0000000000113965
AUTHOR
Susana Fiszman
Why buying functional foods? Understanding spending behaviour through structural equation modelling
Abstract The market for functional foods has been growing steadily in recent years, as it is linked to a healthier diet and adds value to food products. However, more information regarding aspects that influence functional food (FF) spending behaviour is needed to gain a better understanding of what underlies FF choice and avoid product failure. The objective of this study was to build a structural equation model of Spaniards' FF spending behaviour, based on individual characteristics such as satisfaction with life, decision-making styles, gender, age and some attitudes towards food choice. This required prior validation of the functional food questionnaire for a Spanish context, which was …
Impact of texture TDS and flavour TDS tasks and of chocolate-chip biscuit characteristics on oral processing features
The objective of the present study was to investigate differences in oral activity when biscuits of the same type but with subtle composition differences are consumed and how performing a Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) task modifies the way one eats. In addition, comparisons were made between performing a texture TDS (T-TDS) and a flavour TDS (F-TDS). Oral activity while eating biscuits with and without conducting a TDS task was recorded using a 3.dimensional motion capture system to monitor the evolution of jaw movements. The results showed that oral activity evolved over the consumption time, differed depending on the texture of the sample and was affected to a small but significa…
How personality traits and intrinsic personal characteristics influence the consumer's choice of reduced-calorie food
Abstract Nowadays, the consumption of low-calorie foods is being taken into account as a tool for reducing the incidence of certain nutrition-related health disorders. In this context, several factors were used to model low-fat (LF), low-sugar (LS) and high-calorie (HC) food consumption behavior. These factors were: personality traits (neuroticism and conscientiousness), food choice motives (health and weight control) and intrinsic personal characteristics such as self-esteem and satisfaction with life. The results indicate a good fit for the proposed model. Weight control was the best predictor of consumption of this kind of product, and health was a less strong predictor. In addition, cor…
Thermal Degradation of Green Asparagus Texture
A cutting cell was developed to evaluate the texture of green asparagus by measuring its resistance to being cut with a wire. The cell was used in conjunction with a universal texturometer and improved on the single-point method of the Wilder fibrometer. Experimental conditions were determined for using the cell to measure the cutting resistance of asparagus subjected to different extents of heat treatment. Better discrimination between samples was obtained than with a Kramer cell. The fresh asparagus spears. were heated at temperatures between 70 and 100°C for different lengths of time and the kinetics of the degradation of texture was studied. A biphasic (two-component) behavior was obser…
The impact of high-temperature, short-time thermal treatment on texture and weight loss of green asparagus
The kinetics of the degradation of texture and loss of weight of green asparagus heated to between 100 and 130 °C was studied. The texture of the asparagus was evaluated with two types of cells fitted to a universal texturometer: one cell measured resistance to cutting with a wire and the other was a Kramer cell. The two methods enabled distinction between the different thermal treatments, although the Kramer cell gave information about the behaviour of parts of the spear further away from the tip. The thermally induced degradation of the texture and loss of weight followed first-order kinetics. With respect to the texture, the parameters obtained with the wire cell 2.5, 5 and 7.5 cm from t…
Evaluation of yogurt and various beverages as carriers of lactic acid bacteria producing 2-branched (1,3)-β-D-glucan
8 páginas, 2 figuras, 2 tablas -- PAGS nros. 3271-3278
Food labels: Do consumers perceive what semiotics want to convey?
In this research work, a multidisciplinary approach was applied to answer the question: do consumers perceive what semiotics want to convey? The idea behind was to determine if consumers' expectations and associations raised by simulated yogurt labels, designed with different sign combinations frequently applied in commercial products, were in agreement with results from a semiotic analysis, and to check for cultural differences, comparing results from two Spanish-speaking countries (Spain and Uruguay).A survey of the plain yogurt market was performed, followed by a semiotic analysis of the gathered labels performed by a team of semiotics experts. Only the non-verbal elements such as images…