Eight plant-based foods: oat flour and pureed apple, blackcurrant, carrot, gold- and green-fleshed kiwifruit, pumpkin, sweetcorn, were pre-digested and fermented with pooled inocula of weaning ...infants' faecal bacteria in an in vitro hindgut model. Inulin and water were included as controls. The pre-digested foods were analysed for digestion-resistant fibre-derived sugar composition and standardised to the same total fibre concentration prior to fermentation. The food-microbiome interactions were then characterised by measuring microbial acid and gas metabolites, microbial glycosidase activity and determining microbiome structure. At the physiologically relevant time of 10 h of fermentation, the xyloglucan-rich apple and blackcurrant favoured a propiogenic metabolic and microbiome profile with no measurable gas production. Glucose-rich, xyloglucan-poor pumpkin caused the greatest increases in lactate and acetate (indicative of high fermentability) commensurate with increased bifidobacteria. Glucose-rich, xyloglucan-poor oats and sweetcorn, and arabinogalactan-rich carrot also increased lactate and acetate, and were more stimulatory of clostridial families, which are indicative of increased microbial diversity and gut and immune health. Inulin favoured a probiotic-driven consortium, while water supported a proteolytic microbiome. This study shows that the fibre-derived sugar composition of complementary foods may shape infant gut microbiome structure and metabolic activity, at least in vitro.
•RATA and CATA questions were exhaustively compared across seven consumer studies.•The main conclusions about similarities and differences among samples were similar.•No clear superiority of one ...methodology over the other was found.•Analysing RATA data as CATA responses is not recommended.•RATA attribute intensity is directly related to citation frequency for CATA terms.
Rate-all-that-apply (RATA) questions are a variation of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions in which consumers are asked to indicate whether terms from a list apply to describe a given product, and if they do so, to rate their intensity. RATA questions have been argued to provide more insights than CATA questions for sensory characterization with consumers. The present research is, to date, the most exhaustive comparison of CATA and RATA with regard to term usage, sample discrimination and sample configurations. A total of seven studies with 860 consumers were conducted with different product categories. A between-subjects design was used in all studies to compare the two methodologies. Confirming past studies, results from RATA and CATA were very similar. Minor differences between RATA and CATA were found, but were study and term specific and general superiority of one methodology over the other was not established, as opposed to what previous studies had suggested. Instead, results indicate that each method might have advantages over the other for certain product characteristics. A strong linear relationship was established between mean RATA scores and CATA term citation frequencies, demonstrating clearly that CATA questions differentiate among samples based on relative strength/weakness of sample characteristics. Collecting data as RATA but analysing them as CATA was inferior to the use of mean RATA scores, and is not recommended. The comparison of RATA data using mean scores and Dravnieks’ scores showed no advantage of the latter and it is recommended that simple mean scores are used. Overall, results from the present work show that RATA is not necessarily an improvement over CATA questions and that for consumer research the decision to add an attribute intensity rating step depends on the aim of the study and the specific characteristics of the sample set.
Display omitted
•PPI/QPI with LBG mixtures forms in dense microstructure and protein coacervates.•Biphasic network with strong interactions were observed with PPI:LBG.•Higher shear viscosities and ...lower water mobility were observed with PPI:LBG.•QPI solution showed lower T2 values due to higher solubility as compared to PPI.•Heat-treated PPI/QPI:LBG mixtures showed higher viscoelastic properties.
This work reports the impact of locust bean gum (LBG) in the continuous phase of plant-based proteins, i.e. quinoa protein (QPI) and pea protein isolates (PPI). Experimental measurements such as confocal microscopy, rheological analysis and water mobility via nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spin-spin relaxation time (T2) were carried out. The influence of LBG on the rheological properties of QPI and PPI is consistent with an exchange-based nmr interpretation of T2 for biopolymer and water. Addition of LBG increased the viscoelastic properties (storage and loss modulus) and shear viscosities of the mixtures. LBG interacted with both plant proteins, resulting in the formation of more dense protein networks and protein coacervates. A stronger interaction between the PPI and LBG was observed, resulting in higher shear viscosities with lower water mobility as compared to QPI:LBG formulations. Results indicated that the interaction between the protein and polysaccharide played a significant role in the microstructure, its rheological properties and consequently water mobility.
Studies conducted in seawaters around New Zealand have shown the numbers of human pathogenic Vibrio spp. are usually low, but high numbers sometimes occur during warmer summer/autumn months (January ...– April). In this study, Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were grown at Kaipara Harbour and Mahurangi Harbour in New Zealand at different heights from the seafloor in different ways: fixed positons intertidally and subtidally, and as floating long lines over the 2013 and 2014 summer periods. Two geographically distinct commercial harvest areas: Coromandel Harbour (North Island) and Croisilles Harbour (South Island) in New Zealand were also compared in 2015 where oysters are grown under different methods. Detection and enumeration of Vibrio spp. was performed according to the Bacteriological Analytical Manual using the Most Probable Number approach and real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. The only significant growing method effect was observed in Mahurangi Harbour, where intertidal oysters at 1.5 m from the seafloor had higher numbers of trh + Vibrio parahaemolyticus than other intertidal samples from Kaipara Harbour and Coromandel Harbour. All other samples showed a relationship with surface seawater temperature, but not with distance from seafloor or farming method. Overall, there is no clear evidence that different oyster farming methods (floating, subtidal or intertidal at different depths) affect Vibrio spp. population sizes, which were dominated by seasonal changes and environmental parameters.
•Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus were quantified in farmed oyster samples.•Different oyster farming methods did not affect population sizes of the Vibrio spp.•Intertidal oysters closer to the seafloor had higher V. parahaemolyticus numbers.•Population sizes were dominated by seasonal changes and environmental parameters.
•Perceived situational appropriateness was measured for three daily main eating occasions.•Surveys with food names, for >1000 urban-dwelling Australian and New Zealand consumers.•Consumer segments ...based on perceived appropriateness were identified.•Relationships between appropriateness and stated liking were established.•Consumer variables were largely similar across appropriateness-based segments.
A degree of inter-individual heterogeneity in perceived situational appropriateness for foods and beverages (F&B) was predicted to exist, and empirically confirmed in studies with >1000 Australian and New Zealand adult consumers (urban dwelling). Two main consumer segments labelled “adaptive” and “conforming” were identified. The main difference between the segments was in the number of F&B items considered appropriate for a certain eating occasion, with this number being smaller in the segments that seemed to more strongly conform to common norms about what is appropriate to eat and drink at breakfast-, lunch- and dinner-time. There was a positive relationship between perceived appropriateness and stated product liking in accordance with previous reports, and generally less liked foods/beverages were regarded as less appropriate. However, there was also evidence of non-linearity in this relationship such that some highly liked foods were inappropriate for a focal eating occasion (e.g., cereal/muesli at dinner time). Demographic/socio-economic and psychographic variables were largely unsuccessful in explaining segment differences, and, in particular, generalised trait tendency to conform did not differentiate consumers in “adaptive” and “conforming” segments. Food neophobia was, in some instances, linked to reduced perceived appropriateness, but generally, consumers with high neophobia (FNS > 50) responded similarly to the aggregate sample in terms of F&Bs considered to be high vs. low in appropriateness for eating occasions taking place at breakfast-, lunch- and dinner- time. Future research should extend to other F&B stimuli relevant to Australia and New Zealand, to different consumer populations and culturally appropriate F&B stimuli, and also seek to better understand the antecedents of perceived situational appropriateness and how these underpin consumer segments based on appropriateness.
Pectin is abundant in modern day diets, as it comprises the middle lamellae and one-third of the dry carbohydrate weight of fruit and vegetable cell walls. Currently there is no specialized model ...organism for studying pectin fermentation in the human colon, as our collective understanding is informed by versatile glycan-degrading bacteria rather than by specialist pectin degraders. Here we show that the genome of Monoglobus pectinilyticus possesses a highly specialized glycobiome for pectin degradation, unique amongst Firmicutes known to be in the human gut. Its genome encodes a simple set of metabolic pathways relevant to pectin sugar utilization, and its predicted glycobiome comprises an unusual distribution of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) with numerous extracellular methyl/acetyl esterases and pectate lyases. We predict the M. pectinilyticus degradative process is facilitated by cell-surface S-layer homology (SLH) domain-containing proteins, which proteomics analysis shows are differentially expressed in response to pectin. Some of these abundant cell surface proteins of M. pectinilyticus share unique modular organizations rarely observed in human gut bacteria, featuring pectin-specific CAZyme domains and the cell wall-anchoring SLH motifs. We observed M. pectinilyticus degrades various pectins, RG-I, and galactan to produce polysaccharide degradation products (PDPs) which are presumably shared with other inhabitants of the human gut microbiome (HGM). This strain occupies a new ecological niche for a primary degrader specialized in foraging a habitually consumed plant glycan, thereby enriching our understanding of the diverse community profile of the HGM.
Display omitted
•Presents three case studies with beverages, seafood and chocolate.•Consumers taking part from different ethnicities: New Zealand, Indian, and Chinese.•Data collected in central ...location (CLT) or home-use test (HUT) settings.•The cases demonstrate versatility of multi-response approach in product research.•The value of emoji in multi-variable product research is discussed.
Consumers’ product experiences are increasingly uncovered using approaches that extend beyond acceptability and sensory perception. The present research is situated in this context and adopts a multi-response approach to jointly obtain attitudinal, conceptual, emotional, situational and/or sensorial evaluations. With the aim of greater methodological understanding, three case studies were conducted with samples in three product categories (fruit- and vegetable-based beverages (n = 10), seafood (n = 6) and chocolate (n = 7)) using consumers from New Zealand (n = 196), India (living in New Zealand) (n = 138) and China (n = 167), conducted in central location (CLT) or home-use test (HUT) settings. Showcasing this multi-response approach and demonstrating its versatility in product research is the main contribution of the research. Across the three case studies different combinations of response types and scaling formats were successfully used (including CATA (check-all-that-apply) questions, yes/no questions and rating scales), and it was also found that tasted foods and written stimuli (food names) served equally well as stimuli. The degree of liking or disliking for individual samples was a useful benchmark against which to interpret the other types of responses, and situational appropriateness, obtained as item-by-use (IBU) responses always contributed unique insights. Facial emoji to obtain product-emotion associations yielded less valuable insights than a conceptualisation task. As expected, and in accordance with the rationale for adopting a multi-response approach, the combination of response types yielded greater stimuli insights than would otherwise have been gained. This held for each of the three case studies and supported future applications using a multi-response approach that extends beyond many related initiatives by including four response types in each case study.
The benefits of lowering blood pressure (BP) are well established for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. While there are a number of pharmaceuticals available for lowering BP, there is ...considerable interest in using dietary modifications, lifestyle and behaviour changes as alternative strategies. Kukoamines, caffeic acid derivatives of polyamines present in solanaceous plants, have been reported to reduce BP. We investigated the effect of orally administered synthetic kukoamine A on BP in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) laboratory animal model of hypertension. Prior to the hypertension study, we determined the safety of the synthetic kukoamine A in a single oral dose (5 or 10 mg kg-1 bodyweight) 14-day observational study in mice. No negative effects of the oral administration of kukoamine A were observed. We subsequently investigated the effect of daily oral doses of kukoamine A (0, 5, 10 mg kg-1 bodyweight) for 35 days using the SHR rat model of hypertension. The normotensive control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) strain was used to provide a baseline for normal BP in rats. We observed no effect of orally administered synthetic kukoamine A on arterial hypertension in this laboratory animal model of hypertension.
•Presents a single-response emotion word questionnaire for applied product research.•Inspired by a circumplex model of core affect, it covers the valence × arousal space.•Method characterisation with ...an applied focus across 23 consumer studies.•The questionnaire is suitable for use with tasted, written and image stimuli.•The questionnaire is suitable for use with Chinese consumers.•Degree of sample differences influences discrimination and response stability.
Product-centric emotion research can deepen understanding of consumers’ product experiences and food choices. Emotion measurement has become widespread in product research, and questionnaires where consumers respond to emotion words are popular and manifold. The present research adds to this multiplicity by presenting a parsimonious single-response questionnaire that spans the dimensions of pleasure and arousal, and their combinations. These are represented in a circular layout with 12 axes radiating from a central point. Each of the arms represents an emotion domain that is exemplified by two emotion words, and consumers’ task is to select the word pair that best represents how they feel. The questionnaire is informed by a circumplex model of human core affect, and methodological aspects relevant for use in applied product research were investigated in 23 consumer studies (n = 104–270 participants per study) spanning a very broad range of products and categories. The first of four research questions (RQ) established that the questionnaire is suitable for use with tasted stimuli (12 studies, 1 of which with aroma stimuli), written stimuli (10 studies) and image stimuli (1 study) (RQ1). Suitability of the questionnaire with New Zealand consumers was confirmed, and extended to Chinese consumers who took part in 7 of the 23 studies (RQ2). Responses obtained using the questionnaire appeared to be repeatable (RQ3a), and based on the criterion of the regression vector (RV) coefficient being equal to or greater than 0.95, stability (RQ3b) could be achieved with as few as 30 consumers despite only obtaining a single response per consumer per stimulus. Finally, it was found that the degree of differences between stimuli in a study influenced discrimination, which was larger when stimuli were more different (RQ4). This intuitively made sense and mirrored past research. By capturing the valence × arousal space, this questionnaire spans more broadly than most emotion word questionnaires for applied and product-focused research, and a notable feature of the obtained responses was that all were relevant (to a larger or smaller extent) in each of the 23 studies. The results are specific to the tested questionnaire variant and future research is needed to determine its goodness-of-fit to the underpinning circumplex model. Comparisons with existing product emotion research questionnaires are yet to be performed, as is testing of questionnaire variants.
Human milk is nutrient rich, complex in its composition, and is key to a baby's health through its role in nutrition, gastrointestinal tract and immune development. Seventy-eight mothers (19⁻42 years ...of age) of Asian, Māori, Pacific Island, or of European ethnicity living in Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand (NZ) completed the study. The women provided three breast milk samples over a one-week period (6⁻8 weeks postpartum), completed a three-day food diary and provided information regarding their pregnancy and lactation experiences. The breast milk samples were analyzed for protein, fat, fatty acid profile, ash, selected minerals (calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc), and carbohydrates. Breast milk nutrient profiles showed no significant differences between the mothers of different ethnicities in their macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate, and moisture) content. The breast milk of Asian mothers contained significantly higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 (
-3) and omega-6 (
-6) fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and linoleic acids. Arachidonic acid was significantly lower in the breast milk of Māori and Pacific Island women. Dietary intakes of protein, total energy, saturated and polyunsaturated fat, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, vitamin A equivalents, and folate differed between the ethnic groups, as well as the number of serves of dairy foods, chicken, and legumes. No strong correlations between dietary nutrients and breast milk components were found.
PDF
