Mina R. McDaniel

Promoting brand benefits: the role of consumer psychographics and lifestyle

Because consumers can vary greatly in their value composition, they may seek a range of different benefits from products and brands and hence will react differently to marketing communications emphasizing selected brand benefits. The present study adapts a scale for measuring benefits that drive consumer preferences for craft beer. As part of this process, five dimensions of utility are identified, such as functional, value for money, social, positive and negative emotional benefit. In order to support decisions on market segmentation and brand positioning, those dimensions of benefit are profiled against consumer brand preferences, lifestyle segments, demographic and behavioral variables. Based on the results, guidelines for communication strategies are offered that address the benefits sought by specific segments more holistically.

Developing noodles from US wheat varieties for the Far East market: sensory perspective

Abstract This study was undertaken to better understand the noodle texture profile of fresh and wet noodle styles in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia in order to meet their different quality requirements. Totals of 16 patent flour samples for Taiwan, and 18 straight grade flour samples each for Thailand and Malaysia, were milled from US hard white wheat varieties. Noodles were made with an Ohtake noodle machine using conditions specific for each of the noodle styles. A lexicon of 17 texture descriptors was utilized for texture evaluation by a descriptive panel. Noodle quality was evaluated by each countrys noodle representatives. The Taiwanese raw noodles were characterized as the smoothest, springiest, and were highest in integrity of noodles. Thai bamee noodles were the hardest, most dense, most cohesive noodles and were also more in starch between teeth and toothpull. Malaysian hokkien noodles were the softest, least dense, cohesive and least sticky. The high and low texture quality samples determined by each countrys noodle representatives were characterized by the descriptive panel and the important sensory attributes which defined texture quality of each countrys style noodle were identified.

Suppression of sourness: A comparative study involving mixtures of organic acids and sugars

The degree of sourness suppression of perceptually equisour levels of citric, lactic, and malic acids by equal molar and weight amounts of sucrose, fructose, and glucose was determined in binary mixtures. Equisour acid levels were obtained by magnitude estimation. Mixture intensity ratings were collected on a categorical scale, using trained panelists. In general, equal sugar molarities and weights did not effect equivalent suppression. Instead, the perceived intensity of the sugars appeared to suppress sourness more systematically, implying that dominantly central neural mechanisms underlie suppression. This was confirmed when no significant differences were found between the suppressive abilities of sweetnessmatched levels of sucrose, fructose, and an equiratio mixture of the two on citric acid sourness. The possibility of a separate receptor site/mechanism for glucose and a small peripheral component to suppression is also suggested.

Sensory and analytical evaluation of beers brewed with three varieties of hops and unhopped beer

SUMMARY Pilot brews made with Hallertauer Mittelfruh, U.S.D.A. 21459, U.S.D.A. 21455 (Mt. Hood), and a beer brewed without hops were evaluated for aroma by a descriptive sensory panel (DSP). The extracts from the beers were evaluated using Osme, a GC olfactometry method: The beer extract samples were injected into the gas chromatograph-olfactometer (GCO) and the effluents evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by four trained subjects. A time-intensity device connected to an IBM computer was used to record the odor intensities. The samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry to identify the odor active compounds. Sensory profiles of the hopped beers were similar indicating that beers brewed with U.S.D.A. 21455 and U.S.D.A. 21459 contribute “noble” hop aroma.

Sensory and Analytical Evaluation of Hop Oil Oxygenated Fractions

SUMMARY Oxygenated fractions of Hallertauer Mittelfruh, U.S.D.A. 21455 (Mt. Hood), and U.S.D.A. 21459 were evaluated for aroma by a descriptive sensory panel (DSP). The same fractions were injected into a gas chromatograph-olfactometer (GCO) and the effluents evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by four trained subjects. The GCO data was collected using a method called Osme based on a time intensity (TI) device connected to an IBM computer. The samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the odor active compounds. Correlation analysis was performed between the descriptive sensory analysis data and the intensity rates of the compounds sniffed through the GC. Chemical and sensory profiles of the samples were similar indicating that the new varieties are good representatives of “noble aroma” hops. Linalool and oxidation products of caryophyllene and humulene were important contributors to the overall aroma of the samples. Differences found seemed to be associated with the amount of oxidation products present due to different oxidative stages of the samples.

Free-Choice Profiling vs Conventional Descriptive Analysis in Characterizing the Sensory Properties of Acids on an Equi-Sour Basis

Previous studies on the tastes of acids have focused on threshold, equi-sour levels, and time intensity values of sourness. Studies on characterizing the sensory properties of organic and inorganic acids have been very limited. Recently, the characterization of the sensory properties of 15 acid samples, using free-choice profiling, was reported by Rubico and McDaniel [1]. Our results, analyzed by general Procrustes analysis (GPA), indicate that on a weight (0.08% w/w or v/v) basis, acids differ in their sensory profiles. Panelists found the concentration of hydrochloric, phosphoric, and succinic acids to be very strong in sensory characteristics other than sourness. Another study on a molar basis (0.005 M) still found significant differences in astringency, bitterness, and sourness, although similarities of the fruit acids were more evident [2].