase decisions involving complex area judgments. Does a square look larger or smaller than a circle? How much smaller does a circle of 8-inch diameter look when compared to one with a 10-inch diameter? In this paper, we propose a psychophysical model of how consumers make area comparison judgments. The model involves consumers making effort-accuracy trade-offs that lead to heuristic processing of area judgments and systematic shape- and size-related biases.
The model is based on four propositions: P1. Consumers make an initial comparison between two figures based on a single dimension; P2. The dimension of initial comparison—the primary dimension—is the one that is most salient to consumers, where salience is figure and context dependent; P3. Consumers insufficiently adjust an initial comparison using a secondary dimension, which we assume to be orthogonal to the primary dimension used for the initial comparison; and P4. The magnitude by which the initial comparison is adjusted is directly related to the relative salience of the secondary dimension versus the primary dimension.
The model predicts that a single linear dimension inappropriately dominates the two-dimensional area comparison task and that contextual factors affect which linear dimension dominates the task. The relative use of the second dimension depends on its relative salience, which can be influenced in a variety of ways. The model extends the area estimation literature in cognitive psychology by exploring new biases in area estimation and is able to resolve controversial effects regarding which shape is perceived to be “bigger,” the square or the circle, by incorporating contextual factors into model specifications.
A set of six studies—five laboratory experiments and one field experiment—systematically test model predictions. Study 1 is a process study that shows that when two dimensions are available to make an area comparison judgment, people choose one of those to be the primary dimension, with the other being the secondary dimension. Furthermore, it shows that the choice of the primary dimension is dependent on its relative salience that can be contextually manipulated via manner of visual presentation.
Studies 2 and 3 show how the use of a diagonal versus the side of a square (contextually determined) can affect whether a square is perceived to be smaller or larger than a circle of the same area. Study 3 extends the investigation to the domain of the price people are willing to pay for “pizzas” of different shapes, presented differently.
Study 4, a field study, demonstrates external validity by showing that purchase quantities are greater when a circular package is expected to contain less than a rectangular package of the same volume in a domain where consumption goal is constant (cream cheese with a bagel).
Studies 5 and 6 examine ways in which one can increase the salience of the secondary dimension, in a size estimation task, i.e., judging the rate of increase of area. While Study 5 does so via contextual visual cues (incorporating lines that draw one's attention to the underused dimension), Study 6 does the same using semantic cues that direct attention to a single dimension (e.g., diameter) or the total area and comparing these with a visual presentation of the figure.
Overall, results suggest that the manner in which information is presented affects the relative salience of dimensions used to judge areas, and can influence the price consumers are willing to pay. Underlining the external validity of these findings, container shape can significantly affect quantity purchased and overall sales. The paper highlights biases in area comparison judgments as a function of area shape and size. The model is parsimonious, demonstrates good predictive ability, and explains seemingly contradictory results in the cognitive psychology literature. Implications for pricing, product design, packaging, and retailing are suggested.
Nineteen different slides of food items and their effects on appetite and hunger as rated on visual analogue scales were investigated in 20 bulimics and 9 anorexics (DSM-III-R) at the onset and after 8 weeks of behavioral hospital treatment; 9 controls were examined at the maximum of weight loss during a diet and at normal weight. At the onset of treatment appetite ratings were significantly lower in patients than in dieting controls. In anorexics and bulimics appetite ratings increased significantly during treatment. The sight of food did not increase reported hunger in bulimics but did so in controls. Appetite ratings, however, were significantly increased by the sight of food in bulimics as well as in controls. Despite the small sample size, it may be concluded that dieting and weight loss have different psychological implications in healthy controls and in patients with eating disorders, that dieting rather than weight per se influences appetite and that differences in hunger responsiveness to the sight of food in anorexics and bulimics seem likely.
This chapter discusses the selection of food by rats, humans, and other animals, and focuses on the complex problems, especially in food recognition and choice, in the omnivores or generalists. Food selection implies food ingestion. Food ingestion implies the presence of food. Therefore, background for the study of food selection includes the food search process: search images and search mechanisms for finding appropriate food stimuli in the environment. Honey bees provide fine examples of a highly developed food search system. Food selection also implies the ability to obtain or capture food, and to assimilate it, for which many often exotic mechanisms have been evolved. Given the presence of potential food, ingestion then usually depends on an internal state or detector indicating a “need” for the particular food or class of foods, and recognition of the potential food as food. Omnivores, such as rats and humans, faced with an enormous number of potential foods, must choose wisely. They are always in danger of eating something harmful or eating too much of a good thing. Although there are some helpful internal mechanisms, such as poison detoxification, nutrient biosynthesis, and nutrient storage, the major share of the burden for maintaining nutritional balance must out of necessity come from incorporation of appropriate nutrients in the environment and, hence, behavior. The most striking parallel between human and rat feeding is in the neophobia seen in both. The chapter discusses the multiple determinants of food selection in man that are divided into biological factors and effects of individual experience, on one hand, and cultural influences, on the other.
Achievement of a PREE following a small number of trials has posed a problem for several explanations of the PREE. The use of single or multiple pellets is also important to some of the explanations. In the present study the usual PREE was achieved using a single pellet and spaced trials.
Behavioral psychologists have developed effective methods of treatment for overeating and weight control, including mealtime regulation, avoidance of taboo foods, and removal of identified precursors to the bingeing behavior. The current study sought to examine the relationship between speed of eating and levels of satiation in weight conscious individuals. Ten participants were instructed to eat at a fast and a slow rate in a within-subjects reversal design. Consuming food at a slow rate helped participants achieve satiation quicker with comparable amounts of food intake. Slow eaters were also less likely to overeat. These results suggest that slow eating may prevent excessive food consumption in weight conscious individuals, constituting an effective means of weight management.
The Delboeuf illusion consists in a change in the perceived (judged) size of one circle in the presence of another concentric circle. This illusion was presented and analyzed for the first time in 1865 and not, as stated by numerous investigators, in 1892 or 1893. This misconception reflects profound misreadings of Delboeuf's works. The present study examines the three Delboeuf articles on visual illusions (1865a, 1865b, 1892) and analyzes the author's data in the light of results obtained to date on concentric circle illusions.
Rats were given 5, 15, or 60 training trials for 500 mg of food, which was delivered in either single- or multiple-pellet form. The pellet groups did not differ after 5 or 60 trials either at terminal acquisition or in extinction. After 15 trials, however, multiple pellets produced superior performance in acquisition as well as more rapid extinction than single pellets.
Research has demonstrated that the physical attributes of the containers from which we eat and drink can influence our perception of various foods and beverages and the overall consumption experience. In the present study, we extended this line of research in order to investigate whether the consumer's perception of a hot beverage (namely hot chocolate) would be influenced by the color of the plastic vending cup from which it was served. To this end, 57 participants tasted four samples of hot chocolate from four cups of the same size but different color (red, orange, white and dark cream). The participants had to rate each sample of hot chocolate (two of which had been sweetened) on a number of sensory scales. The results revealed that orange (with a white interior) and dark-cream colored cups enhanced the chocolate flavor of the drink and consequently improved people's acceptance of the beverage. By contrast, sweetness and chocolate aroma were less influenced by the color of the cup, but the results still showed that the hot chocolate, when consumed from the dark-cream cup, was rated as sweeter and its aroma more intense.
These results are relevant to sensory scientists interested in how the brain integrates visual input (such as color), not only from the food itself, but also from the container, packaging or plateware from which it is being consumed. In addition, these results should hopefully help stimulate chefs, restaurateurs and those working in the food and beverage packaging sectors to think more carefully about the color of their plateware/packaging and its potential effects on their customers' perception of the taste/flavor of the products that they happen to be serving/delivering to market.
Transparent packages are pervasive in food consumption environments. Yet prior research has not systematically examined whether and how transparent packaging affects food consumption. The authors propose that transparent packaging has two opposing effects on food consumption: it enhances food salience, which increases consumption (salience effect), and it facilitates consumption monitoring, which decreases consumption (monitoring effect). They argue that the net effect of transparent packaging on food consumption is moderated by food characteristics (e.g., unit size, appearance). For small, visually attractive foods, the monitoring affect is low, so the salience effect dominates, and people eat more from a transparent package than from an opaque package. For large foods, the monitoring effect dominates the salience effect, decreasing consumption. For vegetables, which are primarily consumed for their health benefits, consumption monitoring is not activated, so the salience effect dominates, which ironically decreases consumption. The authors' findings suggest that marketers should offer small foods in transparent packages and large foods and vegetables in opaque packages to increase postpurchase consumption (and sales).
Despite the challenged contention that consumers serve more onto larger dinnerware, it remains unclear what would cause this and who might be most at risk. The results of five studies suggest that the neglected Delboeuf illusion may explain how the size of dinnerware creates two opposing biases that lead people to overserve on larger plates and bowls and underserve on smaller ones. A countercyclical sinus-shaped relationship is shown to exist between these serving biases and the relative gap between the edge of the food and the edge of the dinnerware. Although these serving biases are difficult to eliminate with attention and education, changing the color of one’s dinnerware or tablecloth may help attenuate them. By showing that the Delboeuf illusion offers a mechanistic explanation for how dinnerware size can bias serving and intake, we open new theoretical opportunities for linking illusions to eating behavior and suggest how simple changes in design can improve consumer welfare.
Our perception of food is affected by the sensory properties of the food itself, together with our expectations about the food and other contextual factors. The latter are especially relevant in the restaurant setting, where appearance factors, such as the presentation of the food on the plates can dramatically affect food liking and consumption. However, to date, not much emphasis has been placed on the effect of the appearance of the accessories on our perception of food.The aims of the present study were therefore to test the extent to which the appearance properties of the plate influence the taste/flavor experiences of the food served on it. Specifically, we investigated the influence of the color (black or white) and shape of the plate on the perception of flavor intensity, sweetness, quality, and liking for identical strawberry mousse desserts.The results demonstrated that while the color of the plate exerted a significant influence on people’s perception of the food, the shape of the plate did not. In particular, when the mousse was served from a white plate, it was perceived as significantly more intense and sweeter, and was also liked more.These results therefore demonstrate the importance of the color (if not the shape) of the plate on people’s perception of food.
Comparative (or zoological) psychology is concerned with the genesis (evolution and development), control, and consequences of a broad range of behavioral patterns. It emerged during the late 19th century with the concerns of Darwin, Romanes, Spalding, and others who studied the evolution of human minds and instincts. However, it has developed a functional autonomy. Comparative psychology deserves a place in the undergraduate curriculum for historical reasons and because modern comparative psychology provides a breadth of perspective on behavior unmatched elsewhere in psychology.
Previous research suggests that evening constitutes a high-risk environment that increases the probability of binge eating and purging. One possible explanation for this finding is that exposure to dimmer light promotes behavioral disinhibition, thus undermining self-regulatory control and adherence to one's dietary standards, resulting in the disinhibited eating that is the hallmark of bulimia. Two studies (n=245 and 156) tested the hypothesis that individual differences in preference for dimmer lighting while eating are directly associated with bulimic behavior in restrained eaters but unrelated to bulimic behavior in nonrestrained eaters. Undergraduates completed questionnaire measures of indoor lighting preferences, dietary restraint, bulimic behavior, and several other variables. Results of both studies showed that, as hypothesized, preference for dimmer light while eating correlated positively with bulimic behavior in restrained eaters (rs between 0.31 and 0.58) but was unrelated to bulimic behavior in nonrestrained eaters. Study 3 found that participants who reported clinically significant levels of bulimic symptomatology preferred dimmer lighting while eating than did participants who were identical in dietary restraint but whose bulimic symptomatology was not clinically significant. The discussion applies Carver and Scheier's [Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F., 1998. On the self regulation of behaviour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press] self-regulation theory to explain individual differences in lighting preference as they pertain to bulimia.
