Elena Menichelli

Consumers liking of private labels. An evaluation of intrinsic and extrinsic orange juice cues

The objective of this article is to compare product quality and brand choice for private labels (PL) and national brands (NB). Over the past two decades, PL have gained larger and larger share of grocery sales, and nowadays PL play a crucial part in the European food retail sector. Since it is stated that most PL have moved on from being mostly low cost me-too products to become also premium products, we want to investigate if objective and perceived quality of PL fits the quality of NB. Four hypotheses are stated and tested on orange juice data from Norway. A trained sensory panel and consumers (n=105) evaluated six juice samples that vary according to three factors. These factors were (1) Brand (PL and NB), (2) Treatment (Gentle heat treatment and Pasteurized) and (3) Pulp (with and without). Principal component analysis, two-way ANOVA, and PLS regression were conducted, and the results indicate that variation in quality exists both among PL and NB, there is a large discrepancy between blind liking and brand choice, and that consumers with a positive attitude towards PL are more likely to choose a PL instead of a NB.

The relationships between consumer liking, sensory and chemical attributes of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinotage wines elaborated with different Oenococcus oeni starter cultures

BACKGROUND Malolactic fermentation (MLF) mediated by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been shown to modulate chemical and sensory attributes of wine. This study investigated the relation between consumer liking, chemical and sensory attributes of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinotage wines that were made over two vintages by four different lactic acid Oenococcus oeni starter cultures as well as a control treatment where MLF was prevented. RESULTS Descriptive analysis showed that the sensory attributes buttery, caramel, vegetative flavour, fruity and nutty aroma differed significantly between the wines. These effects on the wines were not the same for the two vintages tested. Preference mapping results showed that the sensory attributes influenced the average consumer liking. The main chemical and sensory correlations found for MLF-treated wines were related to 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl) with the buttery character and various esters with fruity aromas. CONCLUSION Although the direct effect of the bacterial starter cultures on wine sensory attributes is difficult to establish, and subject to variation over vintage, the present work suggests that the contribution of LAB starter cultures to wine sensory attributes can influence consumer liking. Selection of an MLF starter culture can thus potentially be used to develop specific wine styles.

Modeling relevance of mobile communication services by social setting dimensions

There is little research examining the confluence of what communication channel is used for which purpose with which person. This study examines the “setting” for communication that includes what is communicated (e.g. positive or negative messages), the nature of the relationship (close versus distant), and the information channel. The respondents to a web-based questionnaire (n = 627) were Norwegian smartphone users aged 16–35 years. Respondents evaluated mobile communication services that they used in specific social settings by “checking off” all that apply. Two methods of analysis are used to examine the material. First, a Principal Component Regression validated the main method, namely a mixed model for the Analysis of Variance. Results show the probability of using a mobile communication service is based on the effects of social group, communication purpose, communication channel, and their interaction. The relationship to the interlocutor was found to have the strongest effect on channel choice.