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PubMed2002

The cigarette pack as image: new evidence from tobacco industry documents.

OBJECTIVES: To gain an understanding of the role of pack design in tobacco marketing. METHODS: A search of tobacco company document sites using a list of specified search terms was undertaken during November 2000 to July 2001. RESULTS: Documents show that, especially in the context of tighter restrictions on conventional avenues for tobacco marketing, tobacco companies view cigarette packaging as an integral component of marketing strategy and a vehicle for (a) creating significant in-store presence at the point of purchase, and (b) communicating brand image. Market testing results indicate that such imagery is so strong as to influence smoker's taste ratings of the same cigarettes when packaged differently. Documents also reveal the careful balancing act that companies have employed in using pack design and colour to communicate the impression of lower tar or milder cigarettes, while preserving perceived taste and "satisfaction". Systematic and extensive research is carried out by tobacco companies to ensure that cigarette packaging appeals to selected target groups, including young adults and women. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette pack design is an important communication device for cigarette brands and acts as an advertising medium. Many smokers are misled by pack design into thinking that cigarettes may be "safer". There is a need to consider regulation of cigarette packaging.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Manufacture and quality of iron-fortified yogurt.

Yogurts (nonfat and low fat) were manufactured and fortified with 10, 20, and 40 mg of iron/kg of yogurt. Growth of starter culture bacteria and nonstarter culture bacteria as well as lipid oxidation of the yogurts were monitored over 30 d of storage at 4 degrees C. Sensory characteristics of the yogurts were determined during that time by a trained panel of judges, and consumer panels were used to test acceptability of iron-fortified yogurt. Counts of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricas and Streptococcus thermophilus after 1 d of storage in iron-fortified skim yogurts were 7.0 x 10(8) cfu/ml, which were not significantly different from numbers in unfortified yogurts. Counts decreased to 2.5 x 10(8) and 1.9 x 10(8) cfu/ml for L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, respectively, after 30 d of storage. Fortifying yogurt with iron did not support the growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens or Escherichia coli. No significant increases in chemical oxidation, as measured using the thiobarbituric acid assay, were detected as a consequence of iron fortification. Trained panelists scored all yogurts for oxidized, metallic, bitter, and other off-flavors in the range of "not perceptible" to "very slightly perceptible". Iron-fortified yogurts had slightly higher oxidized flavor scores than did the control yogurt. There was no increase in metallic, bitter, or other off-flavors. The consumer panel did not detect any significant differences in the appearance, mouthfeel, flavor, or overall quality between fortified and unfortified flavored yogurts. All yogurt samples were liked by the consumer panelists, suggesting that yogurt is a suitable vehicle for iron fortification.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Effects of flavour amplification of Quorn and yoghurt on food preference and consumption in relation to age, BMI and odour perception.

Since the food habits of many elderly people are inadequate, the first experiment of the present study tested whether flavour amplification induces changes in preferences for and consumption of food and thus might result in a nutritional benefit. Two panels, one of 260 and one of 120 subjects, aged 19-98 years, took part in the study in which preferences for flavour-amplified yoghurt and Quorn were measured. For both products, only a few of the young subjects (20%) preferred the high flavour level; the percentage of subjects preferring the high flavour levels increased with age. These changes were highly significant. In a second experiment, participants received, under ad libitum conditions over 2 d in random order, a dish of yoghurt with either a high or a low flavour level. When adjusted for total consumption quantity, consumption of the highly flavoured yoghurt was not significantly correlated with age (r -0.03, P = 0.35). In a third experiment, odour perception was measured by determining the detection threshold for isoamylacetate. BMI values were obtained and the relationships between BMI and odour perception, age, preference and consumption were assessed in the age group 40-65 years. A significant correlation was observed between age and BMI (r 0.51, P < 0.0005). No significant correlation was observed between BMI and relative consumption of highly flavoured yoghurt (r -0.14, P = 0.14). A significant correlation was observed between BMI and preference for flavour-amplified yoghurt (r 0.35, P < 0.001). However, no significant correlation was observed between BMI and odour perception (r 0.07, P = 0.32). With increasing age, a combined influence of age, sex, BMI and odour perception on food preference is to be expected. According to our multiple regression analysis, BMI showed a significant partial regression coefficient (standardized beta 0.36, P = 0.03). In conclusion, flavour amplification of food for older adults deserves attention, but specific approaches, which are tailored to the candidate food systems and older adult target groups, are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A Drosophila DEG/ENaC channel subunit is required for male response to female pheromones.

Odorants and pheromones as well as sweet- and bitter-tasting small molecules are perceived through activation of G protein-coupled chemosensory receptors. In contrast, gustatory detection of salty and sour tastes may involve direct gating of sodium channels of the DEG/ENaC family by sodium and hydrogen ions, respectively. We have found that ppk25, a Drosophila melanogaster gene encoding a DEG/ENaC channel subunit, is expressed at highest levels in the male appendages responsible for gustatory and olfactory detection of female pheromones: the legs, wings, and antennae. Mutations in the ppk25 gene reduce or even abolish male courtship response to females in the dark, conditions under which detection of female pheromones is an essential courtship-activating sensory input. In contrast, the same mutations have no effect on other behaviors tested. Importantly, ppk25 mutant males that show no response to females in the dark execute all of the normal steps of courtship behavior in the presence of visible light, suggesting that ppk25 is required for activation of courtship behavior by chemosensory perception of female pheromones. Finally, a ppk25 mutant allele predicted to encode a truncated protein has dominant-negative properties, suggesting that the normal Ppk25 protein acts as part of a multiprotein complex. Together, these results indicate that ppk25 is necessary for response to female pheromones by D. melanogaster males, and suggest that members of the DEG/ENaC family of genes play a wider role in chemical senses than previously suspected.

Aging↗
PubMed1994

Contextual effects in the perception of quinine HCl/NaCl mixtures.

Stimulus distribution, stimulus spacing and stimulus range affect mean intensity ratings of solutions of unmixed tastants. The present study compares contextual effects for mixture ratings with those for unmixed stimuli: if ratings for mixed and unmixed stimuli are differentially affected by context, the degree of mixture suppression inferred from the responses is context-dependent. Bitterness intensity ratings for unmixed quinine and quinine HCl/NaCl mixtures were not differentially affected by shifts in stimulus frequency distribution. The subjects' tendency to be consistent in their responses to identical stimuli, results in a transfer of stimulus context of previous sessions to the next.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Perception of noxious compounds by contact chemoreceptors of the blowfly, Phormia regina: putative role of an odorant-bindingpProtein.

The blowfly, Phormia regina, has sensilla with four contact-chemoreceptor cells and one mechanoreceptor cell on its labellum. Three of the four chemoreceptor cells are called the sugar, the salt and the water receptor cells, respectively. However, the specificity of the remaining chemoreceptor cell, traditionally called the "fifth cell", has not yet been clarified. Referring to behavioral evaluation of the oral toxicity of monoterpenes, we measured the electrophysiological response of the "fifth cell" to these compounds. Of all the monoterpenes examined, D-limonene exhibited the strongest oral toxicity and induced the severest aversive behavior with vomiting and/or excretion in the fly. D-Limonene, when dispersed in an aqueous stimulus solution including dimethyl sulfoxide or an odorant-binding protein (OBP) found in the contact-chemoreceptor sensillum, the chemical sense-related lipophilic ligand-binding protein (CRLBP), evoked impulses from the "fifth cell". Considering the relationship between the aversive effects of monoterpenes and the response of the "fifth cell" to these effects, we propose that the "fifth cell" is a warning cell that has been differentiated as a taste system for detecting and avoiding dangerous foods. Here we suggest that in the insect contact-chemoreceptor sensillum, CRLBP carries lipophilic members of the noxious taste substances to the "fifth cell" through the aqueous sensillum lymph. This insect OBP may functionally be analogous to the von Ebner's grand protein in taste organs of mammals.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Assessment of chemosensory functioning in aging. Subjective and objective procedures.

Assessments of human sensory and perceptual functioning are meaningfully classified as either subjective or objective. Both subjective and objective measures have been employed in studies of age-related changes in chemosensory functioning. Subjective and objective assessments proceed from different philosophic assumptions, provide different types of information, and play different roles in understanding age-related change. Subjective assessment exploits each person's unique access to the functioning of his or her own sensory apparatus. It assumes that subjects can and will give an accurate account of their sensory experience and is distinguished by the attempt to directly communicate private experience. Objective assessment strategies circumvent the practical and philosophical problems of verifying and communicating private experience. Objective measures assume that sensory function is reflected in the subject's performance of tasks that require perception of the relevant sensory information. Subjective measures are primarily descriptive. They can be used to characterize chemosensory experience and may reveal the fullness and drama of age differences. Objective measures, while they may fail to capture the richness of perceptual experience, are directly relevant to the investigation of the underlying mechanisms. Thus, subjective measures serve to direct attention to the issues and phenomena of perceptual change in aging whereas objective measures are most useful for specifying and evaluating candidate mechanisms by which these changes might be generated.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

Hedonics of binge eating in women with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Potential differences in the hedonics of binge eating between female subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN) and female subjects with binge eating disorder (BED) were examined. METHOD: Women seeking treatment for BN (N = 29) and BED (N = 49) completed the Eating Hedonics Questionnaire. RESULTS: Subjects in both groups reported similar precipitants and levels of distress associated with binge eating. Of interest, BED subjects were more likely to report that they enjoyed the food, the taste of the food, the smell and the texture of the food while binge eating. In addition, the BED group reported more relaxation and less physical discomfort and anxiety as a consequence of binge eating compared to the BN group. DISCUSSION: There are interesting and potentially important differences between individuals with BN and BED in the cognitions and behaviors associated with binge eating.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Psychophysical and psychometric approaches to sensory evaluation.

Sensory evaluation has recently utilized the methods developed by psychophysicists and psychometricians, who week to represent data in terms of various scales and mathematical formulations. This review covers the development of ratio scaling to develop relations between sensory and instrumental measures of food, the use of multivariate psychophysical procedures which relate a variety of physical variables to a single sensory response, and the use of multidimensional scaling to relate different sensory percepts to each other. Each of these approaches is nascent in applications to sensory evaluation, although the mathematics and formulations are very developed. Each approach gives the experimenter insights into subjective and objective correlations and the manner in which the panelist perceives relations among stimuli. The treatment of the reported literature for each approach follows the same course: necessary conditions for its application to sensory evaluation, experiences with model systems and real foods, and potential uses and limitations in sensory evaluation.

Alcohols↗
PubMed1987

Capsicum--production, technology, chemistry, and quality. Part IV. Evaluation of quality.

Capsicum fruits are popular worldwide and are used in the cuisines of both the developing and the developed countries. With its different varieties, forms, and uses, the spice capsicum contributes to the entire gamut of sensory experience--color as finely ground paprika powder or extract in sausages, goulash, cheese, and snacks; both pungency and color as the many varieties of chillies used in Mexican, African, Indian, and southeast Asian cuisines; color, aroma, and mild pungency as the fresh green chillies used in many of the growing countries; and appearance, color, aroma, and texture as fresh fruit in salads and as a pickled and canned product. In three earlier parts in this series, the varieties, cultivation, and primary processing; the processed products, world production, and trade; and the chemistry of the color, aroma, and pungency stimuli have been reviewed. In this part, the evaluation of quality through instrumental determination of the causal components and the sensory evaluation of color, aroma, and pungency are discussed. Several methods for quantitative determination of the stimuli and the sensory evaluation of the responses to the stimuli are reviewed. The problems of sensory evaluation of color, aroma, and pungency, the dominant attributes for validation of the instrumentally determined values for carotenoids, volatiles, or particular fractions, and total and individual capsaicinoids are specifically discussed. Summarized details of selected instrumental methods for evaluating the stimuli, which are either validated by correlation to sensorily perceived responses or to adopted standards, are given along with representative data obtained for discussing the adequacy and reliability of the methods. Pungency as a specific gustatory perception and the many methods proposed to evaluate this quality are discussed. A recommended objective procedure for obtaining reproducible values is discussed, and a method for relating different panel results is shown. With such a method, highly significant correlations have been shown between estimated total capsaicinoids and the determined pungency. The estimation of total capsaicinoids by any simple, reliable method is shown to be adequate for quality control of pungency of Capsicum fruits.

Capsicum↗
PubMed2002

Taste detection of phytoecdysteroids in larvae of Bombyx mori, Spodoptera littoralis and Ostrinia nubilalis.

A number of plants produce significant amounts of phytoecdysteroids that can disrupt the hormonal levels of insects feeding upon them. Insects equipped with taste receptors sensitive to phytoecdysteroids are able to avoid such plants. How common is this strategy? By recording from the lateral and medial sensilla styloconica in two polyphagous species (Ostrinia nubilalis and Spodoptera littoralis) and in a monophagous species (Bombyx mori), we tested whether the receptors could detect three commonly occurring phytoecdysteroids 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), ponasterone A (ponA) and ecdysone (E). In B. mori, 20E and ponA elicited dose-dependent responses with a threshold of 1 &mgr;M only in the medial sensilla. In O. nubilalis, 20E, E and ponA elicited responses at threshold of 1 &mgr;M in both sensilla. In S. littoralis, 20E elicited responses with a threshold of 10 &mgr;M in both sensilla. By means of behavioural choice tests, we show that 20E is an effective feeding deterrent for O. nubilalis and S. littoralis first instar larvae. This suggests that the perception of phytoecdysteroids is more common among phytophagous lepidoptera than previously thought, although their toxicity or antifeedancy varies between species.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Burning mouth syndrome.

In spite of the normal clinical appearance of the oral mucosa, BMS subjects do have demonstrated changes in sensory perception and salivary factors in addition to alterations in psychologic features. Although some of these changes may be suggestive of a peripheral or central dysfunction of small afferent nerve fibres, the extent of this alteration and its cause both remain unclear. The existence of changes other than psychologic, however, do weaken the proposition that BMS has a primarily psychogenic origin and suggests instead that future research should address the question of other organic changes in BMS.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Sensory and quality analysis of different melon cultivars after prolonged storage.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the sensory and general quality of four different melon cultivars (Cucumis melo L.) immediately after harvest and at the end of storage and marketing simulation. After 16 days of storage at 5 degrees C and additional 3 days at 20 degrees C, only cultivar 'C-8' had a poor general appearance due to significant low firmness and relatively high decay incidence compared to the cultivars '5080', 'Ideal' and '7302'. The cultivar '7302' was found to have the higher overall quality. The human-sensory and organoleptic analyses revealed that the cultivars can be differentiated on the basis of retronasal odour. The texture of the melons seems to be dependent on the genotype. All the complex perceptions analysed in this work contribute to the acceptability, which is in the fresh fruits of '7302' the best and in 'Ideal' the worst. After storage and marketing simulation 'Ideal' and 'C-8' are no longer favoured, but '5080' and '7302', despite different characters, were found to be similarly accepted. It can be concluded that with the aid of the human-sensory method developed to characterize the melon varieties it is possible to distinguish the different genotypes.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1998

The effect of genotype on response thresholds to sucrose and foraging behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

Honey bee foragers were tested for their proboscis extension response (PER) to water and varying solutions of sucrose. Returning pollen and nectar foragers were collected at the entrance of a colony and were assayed in the laboratory. Pollen foragers had a significantly higher probability of responding to water and to lower concentrations of sucrose. Bees derived from artificially selected high- and low-pollen-hoarding strains were also tested using the proboscis extension assay. Returning foragers were captured and tested for PERs0 to 30% sucrose. Results demonstrated a genotypic effect on PERs of returnining foragers. The PERs of departing high- and low-strain foragers were consistent with those of returning foragers. The PERs were related to nectar and water reward perception of foragers. High strain bees were more likely to return with loads of water and lower concentrations of sucrose than foragers from low pollen strain. Low-strain bees were more likely to return empty. We identified a previously mapped genomic region that contains a variable quantitative trait locus that appears to influence sucrose response thresholds. These studies demonstrate a gene-brain-behavior pathway that can be altered as a consequence of colony-level selection for quantities of stored food.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Factors influencing food choices of adolescents: findings from focus-group discussions with adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess adolescents' perceptions about factors influencing their food choices and eating behaviors. DESIGN: Data were collected in focus-group discussions. SUBJECTS/SETTING: The study population included 141 adolescents in 7th and 10th grade from 2 urban schools in St Paul, Minn, who participated in 21 focus groups. ANALYSIS: Data were analyzed using qualitative research methodology, specifically, the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Factors perceived as influencing food choices included hunger and food cravings, appeal of food, time considerations of adolescents and parents, convenience of food, food availability, parental influence on eating behaviors (including the culture or religion of the family), benefits of foods (including health), situation-specific factors, mood, body image, habit, cost, media, and vegetarian beliefs. Major barriers to eating more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products and eating fewer high-fat foods included a lack of sense of urgency about personal health in relation to other concerns, and taste preferences for other foods. Suggestions for helping adolescents eat a more healthful diet include making healthful food taste and look better, limiting the availability of unhealthful options, making healthful food more available and convenient, teaching children good eating habits at an early age, and changing social norms to make it "cool" to eat healthfully. APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that if programs to improve adolescent nutrition are to be effective, they need to address a broad range of factors, in particular environmental factors (e.g., the increased availability and promotion of appealing, convenient foods within homes schools, and restaurants).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Chlorhexidine use after two decades of over-the-counter availability.

Chlorhexidine (CHX) is a compound with plaque-inhibiting effects and available only by prescription in the United States. In Norway, however, CHX has been dispensed over-the-counter for over 20 years, and this study was undertaken to evaluate dentists' perceptions regarding its indications, usefulness, and side effects. A written questionnaire was sent to a sample of 10% of dentists registered in Norway, 78% of whom (354) responded. Additionally, representatives from 2% of all dental practices in Norway were contacted by telephone. Fourteen percent (14%) of the respondents reported that they never recommended CHX to their patients. Among those recommending the compound, 85% used it frequently after surgical periodontal procedures; 74% when treating acute gingivitis; 57% following oral surgery in general; and 35% during non-surgical periodontal therapy. It was used also as an adjunct to other treatment routines. Seventy-three percent (73%) reported frequent use of CHX when treating stomatitis and 54% in herpes simplex infections. As to side effects, 77% of the dentists indicated that staining of teeth, restorations, and the tongue was a major concern to patients; 12% reported inconveniences due to the bitter taste; and 6% reported other disturbances such as dryness of the mouth and development of oral ulcerations. The majority (94%) of the dentists recommended mouth rinsing, whereas 6% recommended a gel form. Only 4% of the dentists recommended rinsing with a patient-diluted 0.1% concentration, whereas 96% recommended the standard 0.2% formulation; 88% recommended using CHX mouthwash twice a day or more often.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Chlorhexidine↗
PubMed1995

Interaction of salivary flow with temporal perception of sweetness, sourness, and fruitiness.

To explore the effect of salivary flow on perception of sweetness, sourness and fruitiness, 19 subjects continuously recorded perceived intensity from ingestion, through expectoration to extinction of the sensation, for each attribute in solutions sweetened with three levels of aspartame or sucrose at three levels of citric acid. Unilateral parotid flow was collected in response to the solutions at the medium acid level and used to assign subjects to low, medium and high-flow groups. For all three attributes, although the low-flow subjects reached maximum intensity later than high-flow, no significant difference in any time-intensity parameter for any attribute was found among salivary flow groups. No difference in salivary flow was elicited by equi-sweet solutions of aspartame or sucrose. Maximum intensity of sourness and salivary flow rate decreased as the level of sweeteners was raised (at a constant acid concentration) suggesting that salivary flow is mediated by cognitively processed taste response and not only the concentration of stimuli.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Sensory discrimination, intensity perception, and affective judgment of sucrose-sweetness in the overweight.

Differential sensitivity, intensity perception, and pleasantness of sucrose-sweetness was determined with two groups of women, 13 overweight and 12 normal weight. Discriminability, psychophysical, psychohedonic, and preference functions were determined for both groups. In addition, maximally preferred sweetness intensities and the corresponding maximally preferred sucrose concentrations were calculated. The data showed that the two groups did not differ in any of these functions or measures. Individual variability in affective response behavior was larger within the overweight than within the normal weight group.

Adult↗