Here is a question to be answered in mythbusters style: “Do the number of available choices create a choice overload effect in consumers?” As a starting point, consider a well-known study in which consumers receive a coupon in a grocery store after tasting two jams. Consumers who were limited to choosing from only 6 jams followed through with purchase more
The authors of the meta-analysis suggest that the difficulties associated with making choices might be more related to the complexity of the choice task and the cognitive decision-making factors than simply to the number of choices. Other authors have suggested particular underlying factors. The claim of choice overload based strictly on the number of choices seems both capture and oversimplify
Taste plays a key role in a consumer’s attitude towards food products and can influence the consumption of that product. One factor, thermal taster status, is determined when the tongue is warmed or cooled, whereby thermal tasters experience phantom taste sensations, while thermal non-tasters do not. Using temporal-check-all-that-apply sensory methodology, we simultaneously investigated the impact of thermal taster status and
Dominance rates arising from Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) data are almost always plotted and understood with reference to chance and significance lines, which are based on the assumption of random attribute selection. These lines are auxiliary to the chart, and used to interpret the dominance rates; when the dominance rate for some attribute exceeds the significance line, the conventional
Consumption of alcohol is widespread throughout much of the world, impacting human health and well-being in several ways. Taste (bitterness, sourness, saltiness, sweetness, umami, and oleogustus) is an important driver of consumer preference and intake for many foods and beverages. Here, we report on two studies; the first (S1) assesses general sensitivity (responsiveness) to taste and somatosensory stimuli and its
Thermal taste status (TTS) describes a phenotype whereby some individuals experience a thermally-induced taste on thermal stimulation of the tongue (thermal tasters; TTs) and some do not (thermal non-tasters; TnTs). TTs experience a range of orosensations elicited by aqueous solutions and some beverages more intensely than TnTs. Whether this extends throughout ingestion duration is unknown, despite the fact that the
Brettanomyces spoilage in wine is due to the production of metabolites, which together create the distinctive ‘Bretty’ aroma and flavor profile associated with wine. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of three wine flavor matrices on consumer acceptance and the temporal sensory properties of wines containing high and low concentrations of Brettanomyces-metabolites. A commercial Shiraz red
Brettanomyces spoilage in wine is due to the production of metabolites, which together create a distinctive ‘Bretty’ aroma and flavor profile. The objective of this study was to assess the influence three wine flavor matrices have on consumer perception and acceptance of wines containing high and low concentrations of Brettanomyces-metabolites. A commercial Shiraz wine was altered through additions of whiskey
Light-struck taints in wine develop when they are exposed to sunlight and elevated temperature. Affected wines undergo a colour change, a decrease in fruit flavours and a development of off-flavours that have been described as cooked cabbage and/or corn nuts. This poses a problem in retail stores that have a large number of external facing windows that can potentially expose