Evolution of the Marshmallow

Just when you thought marshmallows had seen their better days...marshmallow sales are up $5 M in 2008. Still dwarfed by the billion dollar chocolate industry, but a growing market segment none the less and the candy industry is taking notice. This growth may be due a new trend that involves dressing marshmallows up to take back their rightful place among other sweet treats.

Some of the newest innovations are sold under the GudFud label and include marshmallows with chocolate drizzle atop known as Zebras and marshmallows stuffed with chocolate, grape, orange or other fruity jelly fillings. Products are said to be inspired by the Japanese mochi which is a rice cake stuffed with a sweet filling and are sold in brightly colored packaging rather than your traditional clear bag signifying an immediate difference in consumer use. They’re not just for baking anymore!

Then there’s Sweet & Sara that specializes in producing vegan marshmallows (made without gelatin). Who knew? Flavors include Simply Strawberry, Cinnamon Pecan, Toasted Coconut, and Vanilla. And of course there’s the Artisan gourmet marshmallow which you can find at retailers such as Dulce Del Rocio and Recchuiti Confections which sells a gourmet S’mores kit. S’mores without the campfire…now that’s what we’ve all been waiting for!

The history of the marshmallow is fascinating and dates back to Ancient Egypt when it was known as the candy of the Pharoahs. The rebirth of the marshmallow reflects a larger consumer food trends to return to comfort foods. Considering the life of the marshmallow thus far, I would say this trend has been a long time coming.
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Taste Test: Jell-O Mousse Temptations Consumers Give New Product Thumbs Up

LENEXA, KAN. - Nov. 18, 2009 - A recent independent taste panel of consumers finds the new Jell-o Mousse Temptations Chocolate Indulgence product to be worthy of purchase. Panelists were recruited at random to participate in this blind taste test.

PROS: This product definitely hits the sweet spot without overdoing it. The mousse has "just enough chocolate taste" without being overly rich or bitter. Panelists gave the product excellent marks for both taste and color attributes. Most could not believe the product was sugar free.

CONS: The most common complaint with this product was its texture. Testers generally found the product to be "light" and "airy" but would have liked the product to be "creamier" in texture. Another side note, the flavor was mistaken by some as dark chocolate.

While the product is marketed as an individual snack cup, many testers were already thinking outside the cup. Adding cheesecake as a topper, infusing the product with coffee flavored bits or chocolate bits, or possibly adding a layer of cherry or raspberry sauce in the middle were just a few of the ideas that came up.

Overall 92% of testers gave this product either a Good or Excellent rating. Not too bad for a 2.3 grams and under 60 calories of sin free (sugar free) chocolate bliss in a cup.

Other flavors include Dark Chocolate Decadence and Caramel Crème. These products can be found in the refrigerated section of your grocer.

Coke Turns the Page

Coca-Cola has announced it will offer a slimmer can size in 2010. The new slim can will hold a 90 calorie serving size in comparison to the regular size can which holds a 140 calorie serving size. This announcement comes after a similar one last week that Coca-cola will also start displaying soft drink calorie counts visibly on the front of all of its products.

This is a great step for Coca-Cola and a giant leap for the industry. Pending legislation to tax soft drinks as a result of the obesity crisis in America is likely to have forced Coca-Colas hand on this. But I say, so what? If beverage and snack companies who are seemingly being sought after as the scapegoats for the crisis are willing to change their ways, then why punish them?

Our primary concern here should be awareness and education, not money making (although that would be ideal). We cannot stop people from making the choice to smoke a pack a day or making the choice to drink a Coke with every meal and then some by imposing a “sin” tax. While tax increases on cigarettes may have impacted the number of smokers out there somewhat, municipal codes to regulate smoking in public have hands down made the most impact. And let’s be real here, are we going to stop serving Coke at McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant out there? No, never. My point is that a simple tax is not going to make a significant difference in changing the way Americans think.

There are some things money can’t buy including a person’s choice. But we can make the choices healthier. Let’s not sell consumers short by assuming they are not willing to make the switch to a healthier lifestyle on their own. If a person is living a healthy lifestyle, then they certainly deserve to have a Coke without paying a premium for it. By penalizing the beverage and snack industry, we are only creating hurdles for everyone involved—consumers and companies alike. We have to give companies a chance to step up and evolve before we condemn their products with hefty taxes. We have to stop and think about the repercussions of our actions in this legislation.

Coca-Cola employs some 200,000+ Americans and an estimated 3 million in supporting industries. By implementing a “sin” tax on the snack and beverage industry are we going to achieve the goal of changing people’s minds? Or are we going to achieve some unwanted outcome as a result such as jeopardizing jobs in the process? This simple tax is just not as simple as it seems.
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Co-Co Nuts!

Coconut water has come quite a long way in the five years since New York based One World Enterprises L.L.C. introduced their respective natural coconut water products. In fact, from 2008 to 2009, sales are projected to grow by $15 million. Even Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have invested in coconut water companies, probably with hopes to revitalize their Gatorade and Powerade products.

Companies like McCormick & Company are putting coconut recipes on their website, using it in soups, sorbets, and as an addition to fish. And Sabinsa Corp recently got the a-ok on using coconut water solids as a nutrient in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy, snack foods, gum, teas, coffees, and more.

With natural sweeteners, light flavor, natural electrolytes such as potassium magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and sodium, and low in calories…I wouldn’t think it would be long before we’re seeing coconut water as a major beverage or in drink ingredients on health store and convenience store shelves alike.
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Newest Food Trend Affects Food Texture

Increasing consumer demand for natural and unprocessed food products is creating a new challenge in food product development. Until now, food scientists have always been able to put texture development on the back burner, turning to it only after flavor has been fully optimized, but not anymore. This is because the range of “acceptable” ingredients typically used to manipulate and design texture is shrinking. Products that are gluten free, or have fiber added, are especially creating challenges for scientists.

With so much of our perception of taste coming from the texture of foods that we’re eating, it will be a challenge to create natural foods that still have a satisfying taste and texture. While many of us really want healthier products, I’m curious to see at what cost. How will consumers respond to the taste and texture differences in some of their favorite products? Will our demand for all-natural tortilla chips wane after we discover that they may never be as thin and light as a typical restaurant style tortilla chip? I think in order for all-natural foods to go completely mainstream, product developers may have to find a way to alter our palates’ not so much the texture of our foods.

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Scent Infusion: Food for Thought

I am imagining the future of the food industry, and I’m trying to decide where I think this jingle will fit in: “The best part of waking up is Folgers coffee infused flavoring in your cup...of water” What do you think? Can you see it? Or rather, can you smell it?

“Infusion Technology”, one of the new and upcoming trends that we’re really starting to hear about, is the idea that we can infuse products with scent in order to improve, enhance, or even just make seem more fresh, the flavors that we’re tasting. We’ve moved on from adding natural and artificial flavors to our food and beverage; now we’re adding the scent of flavors, in order to enhance taste.

With Studies showing that the human tongue only detects 4 basic taste sensations: Sweet, Sour, Bitter & Salty , and that everything else that we’re tasting comes from our sense of smell, it makes sense that we would want to enhance flavors, in order to be more fulfilled as consumers. Right?

Companies like ScentSational Technologies, who are at the forefront of the infusion technology trend, are working with companies like AriZona Tea to develop aroma enhanced packaging. They do this by adding specially engineered FDA approved food grade flavors within the structure of plastic packaging components at the time of manufacturing. The result is packaging that enhances the aroma profile of a product that improves the taste experience and builds a better connection between the consumer and the brand.

Another plus, ScentSational Technologies is working with companies to improve the nutritional value of products by adding aromas to replace the sugar, salt and oil content in many products. And I’m sure NASA is thanking their lucky stars that they’ve teamed up with ScentSational Technologies to enhance space food products’ flavor, aroma, and taste, there just aren’t a lot of fresh food options in Space.

There are some obvious pros to “smell technology”, but, let’s bring it back down to earth. At what point do we as consumers call it quits on the constant progression of processed foods? For now, I’ll take my Folgers ground from coffee beans.

Mouth Bacteria Boost Flavors

Bacteria that are naturally present in the mouth may delay the flavor response for some fruit, vegetables, and wines, according to a food research study from Swiss company, Firmenich.

They studied the effects of oral microflora on a series of sulfur-containing compounds found commonly in foods such as wine and fruit. They found that the compounds are transformed by the bacteria in the mouth, releasing a sulfuric odor that adds a second dimension to the flavor perception of food products.

Dr Starkenmann told FoodNavigator.com, “This is the first time we were able to prove that the mouth act[s] like a reactor and therefore we can modulate the odor perception. We are now able to make more authentic flavor systems, like in nature.”

The study also shows how critical saliva is, along with the enzymes, proteins, and bacteria it contains, and how important it is in taste and flavor perception.

“Saliva is produced in the mouth by three major glands, the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular, and by other minor glands,” explained the researchers. “Minor lingual saliva glands are crucial in taste perception because they irrigate taste buds. The role of saliva is to provide a coating on the mouth epithelium as a buffering system.”

The food research also has implications for halitosis, said Dr Starkenmann, a condition mainly due to the degradation of cysteine and methionine [both amino acids] coming from food proteins which stick between your teeth. He explained certain bacteria may produce bad odors, but now they know that these same bacteria also produce pleasant aromas.

How consumers sense food is crucial knowledge for a food industry constantly re-organizing the building blocks of food formulations.

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Low Fat and Low Salt May Mean Low Taste

Sensory research on cheese from France suggests that when you reduce sodium (salt) content of low-fat cheese it has a greater impact on the flavor than similar reductions from high fat cheese. Cheese is often cited as one of the main sources of salt sodium in the diet, and is a major part of a French diet as well as many Western diets, which is what made researchers in food research want to understand how best to reduce salt content in food without altering flavor perception.

Five cheeses were formulated with different dry matter, fat content, and salt content. Testing showed that fat played a major role in the release of aroma and the olfactory perception, while the perception of saltiness was not affected by the texture of the cheeses.

Writing in the journal Food Chemistry, scientists from the National Institute of Agronomical Research (INRA) reported, "Variations in salt content and sensory interactions therefore seem to have a greater impact on products with low fat content than on those with high-fat content."

Salt is of course a vital nutrient in the nutrition panel and is necessary for the body to function, but campaigners for salt reduction, like the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) consider the average daily salt consumption in the western world, between 10 and 12g, far too high and reference studies that connect high salt intake with blood pressure (hypertension), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) .

The pressure has been mounting on food manufacturers to reduce the salt content of their foods. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends six grams of salt per day as a more realistic target.

Food sensory research continues to seek the balance between healthy and tasty food formulations.

Sweetness By Any Other Name

The New York Times recently ran an article about Stevia, the latest competition in the $1.2-billion-a-year low-cal sweetener industry. An extract from the leaves of the stevia plant, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a food supplement in 1995, and then in December was given the green light to be added to food and beverage management.

Because it comes from a plant, marketers can call it a natural sweetener and package it in green, allowing companies to tap into two powerful markets through the nutrition panel at once: natural ingredients and low-calorie products.

Almost half of all American households use some kind of no-calorie sweetener, according to 2007 figures compiled by Packaged Facts, a market research firm. And the challenge is built around customer loyalty to their pink Sweet’N Low saccharin, blue Equal aspartame or yellow Splenda sucralose.

“The question is, do people feel strongly enough about a natural sweetener versus the sweeteners they have been using for however many years and have a strong affinity to, based on certain flavor profiles,” said Gary Karp, executive vice president of Technomic, a market research firm. It’s anybody’s guess, he said.

Their loyalty probably also comes from health claims of the various products, but researchers are now studying through foods research whether artificial sweeteners trigger a negative metabolic response that actually causes people to gain weight. In addition, saccharin was linked with cancer (until 2000), health advocates say sucralose can’t be easily processed by the body, and holistic health practitioners link aspartame to a host of conditions including neurological damage. In contrast, stevia extracts just haven’t been studied enough.

Now in an attempt to come closer to the taste of sugar, without the calories, manufacturers are blending sweeteners, sometimes with real sugar. Only proper food sensory research will be able to say if that will work for the consumer.

Adding Health Without Changing Flavor

Food Researchers at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne have found that an extract from seaweed could be used to increase the fiber content of foods normally thought of as “junk food”, such as cakes, burgers or any other type of food containing large amounts of fat and not many health benefits. And best of all, the flavor and mouthfeel would remain the same.

The highly-fibrous seaweed extract, alginate, is thought to be a valuable weapon in the international battle against obesity, diabetes and heart disease and diseases such as bowel cancer. Alginate is high in fiber and has already been proven to be palatable and safe, which is why it is already in widespread use by the food industry as a gelling agent, to reconstitute powdered foods.

One of the research team, Professor Jeff Pearson of Newcastle University’s Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, said: “We’re just not eating enough fiber, yet we need this to keep us healthy.” He adds that in order to consume the recommended daily amount of fiber people need, they have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which aren’t always on the top of people’s lists.

“We believe the most practical solution is to improve the food they do eat. With a burger, for example, you would simply remove some of the fat and replace it with the seaweed extract, which is an entirely natural product from a sustainable resource. You’d have a healthier burger and it’s unlikely to taste any different.” Of course, food sensory research would help to determine if there is any difference in taste perception.

“This compound can also be added to any number of foods. Bread is probably the best vehicle to reach the general population because most people eat it. Adding the seaweed extract could quadruple the amount of fiber in white bread.”

Food Temperature and Taste Perception

According to food sensory research done by Belgium's Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, microscopic channels in our taste buds (which they’ve called TRPM5) are responsible for different taste perception at different temperatures. They’ve found that the reaction in our taste buds is much more intense when the temperature of food or fluid is increased, sending a stronger electrical signal to the brain and resulting in an enhanced taste.

This explains why warm beer tastes more bitter and melted ice cream tastes sweeter, as well as why people who enjoy the bitter taste of coffee and tea drink ingredients like it better when hot.

"Interestingly, because ice cream is consumed cold, ice cream makers need to add considerable amounts of sugars or sweeteners in order to endow the product with the much rewarding sweet taste, in detriment of our health," the researchers in the sensory research explained.

But according to lead author Dr Karel Talavera and his colleagues, their findings could allow for the modification of the taste channel in order to achieve required tastes that could improve foods impact on our health.

"Taste perception could be modulated by adding something to the food that could enhance or inhibit the work of the TRPM5 channel … or by changing the temperature of food," said Dr Talavera. "Bitter taste inhibitors could also help fulfill the nutritional requirements of sensitive sectors of the population, such as children…[f]or example, many children do not like salads because of their bitter taste.”

Whether this would involve the use of new chemical formulations or just the development of new warm salads, for example, is left up to food business professionals and consultants, but this research helps point to exciting new possibilities for your company.

Serving Containers Can Affect Coffee Flavor

Scientist Live asked the question, “Does coffee in a flimsy cup taste worse than coffee in a more substantial cup?” Firms in Food Retailers like McDonalds and Starbucks spend millions of dollars every year on disposable packaging. The April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research may have the answer-- that trying to skimp in this area could negatively impact consumers' perceptions of taste and quality.

In a series of four sensory research experiments, researchers from the University of Michigan and Rutgers University found that many people do indeed judge a drink by its container before its drink ingredients. Specifically, the firmness of a cup seems to have an impact on consumer evaluations of the beverage contained inside.

Not everyone has the same sensitivity to touch, though, the researchers explain. So their first test in sensory research was to determine which participants were strong autotelics - the sort of people who like to touch things before they buy them - and which participants were not particularly inclined to touch products (low autotelics).

Participants then evaluated the feel of the cups--some while blindfolded, and some in a situation where they could both feel and see. The largest difference in ratings for firm vs. flimsy cups was among those most sensitive to touch while they were blindfolded and had nothing else to rely upon. But when asked about the taste, those who like to touch were less influenced by touch than those that don’t. Even when they just read about the containers, low autotelics expressed a willingness to pay more for a firm bottle of water, while high autotelics did not.

We’ve discussed how important touch is in packaging and that it often leads to buying. So it seems that whether you’re a touchy-feely type of person or not, you are likely to be influenced by the sense of touch.

Food Scent Can Boost Sense of Saltiness

Enhancing food products with certain aromas could compensate for the impact on taste from reducing their salt content, according to a new study. This could give manufacturers another tool towards healthier product formulation.

The excess consumption of salt (salt sodium chloride) has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular problems like strokes. The majority of salt consumed has been found not in home-cooking, but ‘hidden’ in manufactured food products by Food Retailers. So the food industry is under considerable pressure to reduce sodium chloride (salt) content of its offerings, while still delivering products that have an acceptable taste to consumers.

Researchers in foods research from INRA in Dijon, France, working in cooperation with Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, set out to investigate the interaction between odor and saltiness. Their results indicate that when a consumer expects a certain flavor, the perception of saltiness is enhanced. The change in taste perception is thought to come about through odor.

After two experiments, the research team observed that the effect of odors on enhancing saltiness was especially pronounced in simple water solutions that contained just a small amount of salt. This sounds much healthier in the long run, and most likely inexpensive to accomplish.

The researchers indicated that odor-induced taste enhancement might also be used to compensate for the taste of fat and sugar content in foods formulated along healthier lines. For instance, butter or cream odor could enhance the perception of creaminess. But they add a caveat: “Sugar and fat are known to highly influence texture and mouthfeel of food products. Therefore, all sensory aspects of food products reduced in salt, sugar and fat need to be addressed, to reformulate food products that would be acceptable to consumers.”

Taste for Survival

In a recent issue of Current Biology, authors Paul Breslin and Alan Spector (of Monell Chemical Senses Center and Florida State University respectively) offer an overview of recent advances in the field of taste perception.

They tell us there are five generally accepted taste qualities that are associated with different classes of compounds (although some animals may possess more or less) shown by taste test. These are:
• Sweet - associated with simple carbohydrates (sugar)
• Umami (savory) - generated by amino acids and small peptides
• Salty - associated with sodium and other ions
• Sour - generated by acids
• Bitter - stimulated by potential toxins, like plant alkaloids

food research and development show that taste is so critical that humans who lose their sense of taste, such as after radiotherapy, often will not eat.

"Thus, while we may tend to take the sense of taste for granted relative to our other sensory modalities, its significance for health and quality of life should not be trivialized," wrote Breslin and Spector.

They explain that compounds are first organized into perceptual classes by the taste receptor cells. Once the cells are activated, they stimulate taste bud cells and the neural fibers connected to them. These are then channeled through the brain in to be sifted through perceptual and behavioral filters.

The identification of chemical stimuli might serve as clues for the consequences of digestion. In nature, what an animal digests both in the short-term and over a lifetime has consequences for their very survival.

For humans, it may not be far from the case as well. Today with product reformulations to reduce salt or fat content to protect our long-term health, it’s important to know how nutrients impact taste, and how to get the consumer to enjoy what’s good for them. Learn more about Taste Perception in sensory food!

Mouthfeel - Sensations of Coolness Enhance Flavor

Scientists in food research have found that adding an ingredient that creates a sensation of cooling in the mouth could boost the perception of fruit flavors.

How consumers sense food is crucial knowledge for the food industry. This new sensory research looked at how flavor perception and acceptance was affected by chemesthesis, the chemical stimulation of free nerve endings which results in sensations such as cooling (like from menthol) or hot (like from pepper).

Trained panelists through food research and developement evaluated flavor, aroma, color and cooling intensity of two drinks containing an odorless, tasteless cooling compound. One drink was colored green and given a melon aroma and the other colored purple and given a pineapple aroma with drink ingredients.

The researchers report that color was in no way related to how the panelists perceived flavor or cooling intensity, while the aromas were found to enhance the cooling intensity, and the presence of the coolant found to enhance the flavor (of the tasteless compound).

It was interesting to the researchers that cooling seemed to enhance flavor perception, while the sensation of “hotness” had been reported to reduce flavor perception.

"One reason for this phenomenon could be that cooling is perceived as a positive sensation," they said. "If perceived as positive then perhaps this is why cooling enhances flavor to encourage consumption."

This study may indicate that color has a more marked impact on pre-consumption where there may be an indication of flavor identity and expectation.

"Furthermore, understanding how the brain learns to associate sensation from different stimuli may help to develop strategies to encourage the population to learn to like reduced salt, sugar or fat products."

Taste is a key driver in the $4.2 trillion dollar global food industry and a greater understanding of the physiology of consumers, could lead to strong market advantages—especially for those with the right food business consultant!

Take the Time to Smell the ... Food?

Researchers in food research have investigated how quickly odors are evaluated—if a quick sniff has a different response than something that is smelled repeatedly, or over a longer period of time. Their sensory research experiments revealed that more time led to a more in-depth evaluation.

"I would say that people may be making decisions about the identity and perhaps even the hedonic quality of food flavors and aromas more quickly than previously thought," study leader Alan Gelperin explained.

Gelperin and his colleagues used trained mice to discover whether longer exposure to an odor would result in more accurate identification of that odor. The results indicated that the mice needed extra time to accurately identify more complex odors.

"The well-trained mouse needs almost half a second to solve a difficult olfactory discrimination task," said lead author Dmitry Rinberg.

"The development of colour television was based on extensive studies of visual sensory processing. Modern MP3 players are built based on a deep knowledge about properties of our hearing capabilities," said Rinberg. "Similarly, increased knowledge of olfactory processing has the obvious potential to open many doors, perhaps including development of electronic olfactory systems."

Electronic noses are used commercially to detect odor molecules, saving costs through their ability to detect the quality of products such as detecting the flavors of different kinds of cheese, sniffing the quality of wine and coffee, and detecting fishy seafood before it gets to the consumer.
Of course, researchers admit that previous experience and the motivational state of the participant have an effect on how the aroma information is processed.

But the decision about how to encourage consumers to take the time to get an adequate sample of an aroma is up to marketing departments or a creative and experienced food business consultant, who can help develop a strategy that works for your company.

Please Squeeze the Charmin

In an earlier post, we mentioned once a consumer touches a product, it increases the likelihood of its sale. Now researchers are saying that touching a product also increases the amount of money customers are willing to pay for the item, and that even imagining how it feels can have a positive affect on sales.

A recent article from Time Magazine explains why "Don't Squeeze the Charmin" might have been the worst marketing message of all-time:

“According to a new study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of
Consumer Research, consumers who touch products in the aisles will pay more
money for them than those who keep their hands off the merchandise. So in the 21
years Procter & Gamble ran the iconic television advertisements for its
Charmin toilet paper brand, Mr. Whipple, the uptight grocer with a secret
squeezing fetish, should have encouraged his bubbly shoppers to fondle
away.”

Behavioral economists have labeled this phenomenon the "endowment effect" which posits that consumers value a product more once they own it. "When you touch something, [it] stirs up an emotional reaction - 'yeah, I like the feel of it, this can be mine',” says Suzanne Shu, a marketing professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, and co-author of the study. “And that emotion can cause you to buy something you never would have bought if you hadn't touched it." Joann Peck, a marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin's business school and the study's other co-author, describes herself as an expert in haptics, the science of touch. "Touching something gives you that little sense of control," she says, "and that alone can increase your feeling of ownership."

Just another way in which Sensory Research can help you gain an edge over the competition.

Taste Tests 101: Remember the Pepsi Challenge?

For most people in America, the mention of a taste test probably brings to mind one of the most publicized taste-test/marketing hybrids ever: “The Pepsi Challenge”—a campaign from 1975 that was so popular it has since become part of American pop culture.

Here’s how the taste test worked: a Pepsi representative would set up a table at a mall, shopping center, Food Retailers, or other public location, with two blank cups: one containing Pepsi and one with Coca-Cola. Passersby were encouraged to taste both colas, and then select which drink they preferred. Then the representative would reveal the two bottles so the taster could see which they had chosen and discover, often with surprise and laughter, whether they preferred Coke or Pepsi. The results of the test leaned toward a consensus that Pepsi was preferred by more Americans.

There are two types of blind taste tests. The Pepsi Challenge is an example of a single blind test, meaning that any information that could introduce bias or otherwise skew the results are hidden from the participants, but the experimenter will be in full possession of the facts.

The other type is a double-blind test, which is more controlled in an attempt to eliminate any bias by not letting anyone -- researchers or subjects --know who is part of the control group and who is part of the experimental group . Only after all the data have been recorded (and in some cases, analyzed) do the researchers of the sensory research learn which individuals are which. Performing an experiment in double-blind fashion is a way to lessen the influence of the prejudices or unintentional physical cues on the results, including the placebo effect, observer bias, and experimenter's bias.

But this is just a small part of what Sensory Research can offer to you and your company today.

Sensual Eating Creates Exquisite Dining Experiences

When patrons dine in a restaurant or Food Retailers they carefully choose what they want to eat and eagerly await for its arrival to the table. It is to wise to make sure that all of the human senses are stimulated in order to provide the best overall dining experience through food and beverage management. Food must taste delicious, be great smelling, and presented in such a way that it is pleasing to the eye.

Excitement and satisfaction while dining can be stimulated when chefs prepare food attractively on the plate. Bold and bright colors help patrons pay attention to food creations and allow for a more pleasurable eating experience. It has been found that the colors of drinks from the drink ingredients are not exempt from the senses of the eye. According to the Journal of Consumer Research, "Two items that tasted the same but were different colors were perceived as more distinct in taste than two items that actually tasted different but were the same color. We found no difference in how much taste difference people expected, which suggests that the color influence is perceptual.”

Tasting foods is just one of the payoffs in sensual eating. Flavor is the most powerful sense that you can experience while eating. Food taste variations are seemingly endless. Tasting food interacts together with the sense of smell and can bring great pleasure to the eating experience. Because the sense of smell is tied directly to the sense of taste, people begin their enjoyment of food flavors even before any food is consumed.

Some of our senses are wildly ignored during the food creation process. Senses can further be stimulated by the sounds that you experience while eating. A crisp sound of a carrot being eaten will sound differently than the sounds created by eating something soft or creamy. The sense of touch can be stimulated by the different textures that are created as well.

An experienced food consultant will help you see how mindful and sensual eating experiences will stimulate the eyes, nose, mouth and ears of your customers.

Tasteful Research

Within the past few years, identification of receptors for sweet, bitter and umami (savory) tastes have led to new insights regarding how taste functions. This could lead to ways to manipulate the perception of taste in order to fool the mouth into the perception that something sour, such as some medicines or health products, tastes sweet.

Contrary to popular understanding, taste is not experienced on different parts of the tongue. Though there are small differences in sensation, which can be measured with highly specific instruments, all taste buds, essentially clusters of 50 to 100 cells, can respond to all types of taste.

Taste reactions have important purposes that go beyond “tasty” or “yucky”. Pleasurable emotional responses like the comforting feeling of certain foods are as important as the critical life-dependent response that causes a person to spit out a bitter potential toxin.

Author Paul A S Breslin, a sensory research scientist at the Monell Center, explained: "For all mammals, the collective influence of taste over a lifetime has a huge impact on pleasure, health, well-being, and disease. Taste's importance to our daily lives is self-evident in its metaphors - for example: the 'sweetness' of welcoming a newborn child, the 'bitterness' of defeat, the 'souring' of a relationship, and describing a truly good human as the 'salt' of the earth."

Over time, consumers develop a set of cues that we then use to make inferences about products, but this set of beliefs can also make it difficult for people to learn and recognize other real, positive qualities that are indicated by the same cues, reveals a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Sensory research weighs the physiological as well as the psychological and emotional responses in order to provide the information you need to make your product a success.

Do Organic Foods Taste Better?

A number of food research studies have asked this question, and most have found that it has a lot to do with the preconceived notions of those tasting the product, and ultimately, the ability to taste before buying.

In 2002, a research study found that organic orange juice was perceived as tasting better than conventional orange juice, but no differences were found between organic and conventional milk.

The State of the Science Review asked in 2006, “Do organic fruits and vegetables taste better than conventional fruits and vegetables?”. After reviewing the existing literature, they found that most studies reported “no consistent or significant differences in taste.” But when studies did report differences, the preference was for the organic produce.

Then, in 2007 a sensory research study was done about organic meats using pork as a basis. They found that overall, participants had a positive association with the terms “organic” and “natural,” associating “all-natural” with animal welfare, higher quality feed, and a lack of preservatives or chemicals.

But interestingly, participants had different preconceived notions of how all-natural food would taste compared to its nutriton panel. Group one in the taste test associated good flavor and texture with the all-natural product, but group two associated the leaner and less flavorful sample with the all-natural product, probably assuming if it’s good for you , it can’t possibly taste good too. Still, the majority of participants said they were willing to pay more for the all-natural pork once they had tasted it.

Sensory Research offers valuable insights for food companies, allowing them to discover just how to market their products for the best possible success.

Packaging Offers Tactile and Sound cues

Touch
Interesting and differently shaped packages can act as both visual and tactile cues, inviting shoppers to reach out and touch the package at their Food Retailers. And once a consumer has the product in his or her hands, the likelihood of them then putting it into their basket increases exponentially.
Embossing or other printing techniques can be used on any surface, etching or 3D-designs on glass bottles or jars, rough finishes on paperboard packaging, or molded plastic containers are a few ways food packagers can incorporate texture.

Sound
Sound cues like the pop of a seal as it breaks, or the click of a closure snapping shut, can enhance the user’s experience of the product.

Belinda Winder, consumer psychologist and senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, England says, “We’re playful, curious creatures. We like to make sounds, and we like feedback, so if you can incorporate a sound into a package, consumers will respond”.
Package sounds can be powerful mood stimulators. A classic is the pop of a champagne cork. Another is the opening sound of a beverage-can pull ring. “There’s a feeling that goes with that,” Winder says. “Poof! I’m going to get my drink now. The moment of relaxation has started with that sound.”

The significance of a sound sometimes becomes apparent only after a packaging change, as in the case of the peanut marketer that switched from a steel can to a composite can a few years ago. The steel can made a whooshing sound when opened, and research revealed that consumers heard the whoosh as a freshness cue. After making the switch for cost reasons, the brand’s sales dove, and though they can’t prove it, they suspect the loss of the whooshing sound had something to do with it.

Sensory Research pays!

Packaging Shapes Offer Subconscious Connection

Continuing from our previous post, we can expand upon the effects of packaging.

food research and development have shown that shoppers make more than two-thirds of their buying decisions at the Food Retailers itself, which means that packaging is likely the determining factor in sales. When the shape of the package distinguishes it from other products and reinforces what the product promises to deliver, there is a better chance of the product moving from the shelf to the shopping cart.

Shape communicates instantly - no reading required - and it helps to create memorable and recognizable branding. Using curves, sharp edges, slopes, tapers, panels, ridges, etc., packages can non-verbally communicate the desired brand imagery.

Anthropomorphism, or package shapes that mimic the appearance of people, connects with the unconscious mind of the customers. A great example is a product that’s no longer available in this packaging, but lives on in the memories of the boomer generation, is the Aunt Jemima Syrup bottle. The package depicted the brand’s namesake, right down to her facial features, in amber glass with a yellow screw top. If you can picture that bottle, you know its effect on you.

Recent examples in this food research include Crosse & Blackwell’s Waistline foods in the U.K., who reinforce their weight-control message with a distinctive hourglass-shaped can; Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal box is not as thick as others, emphasizing the idea that the product helps the customer be slim; and Tab Energy, a Coca-Cola low-calorie energy drink for women, is tall and slender compared with standard soda cans. (And it is actually smaller, holding 10.5 oz. rather than 12 oz.).

Sensory Research helps to ensure that every possible aspect is taken into account to create success for your product.

Visual Cues – The Influence of Labels on Taste Perception

In our previous post, we mentioned a sensory research study that showed that test subjects were more influenced by the appearance of a brand label than they were by the actual taste of the product. This indicates another level of visual cue beyond the color and appearance of the food itself that affects people’s preference.

Some marketers would say that color is the most important of all the visual cues a package incorporates. Consumers have only seconds to make a purchasing decision in the supermarket, and color registers much faster than text or complex graphics.

Colors trigger psychological connections to emotional states, so they need to make the right connection for the product and the brand. You’ll notice that in some parts of the grocery store, like the cereal or the candy aisles, the colors on the packages are bright and bold, conveying a sense of energy and fun. But products designed for a more sophisticated consumer, such as wine and gourmet items, dipping oils and tapenades, need to appeal on a different level, with colors that convey flavor and distinction.

Package color is influenced by food trends, as well. Though historically, green was rarely used on food packaging, (perhaps because of an association with mold?), it has become a popular color for products that want to reflect a healthy or environmentally friendly message. Blue is still used mainly for milk and water.

Additional visual cues include other graphic design elements such as typefaces, logos and illustrations or photos. These components combine to communicate the brand’s image, and do so even more within the completed design.

Finding the right food consultants means gaining a teammate and a valuable food business resource to help make sure that all of these factors are taken into account with your product.

Tasting with your Eyes

“For thousands of years human beings have relied on visual cues to help determine what is edible. The color of fruit suggests whether it is ripe, the color of meat whether it is rancid.”
-Excerpt taken from Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation

According to nutritionists and the nutrition panel, naturally color-vibrant foods serve an important role in keeping us healthy and even reducing cancer risks. Antioxidants and phytochemicals, which are found in fruits in vegetables, have been noted to significantly reduce cancer risks. Beta carotine and lycopene can help protect cells from damage.

But color may have a greater influence on our perception than that. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research entitled, “Taste Perception: More than Meets the Tongue,” it showed that though brand name influenced people's preferences for one cup of juice over another, labeling one cup a premium brand and the other an inexpensive store brand had no effect on perceptions of taste. What did make a difference was the tint of the orange juice.

Given two cups of the same Tropicana orange juice, with one cup darkened with food coloring, the members of the researcher's sample group perceived differences in taste that did not exist. However, when given two cups of orange juice that were the same color, with one cup sweetened with sugar, the same people failed to perceive taste differences.

As the authors put it: "Color dominated taste."

Eric Schlosser talks about another color experiment in his book Fast Food Nation. “During one experiment in the early 1970s people were served an oddly tinted meal of steak and french fries that appeared normal beneath colored lights. Everyone thought the meal tasted fine until the lighting was changed. Once it became apparent that the steak was actually blue and the fries were green, some people became ill.”

This is why Sensory Research is so much more than simply taste testing, and why it is vital for any successful food business.

Testing Aroma and Taste Perception

Our perception of how something tastes is actually a combination of flavor, aroma and texture. But aromas not only enhance flavor, they can also enhance mood. Scientists as early as the 1920s noticed mood-enhancing effects from aromas such as cinnamon and clove. Then in 2005 two scientists presented psycho-physical, neuro-imaging and neurophysiological studies showing that odor and taste are indeed "functionally united [while] anatomically separated."

In an article on Food Processing.com, Jeffrey Kondo, vice president of product innovation for Dairy Management Inc./DMI, tells us that"Sensory analysis is a critical step in innovation to give consumers the products they want, where, when and how they want them". DMI supports a pilot sensory lab at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C.

"There are many modern instruments designed for sensory analysis, but nothing matches the human instrument for its complexity, intensity and sophistication of detection,” explains MaryAnne Drake, an Associate Professor of Sensory and Flavor Chemistry in the University’s Department of Food Science. “Sensory research is critical. Knowledge of consumer desires and perceptions and the sensory properties of existing competitor products can influence the breadth, depth and success of a product line."

"The key for companies considering sensory testing is, what specific questions are you trying to answer? Do you want to understand the impact of substituting a new ingredient? Would you like to know how your product stacks up against a competitor’s products? Different questions require different kinds of sensory testing, different objectives and different timelines," Drake adds.

Aroma and taste are inseparable qualities of food. You cannot ignore one while relying on the other to sell your product. Knowing that the most sophisticated instrument for detecting aromas is the human nose, and ultimately the customers we want to please are the very same humans, sensory research makes complete sense as an investment for your food business.

Why Use Sensory Research?

Sensory research can provide essential insight into the reaction of consumers about any type of food product. There are generally three types of testing:

• Effective testing — a comparison of facts (objective data) between two or more products — generally requires a trained panel.

• Affective, or consumer testing — gathers opinions (subjective data) from large numbers of untrained, prospective consumers. Smaller focus groups may also be used in consumer testing.

• Perception testing — using biochemical and psychological theories to explain sensory preferences.

Applying modern statistical analysis to the data gathered by different forms of testing offers a wealth of information about consumer behavior and the potential acceptance or rejection of products.

Sensory research, evaluation and analysis are in high demand, for their use of scientific discipline employing a number of tools that are usually considered subjective and difficult to interpret--especially the human senses--taste, texture, mouth feel, aroma, appearance-- all are scored on a numerical scale to generate data for statistical analysis.

The objective is to evaluate consumer products in an unbiased manner in order to gain insight about how your product will be accepted by your target audience, the ones who’ll make it or break it.

Recently Food Processing.com asked Marino Trevola about his use of sensory research as Project Leader for Food R&D at Alberto-Culver Co., the makers of Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning. “It’s the best way to find out how well a new idea will be received,” he said. According to Trevola, data gathered from sensory research is essential not only to the development of new products, but also to the successful extension of a well-established line.

No food business owner can afford to be wrong when creating a new product. It pays to gather unbiased data in the form of sensory research.

Taste Preference Linked To Early Childhood Food Experiences And Specific Human Gene

In a recent food research study from the University of Birmingham in England it was found that babies that were weaned onto certain types or colors of foods tend to want those foods in the future.

Parents of children will likely attest to the fact that children will often reject foods, without even a taste test, when they look unfamiliar. The studies show that babies need to be exposed to a wide array of foods in the formative years. Including fruits and vegetables are a must as they will increase their taste appeal in the future, which will result in a overall healthier lifestyle.

According to Dr. Gillian Harris, a clinical psychologist at the University of Birmingham, "Where possible, parents should give their children the same food that they are eating provided it is a balanced diet containing fruit and vegetables, to introduce them to new colours, textures and shapes."

Taste is the most important factor in the global food industry and food trends. Scientists now believe that how an individual perceives taste comes down to a single gene. According to Paul Breslin at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, "Our paper shows that a single gene codes for multiple forms of a taste receptor, with each form having a differing sensitivity to taste compounds." Understanding how the specific gene works could provide certain advantages in the food industry.

Putting the gene pool debate aside, different people have different taste preferences. Some people enjoy sweet, while others prefer salt sodium taste or bitter tasting foods. Sensory Research and an experienced food consultant will help your business find what food items consumers are truly interesting in receiving.

What is Sensory Research?

Sensory Research involves testing the affects of products on the five senses. For a food business consultancy, you might think that this means simply giving “taste tests”. While this is an integral part of the process, you may be surprised to discover just how much power the remaining four senses have when one is determining whether or not a product or dish appeals to them.

Sight
Taste perception can be affected by differences in appearance—including the color and the presence of a brand label. Presentation is also important—if something is just slopped on a plate, it will seem much less appetizing than something with garnish and a sense of design. Color psychologists have found that there are even color preferences that run along cultural and demographic lines.

Scent
Scent and taste are very closely linked physiologically. If something smells good, you will expect that it will taste good, even before it reaches your mouth. But if there is an unpleasant smell, it will taint the taste experience. Scent also evokes emotions and memories, which can be useful in marketing and branding a signature dish or style.

Touch
In the context of food business research, this mostly has to do with the texture of a food, which has a huge affect on how much the dish will be liked. But tactile sensations can be extended into the space a restaurant will occupy as well.

Sound
Music played in restaurants creates a mood, as does the music used in advertising on television and radio. It can also have an affect on test subjects during sensory research.

Be sure to choose a consultant with industry experience who can work in conjunction with your brand image for targeted culinary product development.