Browsing by Author "Costa, A. I. A."
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Acceptability of reengineered Hibiscus drinks by Senegalese consumersPublication . Monteiro, M. J.; Cisse, M.; Fliedel, G.; Bechoff, A.; Bouche, M.; Pallet, D.; Tomlins, K.; Ayessou, A.; Costa, A. I. A.; Pintado, M. M.Bissap is a non-alcoholic drink commonly consumed in African countries, particularly in Senegal. It is made from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. - an herbaceous plant belonging to the Malvaceae, most often from its Ordinary/Kor (Senegal) and/or Vimto (Sudan) varieties. Past research has shown that Hibiscus drinks are generally rich in vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds. These drinks are amongst the products investigated by AFTER, an EU FP7-funded research project aiming at the production of good quality (nutritional and sanitary) and extended shelf-life products of African tradition for local and European markets. A previous AFTER study on the acceptability of four traditional Hibiscus drinks by a sample of Senegalese consumers uncovered significant effects of plant variety and processing method. This highlighted the importance of harmonizing the sensory profile of these drinks as part of the product re-engineering process, and re-assessing their acceptability amongst the Senegalese population. In view of this, three new Hibiscus (50% Kor and 50% Vinto) drinks – an infusion, a syrup and a vacuum-concentrate – were developed by AFTER researchers. Their sensory quality was evaluated, alongside that of a traditional infusion (baseline), by a sample of 156 Senegalese in Dakar in October-November of 2013. Consumer profiling techniques based on hedonic acceptance, Just-About-Right intensity evaluation of specific descriptors (JAR) and Check-All- That-Apply questions with sensory and emotional descriptors (CATA) were used to establish sensory profiles and preference maps. Descriptors and other relevant evaluative information were obtained through two exploratory focus groups.Results show that the new Hibiscus drinks all had better acceptability than the baseline. Moreover, three distinct types of Senegalese consumers were identified: baseline dislikers, who liked all drinks except traditional one; overall likers; new Infusion dislikers. Finally, multiple factor analysis of overall liking scores, JAR ratings and CATA answers yield highly convergent results for all the drinks evaluated.
- Acceptance of exotic beverages with health benefits in Europe: a crosscountry comparison of hibiscus productsPublication . Monteiro, M. J. P.; Costa, A. I. A.; Fliedel, G.; Cisse, M.; Tomlins, K.; Pintado, M. E.
- Acceptance of traditional and innovative chickpea dishes by Portuguese home cooks: influence of eating habits, cooking skills and cooking confidencePublication . Pereira, J. F.; Costa, A. I. A.; Cunha, L. M.Home cooks’ preferences and skills have a major impact on household food acceptance and intake. The effects of Portuguese home cooks’ eating habits, cooking skills and confidence in cooking legumes on their acceptance of traditional and innovative chickpea starters and entrées were investigated. Forty-three home cooks (24-50 years, 56% women and with higher education) answered an online questionnaire on general food attitudes and behaviour, and were subsequently interviewed about their chickpea dish preferences. They were first shown cards describing classic Portuguese dishes (chickpea and spinach soup, chickpea and vegetable salad, and Rancho - chickpea, pasta and meat stew) and asked to rate them on a 9-point hedonic scale. Next, they were shown cards describing innovative dish prototypes (sprouted chickpea protein soup, sprouted chickpea and vegetable terrine, and a roasted chickpea and meat burger) and asked to rate their willingness-to-try on a 9-point Food Action Rating Scale. Only 42% of participants rated themselves as ‘good home cooks’. Still, almost all were, to some extent, confident they could prepare tasty and healthy meals using legumes. Most of them (~80%) ate legumes frequently (>2x/week), while consuming chickpeas (70%) much less often (<2x/month). Acceptance of the classic Portuguese cuisine dishes was significantly higher than willingness to try the innovative chickpea dishes - 7.5±1.0 and 6.9±0.9, respectively (t(42)=3.12, p=0.003). Particularly, the chickpea and vegetable salad was significantly more liked than the chickpea and vegetable terrine (t(42)=5.16, p<0.01). Findings will help devise strategies for designing new chickpea dishes with high consumer acceptance, thereby contributing to increase legume intake in Portuguese households.
- Barriers, risks and risk management strategies in European insect supply chainsPublication . Niyonsaba, H. H.; Höhler, J.; van der Fels-Klerx, H. J.; Slijper, T.; Alleweldt, F.; Kara, S.; Zanoli, R.; Costa, A. I. A.; Peters, M.; Meuwissen, M. P.M.Despite technological developments and regulatory improvements, most actors in the insect sector still face many challenges and uncertainties. While previous research mainly focused on the perception of domain-specific challenges and risks or has been limited to specific stages in the supply chain, this study aims to determine how stakeholders perceive the importance of past barriers and future risks along European insect supply chains, and to identify the applied risk management strategies. Data were collected from stakeholders across four stages of the supply chain (rearers (n=23), processors (n=8), and insect derived feed (n=14), and food (n=12) producers) through an online survey. In total, 60 different barriers and risks, as well as 20 different risk management strategies, were evaluated. We find that stakeholders across all stages of the supply chain perceived ‘financial, cost and market’ barriers and risks as most important, specifically referring to the lack of financial investments and price and demand uncertainties. In addition, legal restrictions were perceived to constrain upscaling opportunities across all supply chain stages. Worker and food safety barriers were generally perceived as least important. The main risk management strategies across all stages of the supply chain related to investments in technologies enhancing stability of both the quality and the quantity of insects and derived products. Stakeholders were most optimistic about the future reduction of ‘operational’ and ‘financial, cost and market’ risks. To further stimulate upscaling of the sector, we recommend to enhance financing opportunities, and to improve authorisations for the use of different substrates and the production of a wider set of insect-based ingredients for feed and food products.
- Consumers’ sensory perception and acceptability of Hibiscus drinks: a cross-cultural study in EuropePublication . Monteiro, M. J.; Costa, A. I. A.; Fliedel, G.; Bechoff, A.; Maraval, I.; Pintado, A. I. E.; Cisse, M.; Pallet, D.; Tomlins, K.; Pintado, M. M.Important differences can be observed between consumers from different countries due to the strong impact of culture on food preferences and acceptance, while a less important effect is usually expected in sensory perception. In the present study consumer’s sensory perception, preference and acceptability of Hibiscus drinks (an African functional drink rich in anthocyanins) were evaluated in three European countries: United Kingdom, France and Portugal. The drinks were developed under the scope of AFTER, an EU FP7-funded research project aiming at the production of improved quality and extended shelf-life products of African tradition for local and European markets. Hibiscus drinks are rich in nutrients and their consumption is widespread in Africa and Asia, but they still are quite unknown amongst European consumers. The sensory quality and acceptability of two Hibiscus drinks developed by AFTER researchers, as well as a traditional infusion prepared from Hibiscus flowers (baseline), were evaluated by 3 independent samples of consumers (France n=143; United Kingdom n=126; Portugal n=124) from March to June 2014. All factors concerning consumers’ socio-demographic profiles and materials were maintained as similar as possible. To gather evaluative relevant information and maximize the equivalence between questionnaires, exploratory local focus groups were held. Consumer profiling techniques based on hedonic acceptance, Just-About-Right intensity evaluation of specific descriptors (JAR) and Check-All-That-Apply questions (CATA) were used to establish sensory profiles and preference maps. Additionally, the chemical composition of the drinks was evaluated and a conjoint analysis was held to determine how consumers valued the composition and African origin of the drinks.Similar preference profiles for the Hibiscus drinks were obtained for the three countries but significant differences were observed in relation between consumers’ acceptance, with French consumers being generally the most appreciative. Importantly, these differences in acceptance were significantly correlated with the drinks sensory profiles and chemical composition.
- Evaluation of innovative insect-based products by Portuguese consumers using a repeated exposure approach under a controlled settingPublication . Barbosa, B.; Rocha, C.; Ribeiro, J. C.; Lima, R. C.; Costa, A. I. A.; Monteiro, M. J. P.; Maya, C.; Roos, N.; Cunha, L. M.In an era of considerable environmental pressures, edible insects have demonstrated their ability to integrate innovative and sustainable food production methods. Nonetheless, there are clear obstacles to their acceptance, particularly in Western countries. With a view to a longitudinal analysis of the consumption moment, the study's main goal was to assess how the repeated exposure approach can impact consumer's liking and sensory perception of different insect-based products. At the same time, these products were compared with commercially available plant-based analogue products, as these types of products can be targeted to the same market. For each group of products, the impact of repeated exposure on participants exposed to the products in a household context was compared with a group of participants who had no intervention at home. This comparative assessment was carried out in a sensory laboratory environment. Five different insect and plant-based products were assessed on a 9-point hedonic scale with open comments to complement the analysis by two panels of 58 participants. Significant differences were found between products throughout the exposure, with most products decreasing the liking scores between exposures. However, no significant differences concerning exposure were identified between the intervention and non-intervention groups. Regarding the evaluation of the samples according to the different exposure groups, it was observed that there was no noticeable impact of exposure on the evaluation of the insect-based products evaluated by the intervention group and the plant-based products tasted by the non-intervention group. This study reinforces the impact of repeated exposure on the overall liking levels of the samples, with valuable findings on sensory perception that can be translated into insect-based product development.
- Improving formulation of innovative edible insect-based crispbread containing Tenebrio molitor or Acheta domesticus through sensory profiling and likingPublication . Rocha, C.; Ribeiro, J. C.; Barbosa, B.; Lima, R. C.; Osimani, A.; Aquilanti, L.; Cesaro, C.; Costa, A. I. A.; Roos, N.; Cunha, L. M.Abstract One of the critical factors in increasing consumer acceptance of edible insects is the development of appropriate products that lead to satisfactory sensory experiences. This way, the negative associations with entomophagy can be hampered, and developed products can be more successfully integrated into consumers' diets. This research aimed to integrate consumers into the food product development process, achieving crispbread formulations with increased acceptance and liking. Crispbread was developed with different formulations and sensory profiles, incorporating house cricket Acheta domesticus or yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor. Two panels of 50 and 100 untrained consumers evaluated the crispbreads incorporating A. domesticus and T. molitor, respectively. The panels rated overall liking (9-point hedonic scale) and profiled the crispbreads using a Check-All-That-Apply ballot. Regardless of insect species and formulation, all the samples were accepted by consumers with hedonic scores above 5.5. Significant differences were observed between formulations for both insect species, with the chives-based crispbread having the highest liking scores and the incorporation of fennel seeds leading to the lowest liking scores. It was also possible to observe an effect of species, as crispbreads incorporating A. domesticus presented lower hedonic scores and higher association with negative attributes related to odour/flavour ('Earthy', 'Pet Food', 'Bitter) and texture ('Floury'). The results from this study highlight the importance of assessing consumers' opinions while developing insect-based food products, demonstrating that Portuguese consumers present higher liking scores of products incorporating T. molitor and chives.
- Introducing menus of three weekly insect- or plant-based dinner meals slightly reduced meat consumption in Danish families: results of a randomized intervention studyPublication . Maya, C.; Wilderspin, D. E.; Costa, A. I. A.; Cunha, L. M.; Roos, N.The environmental concerns associated with excess meat consumption have emphasized the need for sustainable alternatives. Edible insects offer a promising alternative due to their environmental efficiency and nutritious profile, but their widespread adoption in Western diets remains a challenge. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of exposing families (parents and children) to insect-based or plant-based dinner menus on dietary pattern, meat intake, and protein intake over a six-week intervention period. The study was a two-arm randomized equivalence trial comparing an insect-based menu to a plant-based control. Families received either an insect or plant-based menu to replace meat in dinner meals three times a week for six weeks, aiming to replace 20% of their meat protein intake. Dietary changes were assessed through dietary registrations and daily questionnaires. Both adults and children maintained their estimated daily total protein intake, while reducing daily meat protein intake. Neither group met the 20% weekly meat replacement goal. In the insect-based menu group, adults and children reached an average 5.5% and 2.3% weekly meat replacement, respectively. In the plant-based menu group, adults and children replaced 9.0% and 4.3%, respectively. Meat attachment had an effect on meat protein intake. The menus slightly reduced meat protein intake. The weekly frequency of meat meals slightly declined, but portions remained the same. By enhancing insect and plant-based food quality and understanding consumer behavior, insect- and plant-based products have the potential to be a complementary alternative in a sustainable dietary transition without sacrificing nutrition. Clinical trial registry: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05156853; clinicaltrials. gov/study/NCT05156853.
- Understanding the motivational antecedents for adopting a cooking appPublication . Simão, C.; Costa, A. I. A.; Farias, A. R.; Rosa, P.In the last years, there has been an increasing interest in using technology to promote human-food activities, especially home-cooking. Cooking is one of the most effective ways of fighting the obesity epidemic and stimulating a healthy lifestyle. However, many have been the cooking apps that were designed to leverage healthy eating but not necessarily succeeded. One of the reasons is that there is a dearth of accurate, comprehensive, systematic and up-to-date information about digitally-mediated at-home meal consumption. Thus, we conducted a survey to decode the motivational antecedents that users value the most when adopting a cooking app. Among the 567 Portuguese participants, from 18 to 45 years-old, 75% reported a likelihood higher than 50% of adopting a cooking app. When questioned about their motivations, participants identified four distinct motivational antecedents, that altogether explained 54% of the variance for adopting a cooking app: 1) online community sharing, 2) meal-preparation and planning, 3) information about healthy eating and 4) professional advice (e.g., chefs or nutritionists). Learning about the features that users value, their motivations and preferences, will help to better design digital apps and will promote a more accurate and successful adoption behavior of a cooking app.