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This study was conducted to understand the relationship between familiarity and cross-cultural acceptance for an ethnic sweet treat ( Y ackwa; Korean traditional cookie) by Korean, Japanese and French consumers. Descriptive analysis and consumer testing were performed on six Y ackwa samples. Overall, the samples received favorable responses from the foreign consumers. Korean consumers liked samples with a soft and cohesive texture, whereas Japanese and French consumers liked flaky and crispy texture. French consumers rated stronger sweetness to be more appropriate for Y ackwa compared to Korean and Japanese consumers. Texture liking was strongly correlated with familiarity rating in all three countries, indicating that the consumers' previous experience with similar products might affect their preference for certain textural attributes. Familiarity was correlated with all hedonic ratings by Korean consumers, who are most familiar with Y ackwa, but with overall and texture liking by Japanese consumers and flavor and texture liking by French consumers. These results suggest that familiarity partly contributes to a foreign consumers' hedonic rating. Practical Applications Globalization and cultural diversity have increased interest in ethnic foods. This trend is motivating food industries to expand into the ethnic food market sector. In this study, the sensory attributes and the cross-cultural acceptability of Y ackwa ( Korean traditional cookie) were evaluated and the potential role of familiarity in determining consumer acceptance was measured. The outcome of this study will help food exporters, R&D scientists and food marketers in ethnic food market to optimize an ethnic food for other cultural communities by educating them to consider familiarity as an important factor for product development and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of beef soup with added glutathione (GSH) and/or monosodium glutamate (MSG) were investigated to examine the feasibility of GSH as a flavor enhancer. The sensory characteristics of beef soup samples, containing only GSH or MSG at different levels or a mixture of these, were examined by descriptive analysis. Principle component analysis was conducted to summarize the relationships between the beef soup samples and the attributes. In consumer testing, separate groups of consumers evaluated overall liking as well as the flavor intensities of beef, seasoning, and MSG. Partial least square regression was conducted to observe the relationships between the descriptive data and consumer data. The samples containing GSH had stronger “beef flavor,”“garlic flavor,” and “green onion flavor” while the samples containing MSG had stronger “salty taste,”“sweet taste,”“MSG taste,” and “potato flavor.” The consumers preferred samples containing both GSH and MSG, which had higher perceived flavor intensities of beef, seasonings, MSG. This study indicates that GSH has potential as a flavor enhancer, but more tests in different food systems with additions of GSH at varying levels are required to elucidate its effectiveness as a flavor enhancer more clearly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to perform freshness evaluation of spinach using a scale that reflects consumer perception of spinach freshness. Five different storage conditions with different air exposure levels and storage temperatures (4°C and 15°C) were selected from the preliminary test. Focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted to develop a freshness scale by investigating consumer concepts and descriptions of freshness. A total of 338 consumers in Korea (n =149) and the US (n =189) participated in the sensory evaluation of spinach using the freshness scale developed from the FGI. In addition, physical measurements of spinach (weight and color) were performed and the correlation between the physical and sensory test results was analyzed. The freshness scale was developed by locating five descriptive terms on a 15 point category scale based on the FGI result: “Fresh as just purchased”, “Relatively fresh”, “Neither fresh nor wilted”, “Relatively wilted”, and “Too wilted to use”. The US scale used the best semantic translations to reflect the same freshness perception: “Very fresh”, “Fresh”, “Somewhat fresh”, “Not fresh, but acceptable”, and “Unacceptable”. The consumer group in both countries significantly distinguished the five samples from different conditions (p <0.05). However, Korean and the US consumers gave different ranges of scores. Weight loss increased as spinach samples were more exposed to air and the freshness score was negatively correlated to % weight loss (r =−0.97, −0.93, Korea and the US, respectively). Color measurement results were not consistent across different conditions in both countries. Therefore, % weight loss could be used as a physical measurement method appropriate for the evaluation of spinach freshness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]