To Örebro University

For the sake of both the environment and human health, it is necessary to reduce meat consumption. However, increased consumer adoption of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) will only occur when such products are attractive. PBMAs with meat-like sensory attributes and those that can be cooked similarly to meat are known to be preferred, but the preference for meat-likeness varies depending on the consumer's attitude towards meat. This study determined the relationship between consumers' level of meat attachment (MA) on their sensory perceptions of and preference for commercial PBMAs, and their drivers of liking. MA was measured by the Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ); consumers with either low or high MA (LMA and HMA, respectively) were invited to participate in the study (n = 99). The sensory characteristics of seven PBMAs were evaluated using a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) questionnaire, along with an ideal profile and product hedonics. Consumers with LMA had significantly higher overall, aroma, and taste liking, compared with consumers with HMA. Both LMA and HMA consumers similarly discriminated among the sensory properties of PBMAs and the ideal profile. Nevertheless, a further adapted penalty analysis showed subtle differences in consumers' penalisation of sensory attributes depending on MA level. These findings could be used for future research and the development of PBMAs based on consumers' MA; they could also be extended for application in a meal context where the PBMAs are consumed.

This paper discusses a Multiagent System architecture and its supporting concepts and technical implementation for food-producing systems. The Food and Beverages industry is in dire need of embracing more advanced industrial digitization practices to be able to meet immediate sustainability requirements. One such challenge is improving and optimizing resource utilization. A more rationalized use of raw materials, production processes and machinery is a key aspect of the latter. At the same time, food is still produced, in many instances, in a very traditional way, particularly when it comes to ingredient selection. The architecture introduced in this paper has the ambition of articulating the supply and demand of food products based in the technical characteristics of food (e.g., composition, nutritional content and value, processing efficiency, and taste profiles) instead of the more traditional characteristics. To that end, the paper introduces, among other key concepts, the notion of the Digital Food Identity Card as an active digital document that stores such technical information and the notion of Dynamic Recipe as an active software entity with the dynamic capability of adjusting production parameters in a recipe to market conditions, as well as coordinating the resources included in the execution of a industrial food recipe. Both concepts are modeled as agents and part of the proposed architecture. Finally, the paper provides a formal grammar for a domain specific language, that can be used by human specialists to define a dynamic recipe and be simultaneously interpreted by Dynamic Recipe Agents to enact the behaviours previously described. The domain specific language is an integral part of the architecture, together with the agent-based formulation, and an important link in creating an effectively data-oriented way of articulating different stake-holder concerns. The proposed solution is informed by requirements elicited within domain experts and sustainability targets that food-producing companies currently must adhere to.

A novel integrated process for recovery of protein-enriched biomasses from 5% presalting brines and spice brines of herring (Clupea harengus) was investigated by combining carrageenan-and/or acid-driven flocculation (F) plus dissolved air flotation (DAF). The F-DAF technique with carrageenan resulted in protein and lipid recoveries from 5% presalting brine of 78 and 38%, respectively. Without flocculation or with only acidification, protein and lipid recoveries in DAF were only 13 and 10%, respectively. Low protein and lipid recoveries, 8-12 and 1.8-8.2%, respectively, were also obtained when spice brine was subjected to only acidification and DAF. The protein content in dry biomasses from 5% presalting brine and spice brine was 36-43 and 13- 16%, respectively. The corresponding lipid levels were 23-31 and 9-18%, respectively, with ash levels of 11-20 and 38-45%, respectively. Biomass proteins contained <45% essential amino acids, and the lipids had <16% long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Freeze-dried spice brine biomasses were characterized by anchovy-and spice-related sensory attributes. 5% presalting brine biomasses were connected to fish and seafood attributes and showed gel forming capacity. The outlined F-DAF recovery system can thus recover both nutrients and interesting flavors from the herring process waters, which are currently lost from the food chain.

Textural properties play an essential role in the development of food products. The complexity of textural attributes has been traditionally overcome with extensive panelist training and the use of generic descriptive analysis. A better understanding on the use of rapid methods with naive consumers to evaluate texture attributes in complex food products is still needed. The present study aimed to investigate the (i) role of different continuous phases and particle properties (i.e., size and hardness) on the mouthfeel perception of root vegetable purees and (ii) the effect of panel expertise (sensory experts vs. naive consumers) using Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA). The study included six purees made of two different continuous phase (based on Jerusalem artichoke which is rich in inulin and, parsnip which is rich in starch) and three types of beetroot particles (raw, cooked, and comminuted beetroot). Results showed that both panels were able to discriminate and profile in a similar manner. However, sensory experts showed higher ability to discriminate between samples regarding the particle's attributes whereas consumer's sample discrimination was influenced by attributes such as "ease of swallow" and "creaminess." For the expert panel, the presence of hard particles was a clear factor driving the differences between samples. Our results highlighted the contribution of both continuous and dispersed phases to design the texture profile of particulate semisolid plant-based foods.

Macroalgae are a rich source of dietary fibre, protein, lipids and bioactives. However, more research is needed to understand how processing methods impact macroalgae techno-functional properties. In this work, aqueous suspensions of the fibre-rich brown algae Laminaria digitata were prepared by conventional food processing methods. The impact of sequence of processing steps (thermal and mechanical treatments), and heating time (15, 30 and 45 min), on volatile aroma composition were investigated. Changes in volatile composition were monitored with headspace GC-FID/MS analysis. Our results showed that both parameters impacted the volatiles profile of the suspensions. From an overall volatile perspective, short heating times (90 degrees C for 15 min) led to similar profiles, independently of the sequence of thermal and mechanical treatments. However, longer heating times induced a larger release of several aldehydes, specific for each processing method. Our results bring new insights on the volatile composition of suspensions of Laminaria digitata, which are related to flavour properties, and aid design of food products containing seaweed.

Root vegetables have unique techno-functional and nutritional properties however, their use in processed foods is limited to a few species, partially due to a lack of knowledge related to the impact of thermal treatments on the sensory properties. This study investigated the effect of steaming and boiling on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and sensory profile of three model root vegetables with distinct carbohydrate composition: Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and beetroot (Beta vulgaris). Thermally treated Jerusalem artichoke and parsnip showed higher content of cell wall polysaccharides, particularly β-glucans (e.g. cellulose) and pectic components, compared to raw. Steaming produced more cell shrinkage and loss of cell-cell adhesion than boiling, leading to softer vegetables. Processed beetroot showed loss of cell turgor and drastic softening but not clear changes in overall carbohydrate content. The scores for several flavour and in-mouth attributes were higher for steamed vegetables compared to boiled. Our results give insights on the processability of root vegetables towards products with enhanced sensory and nutritional properties.

Encouraging consumers to reduce their meat consumption is imperative in mitigating climate change effects related to the food industry. For some, transitioning away from meat may be facilitated by meat substitutes. However, these are not always accepted as suitable alternatives to meat due to a combination of psychological, situational, and sensorial aspects. The influence of factors such as cooking ability on hedonics and sensory discrimination of meat and meat substitutes is currently under-researched. The present study investigated such effects. Consumers (N = 101) of varying cooking ability and food neophobia (measured using questionnaires) tasted and evaluated six mince products (one beef and five meat substitutes - three soybean-based, one mycoprotein-based, and one oat-based) prepared in a Bolognese sauce. They rated liking for overall, appearance, aroma, taste/flavour, and texture, and profiled the products sensorially using check-all-that-apply (CATA). It was found that meat substitutes can be liked just as much as, if not more than, beef in the application of Bolognese sauce. No main effects of cooking ability were found for any modality of liking, though an interaction between cooking ability and sample was found for liking of flavour/taste. Consumers' ability to sensorially discriminate between the Bolognese sauces was not dependent on their cooking ability. Several attributes that contributed to (dis)liking were identified. An additional online sample (N = 288) completed only the cooking ability and food neophobia questionnaires. A negative relationship was detected between cooking ability and food neophobia for the combined consumer and online datasets (total N = 389).

Swallowing disorders affect approximately 8% of the global population. It is more prevalent in the elderly, leading to malnutrition and dehydration. Different strategies have been investigated to design new texture-modified food products that would reduce or mitigate the suffering from these swallowing disorders. Despite the recent interest and research in this area, there are, however, still a lot of unknowns regarding the specific sensory insights by this targeted group. The aim of this work was to understand if the ease of swallow and related sensory characteristics are perceived differently by "young" and "elderly" healthy individuals. Broccoli purees with different textural properties were created by changing the fluid component (water or xanthan solution) or processing conditions. Samples were evaluated by an elderly panel (n = 19, average age = 68.9 years) and a young panel (n = 16, average age = 25.4 years). Multivariate data analysis strategies were used to understand the intrapanel sample discrimination and to compare between panels. Results showed a similar overall discrimination between samples between young and elderly panels. The use of xanthan improved the ease of swallow in both age groups. In the absence of xanthan gum, processing conditions determined the ease of swallow, which was related to the particle size distribution. Nevertheless, small differences were found between panels. For example, the elderly panel was more sensitive when discriminating samples based on the ease of swallow (p = .005). Therefore, panelist age seems to be relevant when designing tailored foods enhancing the ease of swallow for the elderly populations.

Bouillon cubes are a staple ingredient used in Sub-saharan African countries providing flavor enhancement to savory foods. Bouillon has been identified as a vehicle for fortification to overcome micronutrient deficiencies in Sub-saharan Africa. However, bouillon has a high sodium content (and in addition with other foods) contributes to dietary sodium intake above recommended guidelines. High dietary sodium intake is a key risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Africa has the highest rates of hypertension and CVD globally with nearly half the adult population above 25 years affected. This review presents current state of research on sodium reduction strategies in bouillon. The key challenge is to reduce sodium levels while maintaining optimal flavor at the lowest possible production cost to ensure bouillon continues to be affordable in Sub-saharan Africa. To produce lower sodium bouillon with acceptable flavor at low cost will likely involve multiple sodium reduction strategies; direct reduction in sodium, sodium replacement and saltiness boosting flavor technologies. Efforts to reduce the sodium content of bouillon in Sub-saharan Africa is a worthwhile strategy to: (i) lower the overall sodium consumption across the population, and (ii) deliver population-wide health benefits in a region with high rates of hypertension and CVD. Copyright © 2022 Archer, Cochet-Broch, Mihnea, Garrido-Bañuelos, Lopez-Sanchez, Lundin and Frank.

The continuous increase of online data with consumers' and experts' reviews and preferences is a potential tool for sensory characterization. The present work aims to overview the Swedish beer market and understand the sensory fingerprint of Swedish beers based on text data extracted from the Swedish alcohol retail monopoly (Systembolaget) website. Different multivariate strategies such as heatmaps, correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to understand the sensory space of the different beer styles. Additionally, sensory space for specific hop cultivars was also investigated. Results highlighted Gothenburg as the main producing area in Sweden. The style Indian Pale Ale (IPA) is the largest available at the retail monopoly. From a sensory perspective, commonalities and differences were found between beer types and styles. Based on the aroma description, different types of ale and lager can cluster together (such as Porter and Stout and Dark lagers). Additionally, an associative relationship between specific aromas and hop cultivars from text data information was successfully achieved.