Organoleptic characteristics of high-protein snacks with novel and sustainable ingredients: Cricket flour and carob powder.

To fulfill consumer trends in sustainable and healthy food choices, this study explored the application of edible insects and carob powder as sustainable and nutritious ingredients in developing a high-protein snack, known as a protein ball. Four formulations were developed and characterized in terms of moisture content, water activity, color, texture, microbial count, and nutritional profile. Finally, the sensory profile was determined using the flash profile method, and the developed product was compared to a commercial product.

Sensory optimization of gluten-free hazelnut omelette and sugar-modified chestnut pudding: A free choice profiling approach for enhanced traditional recipe formulations.

The Mediterranean region is distinguished by its gastronomic diversity and a wide variety of indigenous nut crops. In line with changing global food consumers' preferences, a noteworthy aspect is the increasing demand to the use of local varieties in recipe formulation. The aim of the present study was to incorporate the Terra Fria chestnut (Portugal) and Negreta hazelnut from Reus (Spain) in traditional Mediterranean recipes.

Factors influencing the willingness to pay a price premium for red meat with potential to improve consumer wellness in Australia and the United States of America.

This study determined consumers' attitudes towards physical and mental wellness related to red meat consumption and their willingness to pay (WTP) more for the meat. In 2019, two online surveys of red meat eaters were conducted in the USA (n = 1000) and Australia (n = 523) using commercial platforms. Results showed that over 90% of respondents indicated interest in purchasing red meat to improve their wellness status.

Did the COVID-19 lockdown affect consumers' sustainable behaviour in food purchasing and consumption in China?

The COVID-19 pandemic situation has altered consumers' behaviour in food purchasing and consumption. This study, as a first attempt, assesses how the COVID-19 lockdown affects Chinese consumers' purchasing and consumption behaviour from a sustainability point of view. To reach this objective, a semi-structured questionnaire is designed, collecting data from 1006 participants.

Preferences in 'Jalapeño' Pepper Attributes: A Choice Study in Mexico.

Background: According to Mexican growers of 'Jalapeño' peppers, its commercialization is the primary limitation. Thus, consumer knowledge is critical to develop added-value strategies. The objective of this study was to identify 'Jalapeño' quality attributes to determine consumer preferences and willingness to pay, based on socioeconomic characteristics.

Trends in Food Preferences and Sustainable Behavior during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Evidence from Spanish Consumers.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global food security, and it changes consumers' food buying and consumption behavior. This research not only investigates trends in Spanish consumers' general food shopping and consumption habits during the lockdown, but also investigates these trends from the perspective of sustainable purchasing. Specifically, total food consumption (C), food expenditure (E), and purchase of food with sustainable attributes (S) were measured.

Should Animal Welfare be Included in Educational Programs? Attitudes of Secondary and University Students from Eight EU Countries.

Animal Welfare (AW) educational programs aim to promote positive attitudes of future generations toward animal production systems. This study investigated whether secondary and university students in the majors that are not related to AW teaching believe that this concept should be included also in their educational programs. The determinant factors affecting students' attitudes toward such a decision were analyzed.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Willingness to Consume Insect-Based Food Products in Catalonia.

Edible insects are being considered as a sustainable source of protein and are continuously appearing in markets in the West. The impact of COVID-19 on the willingness to consume (WTC) two products enriched with insect ingredients, jam and yogurt, was analyzed. A semistructured questionnaire was applied using the Qualtrics© consumer panel.

Meta-analysis of consumers' willingness to pay for sustainable food products.

There is a continuous increase in the number of studies dealing with consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) price premiums for sustainable food products. This research focused on a broad area of sustainable food products, including different sustainable attributes using a meta-analysis of 80 worldwide studies. The publication bias was verified using the funnel plot and Egger's test.

Consumers' expectations and liking of traditional and innovative pork products from European autochthonous pig breeds.

The aim of the study was to ascertain the acceptability of Traditional (T) and Innovative (IT) pork products by European consumers considering also the influence of the sensory properties. The tests were performed in Barcelona, Bologna, Toulouse and Zagreb, with products from autochthonous pig breeds Porc Negre Mallorquí (patties), Cinta Senese (dry-fermented sausages), Gascon-Noir de Bigorre (dry-cured hams) and Turopolje (dry-cured hams), respectively. The methodological approach relied on the expectancy-disconfirmation model and the assimilation theory (blind, expected and informed tests).

Should Animal Welfare Regulations Be More Restrictive? A Case Study in Eight European Union Countries.

Increasingly, intensive livestock production systems have increased societal concern regarding the current animal welfare standards. We investigated whether individuals in their roles as consumers and citizens believe that the current European regulations regarding animal welfare should be more restrictive. Factors affecting this decision were assessed by analyzing respondents' understanding of animal welfare-related issues, their subjective and objective knowledge levels, the credibility they assign to different information sources, their perceptions toward the current restrictiveness of animal welfare standards, and their socioeconomic characteristics.

Can innovations in traditional pork products help thriving EU untapped pig breeds? A non-hypothetical discrete choice experiment with hedonic evaluation.

The EU is supporting measures that stimulate enhanced value-added products in order to conserve local and threatened livestock breeds. Several Traditional Pork Products (TPP) and Innovative Traditional Pork Products (ITPP) with health innovations from four untapped pig breeds in Spain (Porc Negre Mallorquí), Croatia (Turopolje), Italy (Cinta Senese) and Slovenia (Krškopolje) were analysed. Consumers' "Non-hypothetical" willingness to pay (WTP) and hedonic evaluation were investigated.

Health Innovation in Patty Products. The Role of Food Neophobia in Consumers' Non-Hypothetical Willingness to Pay, Purchase Intention and Hedonic Evaluation.

Consumers' personality traits are key factors in understanding consumers' choice and acceptance for health innovations in food products, in particular, food neophobia (FN). The patty product as a traditional pork product (TPP) with two innovative traditional pork products (ITPP) from the untapped pig breed (Porc Negre Mallorquí) in Spain were analysed. Patties were enriched with Porcini () using the claim "enriched with a natural source of dietary fiber Beta glucans that may contribute to improve our defence system" (ITPP1) and enriched with blueberries () using the claim "enriched with a natural source of antioxidant that may help to prevent cardiovascular diseases" (ITPP2).

Consumers' sensitivity to androstenone and the evaluation of different cooking methods to mask boar taint.

Boar taint is an unpleasant odour and flavour present in some entire male pigs that is due to the presence of androstenone and skatole. The aim of the study was to assess the sensitivity of 150 consumers to androstenone and to compare the acceptability and liking of meat from castrated and entire pigs, cooked with different cooking methods. Meat samples consisted of loins from castrated (CM) and entire male pigs (EM) with high levels of androstenone cooked by two cooking methods: sous-vide and fried/breaded with garlic and parsley.

Consumers' segmentation based on the acceptability of meat from entire male pigs with different boar taint levels in four European countries: France, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom.

Two consumer studies were conducted to know the acceptability of pork with different boar taint levels: test 1 performed in Spain (n=126) and United Kingdom (n=146), and test 2 performed in France (n=139) and Italy (n=140). Each test had 3 types of pork: 'Female meat', 'Low boar tainted meat', and a third type was 'Medium boar tainted meat' or 'High boar tainted meat'. Three main clusters were identified on the basis of 'How delicious do you find this meat?': 1-Pork lovers, 2-Boar meat lovers, 3-Reject boar tainted meat.

Impact of hedonic evaluation on consumers' preferences for beef attributes including its enrichment with n-3 and CLA fatty acids.

The impact of hedonic evaluation on consumers' preferences for beef attributes was evaluated (origin, animal diet, fat content, color, price) including its enrichment with omega-3 (n-3) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) fatty acids. One group of consumers (n=325) received information about n-3 and CLA, while the other group (n=322) received no information. Consumers conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), using the recently developed Generalized Multinomial Logit model; followed by a blind hedonic evaluation of beef samples, which were identified after tasting, and finally repeated the DCE.

Health information impact on the relative importance of beef attributes including its enrichment with polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid).

This paper uses Choice Experiments (CE) to investigate Spanish consumers' preferences towards beef meat enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid). Data were gathered from self-completed questionnaires in a controlled environment with two different samples (320 and 322 consumers) differentiated by the information received. The surveys were carried out in three main Spanish cities (Barcelona, Zaragoza and Pamplona), representing the average consumer.

Effect of tasting and information on consumer opinion about pig castration.

Our research explored the relative importance of pig castration amongst other aspects of animal welfare, and the potential impact of information and sensory experiences on European Union (EU) consumers' preferences. The EU is considering a future ban on surgical pig castration by 2018 which may affect markets and consumers' preferences. We carried out an empirical study using consumer-level data obtained from questionnaires completed in a controlled environment by a total of 825 consumers.

Assessing the impact of a Christmas advertisement campaign on Catalan wine preference using Choice Experiments.

Our paper seeks to assess the impact of information and advertisement on consumers' preference for wines in special occasions (Christmas) in Catalonia (Spain). We apply the Choice Experiments method to study the relative importance of attributes that describe consumers' decision to purchase wine by using the Heteroskedastic Extreme Value (HEV) model. Data were obtained from two questionnaires applied to a pre and post spot samples formed by 299 and 400 individuals, respectively.

Impact of consumer's sensitivity to androstenone on acceptability of meat from entire male pigs in three European countries: France, Spain and United Kingdom.

The aim of this work was to study consumers' acceptance of pork with different levels of boar taint according to their androstenone (AND) sensitivity in France (FR, N=144), Spain (ES, N=101) and United Kingdom (UK, N=147). Samples were classified as 'females', 'detection minus' males (low levels of AND and skatole - SKA) and 'detection plus' males (high levels of AND and SKA). Globally, 22.