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The diet of individuals is influenced by social and cultural factors. Children's food tastes and representations, being principally transmitted by their parents, are likely to depend on their social backgrounds. As it is known that parents' feeding strategies and food education differ depending on their social positions, this study aimed at examining how food representations and tastes vary among children. A qualitative sociological study, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted with 40 children, aged from 9 to 11 years, from four French elementary schools. Results showed that children from disadvantaged social backgrounds mentioned less foods, seemed to have a less varied diet, to consume less vegetables, and to enjoy eating ultra-processed foods more than other children. Different food habitus were found, that can be put into perspective using Bourdieu's distinction theory, including different preoccupations regarding health and necessity among social groups. Disparities in children's food habitus could be theoretically linked with observed and growing social inequalities in health, when taking into consideration the potential practises that these habitus imply, and their probable effects on health. Participatory food education classes at school could aim to reduce such disparities, although some concerns and limits must be acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines morality in taste judgements. In response to Bourdieu's analysis of France in the 1960s, sociologists note that repertoires of moral evaluation vary across contexts. They typically highlight national variations, like Nordic egalitarianism weakens cultural boundaries, and temporal variations, with transformed values having made cultural hierarchies less defensible. The article investigates a neglected type of moral variation: contrasting cultural areas. In a study of class and culture in Stavanger, Norway, the authors combined oral interviews on taste with photo elicitation in the visual arts, literature and housing/architecture. While interviewees were often careful not to appear disdainful of other people's tastes, and expressed ambivalence about cultural boundaries, their thoughts on housing/architecture diverged. Here, people did not hesitate to criticise other people's taste, even to the point of ridiculing their houses. The authors discuss the implications for Lamont's symbolic boundary perspective, which is predicated on a separation of three types of symbolic boundaries (cultural, socioeconomic, moral). Morality can both weaken and reinforce cultural boundaries, depending on the areas under investigation. In conclusion, the authors suggest ways cultural sociology may conceive of different moral modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sparkling wine tasting was considered from the physicochemical angle. • Sparkling wines are complex hydro-alcoholic mixtures saturated with dissolved CO 2. • A perspective is proposed, from uncorking the bottle to bubble bursting. • The crucial role of glass shape was revealed through various analytical methods. From uncorking the bottle to the bursting of bubbles in the glass, the science behind the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wine is both traditional and at the forefront of modern developments. The strong interaction between the various parameters at play in a bottle and in a glass of sparkling wine has been the subject of study for around two decades. Indeed, sparkling wine tasting is often seen as the pinnacle of glamor and frivolity for most people, but it should also be considered as a fantastic playground for chemists and physicists to explore the subtle science behind this centuries-old drink, whose prestige today goes well beyond the borders of Champagne and France. This article offers an overview of the physicochemical processes that mark a tasting of champagne or sparkling wine in the broad sense, from the cork popping out of the bottleneck to the formation and bursting of bubbles in your glass, including the choice of the glass and how to serve and drink the wine correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered sense of smell and/or taste is a leading symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but its prevalence at a population-level is unknown. From a questionnaire addressed to a representative subset of the French general adult (≥ 18-year) population over a 6-week period during the first French lockdown (April 7 to May 19 2020), self-reported new cases of altered sense of smell and/or taste were collected. From 29,660 participants, new altered sense of smell and/or taste was 2.18% and 2.11% after direct standardization on the French population representing more than 1,110,000 subjects in France. Moreover, 0.5% of participants reported a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, among which 47.4% reported a newly altered sense of smell and/or taste. Male participants, younger ones together with those presenting with chronic condition had higher odds of reporting a newly altered sense of smell and/or taste. This study provides an accurate estimate of new cases of altered sense of smell and/or taste in the general population at a nationwide level during the Covid-19 first wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' mental pictures of wine are multifaceted and are shaped by their sensory (taste, smell, visual, sensation) perceptions, in addition to emotional, cultural and extrinsic (brand, price, and awards) influences. This study explores whether consumers from three different wine cultures share mental representations of three wine concepts. Through an online survey, French, Portuguese, and South African wine consumers described their conceptualizations of Wine, Red wine and White wine aroma. Given these nations' rich winemaking traditions and diverse wine styles, differences in consumer perspectives were likely to emerge. The findings demonstrate that, regardless of cultural background, the broad concept of Wine aligns with the more specific Red and White wine conceptualizations, although the latter concepts diverge from each other. Notably, cultural contexts significantly influence participants' representations of Red Wine, with particularly marked contrasts between the South African and French respondents. This suggests that like experts, wine consumers have also built representations of wine through semantic memory. This cross-cultural analysis of consumer interpretations of wine concepts holds the potential for refining marketing strategies to overcome cultural barriers in wine purchasing behaviour., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This paper draws on the concepts and tools of Pierre Bourdieu to construct a comprehensive model of the contemporary British "food space." It uses multiple correspondence analysis to unearth a space structured in two key dimensions revolving around the lean and the rich. A host of supplementary variables are available to examine the relationship, or homology, between food tastes and broader alimentary dispositions, including orientations toward shopping, ethics and cooking. Indicators of social position reveal the structuring of the space by economic and cultural capital as well as gender, but also, updating and nuancing Bourdieu's own model for 1970s' France, by age, region, ethnicity and religion. Finally, the paper examines the relationship between position in the food space and physical, mental and existential wellbeing, demonstrating that orientation toward the less healthy and the less rich, corresponding with few resources, is, in some cases, accompanied by not only hunger and deprivation but profound worry and misery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New loss of taste or smell was not included as common symptoms of COVID-19 until March 2020 when the pandemic started in Western countries. • It is interesting to know the prevalence of such symptoms and how they were related to disease severity and prognosis. • In our study including 70 patients, anosmia and dysgeusia were present in half of COVID-19 patients. • The mean duration of anosmia was 7 days and the outcome seems favorable in less than 28 days. New loss of smell or taste was not included as common symptoms of COVID-19 until March 2020 when the pandemic started in Western countries. We want to describe the prevalence and features of anosmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19 patients. We retrospectively investigated the clinical features of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nord Franche-Comté Hospital, Trevenans, France, between March, 1st and March, 14th 2020. We used SARS-CoV-2 real time RT-PCR in respiratory samples to confirm the cases. Of 70 patient enrolled, the mean age was 57.0 years and 29 patients (41%) were men. Median Charlson comorbidity index was 1.70(±2.5). Twenty-seven (39%) patients had pneumonia. Fatigue (93% [65]), cough (80% [55]) and fever (77% [54]) were the three main symptoms. Neurologic symptoms were present in more than half of the patients: anosmia (53% [37]) and dysgeusia (48% [34]). The mean duration of anosmia was 7.4 (±5, [1–21]) days, 51% (36/70) recovered before 28 days of evolution. Only one patient with anosmia had not recovered at the end of the follow-up. Patients with anosmia had less often a pneumonia (10/37 vs 17/33, p = 0.036), were less often hospitalized (13/37 vs 20/33, p = 0.033) and needed less often oxygen therapy (6/37 vs 17/33, p = 0.002) than patients without anosmia. There were no statistically differences for viral load between patients with anosmia and patients without anosmia (5.5 [2.0–8.6] vs 5.3 [2.1–8.5] log copies/ml respectively, p = 0.670). The fatality of COVID-19 in our study was 6% with four deaths. Anosmia and dysgeusia are present in half of COVID-19 patients. The mean duration of anosmia was 7 days and the outcome seems favorable in less than 28 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersection between taste and education in the early modern period. The first part investigates the close connection between the sense of taste and the sin of gluttony, highlighting taste's close association with food disorders in the late Middle Ages and early modernity. Silencing taste was by then a key aspect of the education of the body, which needed to be learned from the earliest age, at home as well as at school. The second part charts the rise of a moderate and honest gourmandise from the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries onward, accompanied by the invention of the polite bon goût and later the aesthetic taste of beauty, which contributed to a new social valorization of taste, while also complicating contemporary practices of learning (to) taste. Using a wide variety of early modern printed sources, including conduct books, religious and moral treatises, books of emblems, and treatises on the senses and on taste in particular, as well as aesthetic works, this paper sheds light on the multiple ways in which taste – of the body as much as of the mind – was used, learned, and displayed, hence revealing a transformation of the experience and understanding of taste throughout the early modern period, as well as its impact on educational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective There are various reasons why antiepileptic treatment can fail. One is drug-resistant epilepsies, but non-adherence, or poor adherence, to treatment may make some patients' treatment ineffective. The consequences of poor adherence include treatment failure or introduction of more complex treatments involving greater toxicity with uncertain prognosis. This study contributes to a critical research area focused on antiepileptic drug adherence and aims to assess the main factors limiting adherence, as well as psychosocial factors influencing on risk of non-adherence. Methods An opinion survey was conducted among patients and parents of children treated for epilepsy and members of a French online support group. Results and discussion A total of 263 questionnaires were collected. Of the patients, 79% said they never forget their medication, whereas 21% admitted occasional or frequent omissions. The main treatment-related factors that can limit adherence were adverse effects (limiting factors reported for 70% of patients) and number of tablets or number of intake per day (limiting factors reported for 32% of patients). Galenic (liquid) formulation (18%), drug taste (18%), tablet size (14%) and concern about the perception of others (17%) were cited in roughly equivalent terms as limiting adherence to treatment. Among the 55 patients who were genuinely non-adherent to their treatment, the occupational difficulties induced by following the treatment were a main cause of non-adherence. What is new and conclusion Improving adherence in patients with epilepsy is a difficult and complex problem. Community pharmacists could play a major role in the determination of patients' adherence and should be aware of the risk of non-adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implicit and explicit attitudes are potential precursors of food choices and combine affective and cognitive components that can vary in their relative dominance. Yet, the affective and cognitive components of attitudes toward food can lead to distinct predisposition toward a food item and potentially to different food choices. In the food domain, the affective component pertains to the hedonic tone of consumption, while the cognitive component encompasses nutritional value or health consequences of food. The present study investigated whether hedonic- versus nutrition-based implicit and/or explicit attitudes toward food predicts children's healthy versus unhealthy food choices. Methods: A total of 63 children (age range = 6.3--11.5) participated in a 90-min session at 5 pm (i.e., afterschool snack time in France). The children were asked to choose five food items from a buffet featuring five healthy and five unhealthy sweet foods pretested as being highly liked. Children ate what they had chosen. Moreover, their implicit attitudes were assessed with a pairing task in which children were presented with 10 food triplets and asked to choose two food items that "best go together". For each triplet, foods could be paired according to their hedonic or nutritional characteristics. Explicit attitudes were assessed with a task in which children placed each of 48 food items into one of the following categories: "yummy", "yucky" (i.e., hedonic categories), "makes you strong", or "makes you fat" (i.e., nutritional categories). Results: Both implicit and explicit attitudes significantly influenced children's food choices. We observed that children with more hedonic-based implicit or explicit attitudes toward food were more likely to choose healthy food options from the buffet. Conversely, children with both implicit and explicit nutrition-based attitudes chose less healthy foods. Conclusions: Hedonic-based attitudes toward food seem to drive healthier food choices in children compared with nutrition-based attitudes in this particular eating context. These findings suggest that pleasure from eating might be an ally with regard to healthy eating among children. Additional research is needed to understand the etiology of children's attitudes toward food in order to provide insights on how to shape adequate children's attitudes to guide them toward healthy food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory properties are reported as one of the main factors hindering an appropriate vegetable intake by the young. In the present work the sensory determinants of likings for vegetables were explored in adolescents of four European countries (Denmark, n = 88; France, n = 206; Italy, n = 110 and United Kingdom, n = 93). A questionnaire was designed to study cross country differences in stated liking for and familiarity with a list of vegetables popular among European markets (between-vegetable approach). A within-vegetable comparison approach with actual tasting was used to analyze differences and similarities in liking for canned pea and sweet corn samples across the countries. A close positive relationship between stated liking and familiarity was found. Irrespective of the country, one group of highly liked vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, green salad) was identified, characterized by innately liked tastes (sweet, umami), delicate flavour and bright appealing colour. A second group of highly disliked vegetables consists of cauliflowers and broccoli, characterized by disliked sensations such as bitter taste and objectionable flavour. Internal Preference Maps from actual liking scores indicate that the generally disliked tastes (bitter, sour), are clearly correlated with a negative hedonic response for both peas and sweet corn. The hedonic valence of a generally well accepted taste such as salty and texture descriptors depends on the type of vegetable. Internal preference maps from actual liking data indicate that flavour and appearance descriptors of the distinct sensory properties of each type of vegetable positively affect liking, while the intensity of unusual flavours is related to sample disliking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the importance of Camembert cheese to French soldiers in World War I as a symbol of national identity and a reminder of what was familiar from their native culture. It discusses how cuisine and gastronomy have become part of France's collective cultural memory, reinforced by the connections between taste and memory for soldiers. The author goes on to explain how Camembert became a bridge between tradition and modernity, rural and urban France, and its past and present.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consequences of dietary fiber ( DF) enrichment in standard or superior quality French baguettes. Sensory characteristics of five experimental breads and seven commercial breads were described by a trained panel using a conventional sensory profile. The same set of breads was also evaluated by a panel of consumers who had to rate their expected liking based on the external appearance of a whole bread and then their perceived liking based on the tasting of a sample of that bread. DF enrichment was responsible for deterioration in the expected and perceived liking of breads. However, this deterioration was less substantial when the DF enrichment was realized in superior quality breads, such as baguettes obtained using a traditional French bread-making process. Indeed, this combination produces baguettes that are well appreciated by consumers upon tasting despite the unconventional sensory characteristics of these baguettes. Practical Applications As demonstrated in the present study, even when enriched in dietary fibers, baguettes produced according to traditional French bread-making process are well appreciated by consumers. In France, the French baguette is frequently consumed by a large proportion of the population. Thus, this product could be a good medium for increasing dietary fiber intake. Applied to a large scale, this nutritional improvement of French baguette could contribute to satisfy the national and international nutritional recommendations, which encourage the increase of complex carbohydrates in the diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Concerns and attitudes towards nutrition, health, safety, commodity, and sensory appeal are the factors determining cooking processes in one’s everyday life. A picture-word matching task was conducted in order to compare consumer’s opinion on seven common rice-cooking processes (rinsing, soaking, adding other kinds of rice, cereals, and beans, brown rice germination, rapid-boiling, pressure-cooking, and steaming) in Korea, Japan, Thailand, and France. The results showed that, in each country, the more familiar a cooking process is, the more it is associated with sensory quality. Pressure-cooking, soaking and rapid-boiling were positively matched with sensory aspects in Korea, Japan, and France, respectively. Although Thai participants had positive beliefs on sensory aspects toward rapid-boiling and steaming process, they haven’t been using these two methods frequently because of negative opinion and attitude toward its commodity. Health and nutritional aspects of germination of brown rice and adding other types of rice, cereals, and beans processes were perceived positively among Korean and Japanese participants, and to a lesser extent among Thai participants. The results of this study provided information for better understanding the effect of culture on the representations linked to rice-cooking processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Previous research demonstrated that, for US-Americans, unhealthy food is implicitly associated to tastiness. Based on intercultural differences in food perception between France and USA, our objective is to verify if such differences impact food-related implicit associations, taste evaluations, and food consumption. Our first study demonstrates that the opposite intuition exists in France: unhealthy food is spontaneously associated with bad taste, while healthy food is linked to tastiness. Our second study investigates how the healthy = tasty French intuition influences taste perceptions in a product test conducted in an experimental lab. Results indicate that a neutral food described as healthy is considered tastier, more pleasurable and of better quality than when it is described as unhealthy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In France, the social-stratification model based on Bourdieu's Distinction is still one of the main theoretical models used to analyse cultural tastes. The distinction model asserts a hierarchical classification of tastes and genre and an aesthetic judgment based on rejection. In the musical field, Richard A. Peterson challenged the model showing the eclectism and the mix of classical and popular genres among the tastes of elite. Changes in taste judgements in multicultural societies problematise the understanding and representation of the structuration of tastes. In reference to the 2008 statistical survey on French cultural practices and tastes, this article challenges conventional understandings of the taste patterns informing music consumption in contemporary France. In doing this, the article utilises a ‘tablature of tastes’ model which infers the incommensurability of musical genres and taste judgments no longer based on “rejections/dislikes” but rather on “openness/tolerance” or “indifference/ignorance”. Our analysis tests the “tablatures” of musical likes, dislikes and indifferences hypothesis within the French population through a factor and classification analysis method. Six classes of musical taste emerge with a limited share of dislikes and a strong age differentiation. It confirms a major transformation in judgments of taste in the musical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental treatments, the prevalence of which increases with age, can cause orofacial somatosensory deficits. In order to examine whether they may also affect taste sensitivity, electrogustometric thresholds were measured at 9 loci on the tongue surface in 391 healthy non-smoking, non-medicated subjects. Results showed that the greater the number of deafferented teeth, the higher the thresholds. Irrespective of age, subjects with more than 7 deafferented teeth exhibited significantly higher thresholds than subjects with fewer than 7 deafferented teeth. Conversely, across age groups, no statistical difference was observed among subjects with no, or few, deafferented teeth. Hence, a taste deficit, which was not correlated to aging, was observed. An association was noticed between the location of taste deficits and the location of deafferented teeth. Higher thresholds at anterior sites, with no possible traumatic injury relationship, suggested that neurophysiological convergence between dental somatosensory and taste pathways – possibly in the nucleus tractus solitarius – could be responsible for these relative decreases of taste sensitivity when dental afferences were lacking. Among trigeminal contributions, lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve may synergize taste. Service d'Odontologie de l'Hôtel Dieu, Paris, France. MST Goût, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France. Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Sensorielle – UMR 1197 INRA-Université Paris Sud, Jouy-en-Josas, France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic constraints, by inducing the selection of low cost energy dense diets, could indirectly be responsible for the high prevalence of obesity in low socio-economic status groups. Diet optimisation by linear programming was used to test this hypothesis, by examining the relationship between the cost and the energy density (ED) of modelled diets. Models were developed that minimized the departure from the mean adult French diet estimated from a cross-sectional dietary survey. Palatability constraints were introduced into all models. The impacts of cost on ED and of ED on cost were explored by introducing and strengthening first a constraint on cost and then a constraint on ED. Forcing the cost of the linear programming diets to decrease induced a strong increase in their EDs. In contrast, forcing the ED to increase induced only a moderate decrease in diet costs. These results suggest that, although an energy dense diet can be selected at a relatively high cost, when cost is not influencing food choices, an energy dense diet will be preferentially selected to maintain habitual French dietary patterns when the budget for food is low. This supports the hypothesis that economic constraints play a role in the high prevalence of obesity in low-income people. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High and low serf-monitors tasted and evaluated a sample of cheese. Some participants were led to believe that the cheese was made in France, whereas others were led to believe that it was made in Kansas. In addition, the taste of the cheese was varied. For some, the cheese was relatively pleasant tasting; for others, it was less so. High self-monitors' evaluations were a function of country of origin. Regardless of its actual taste, high self-monitors evaluated the cheese more favorably when they believed it came from France than when they believed it was made in Kansas. In contrast, the evaluations of low self-monitors were a function of the cheese's actual taste. They evaluated the pleasant-tasting cheese more favorably than the less pleasant-tasting cheese regardless of its purported country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berries of blackcurrant are known to produce a strong flavor. Some previous studies have reported that a given cultivar of blackcurrant can produce berries with a specific profile of volatile compounds. For the Burgundy region in France, the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar is especially important because it is the main ingredient of a liquor with a designation of origin. The aim of the present study was to characterize the volatile fractions of berries from 15 cultivars in order to explore the possibility of using different cultivars for liquor production. The plants were cultivated under the same conditions and harvested in the same year. The volatile fractions of the harvested berries were analyzed using HS-SPME-GC-MS. Thorough univariate statistical analysis and multivariate analysis were applied to the dataset, which made it possible to identify groups within cultivars. The Rosenthal cultivar exhibited a quite flat profile; the Lositkia, Ben Tiran, and Barchatnaia cultivars shared common features; the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar showed the highest amounts of molecules such as 3-carene, limonene, β-phellandrene, ocimene, α-terpinolene, and bicyclogermacrene. None of the studied varieties were close to the Noir de Bourgogne on the basis of VOC analysis.

This paper draws on the concepts and tools of Pierre Bourdieu to construct a comprehensive model of the contemporary British "food space." It uses multiple correspondence analysis to unearth a space structured in two key dimensions revolving around the lean and the rich. A host of supplementary variables are available to examine the relationship, or homology, between food tastes and broader alimentary dispositions, including orientations toward shopping, ethics and cooking. Indicators of social position reveal the structuring of the space by economic and cultural capital as well as gender, but also, updating and nuancing Bourdieu's own model for 1970s' France, by age, region, ethnicity and religion. Finally, the paper examines the relationship between position in the food space and physical, mental and existential wellbeing, demonstrating that orientation toward the less healthy and the less rich, corresponding with few resources, is, in some cases, accompanied by not only hunger and deprivation but profound worry and misery., (© 2021 The Authors. The British Journal of Sociology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of London School of Economics and Political Science.)

Pulses present many advantages for human health, nutrition, sustainability, and the environment. Despite efforts in recent years by the pulse industry and national authorities to favor pulses, consumption in France remains relatively low, at 1.7 kg/per person in 2016, compared to 1920 when it was around 7.2 kg/per person. To understand social representations of pulses in France, 80 French nonvegetarian consumers and 35 professionals from the pulse industry were asked to say five words spontaneously evoked by the inductor "pulses". They then had to rank these five words in order of importance and rate their valence. The structural approach was used to analyze social representations for each group independently. Our results highlight differences in the structure and content of social representations for pulses. Consumer responses suggested only vague impressions of pulses, but taste evocations were nevertheless rated positively. By contrast, professionals tended to focus specifically on protein content and culinary preparation. These differences could explain some barriers to pulse consumption, and improved communication should be a key target. Efficient communication must consider the concepts most frequently used by consumers when referring to pulses, and those ranked as most important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavoring using blends of herbs and spices (H&S) instead of salt may be a promising approach to increase legume consumption and reduce salt content in foods. This study examines the effects of H&S on the appreciation and intake of low-salt legume-based dishes in a real ecological eating environment. Four mezzes with standard (0.8% w / w ) (S) or lower (0.4% w / w ) (LS) salt level and with or without H&S (LSHS, SHS) were developed. In a randomized cross-over trial, 94 participants attended four sessions, one week apart and received the four variants as a starter during lunch. Overall liking, food intake, and appetite ratings (visual analogue scale, VAS) were assessed during lunch. A follow-up study ( n = 130) was performed where the four variants were evaluated, and overall liking was measured at the same session. Overall liking and taste scores of SHS were significantly higher compared with LS ( p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively), but there were no significant differences between LSHS and S. However, there were no differences in energy intake or in appetite ratings among the products. Overall appreciation was similar between the low-salt with H&S and the standard-salt mezze, suggesting that the addition of H&S is a feasible strategy for achieving a 50% reduction in salt content without compromising hedonic appreciation.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that overconsumption of salt can be harmful and promotes the development of cardiovascular diseases. For this reason, many international organizations and government agencies aim to reduce overall salt consumption from food. Recent exploratory work has shown that vitamin B4 can play the role of salt substitute. This study aims on the one hand to develop and optimize a bread recipe reduced in salt and enriched with vitamin B4. On the other, it aims to study the acceptability for consumers of this double innovation, combining the addition and withdrawal of a nutrient. The study was conducted with French consumers. The sensory test showed that vitamin B4 tends to increase the perception of salt in salt-reduced bread. The acceptance of reduced-salt and vitamin B4-enriched bread was investigated in three focus-groups, mixing blind tests, information input and spontaneous evocations. Three potential targets have been identified: health-oriented young people, young parents who want to educate children to engage in a healthy lifestyle, and people broadly sensitive to nutritional information. Consumers with a pleasure and taste-oriented profile were more skeptical of the new bread formula because of greater attachment to traditional, salty French bread., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The goals of this study were to evaluate the effect of baking time on the Maillard reaction products (MRPs) generated in the crust of the traditional French baguette and to estimate their impact on its sensory characteristics, its acrylamide content, and its bifidogenic effect. Melanoidins, volatile compounds, and acrylamide were evaluated in the crust of traditional French baguettes baked between 12 and 22 min at 225 °C. The increase in melanoidins was positively correlated to the baking time, while volatile compounds only increased until 18 min. The acrylamide content was estimated to be below 18 μg/kg, which confirms the findings of EFSA that bread is not a main contributor to dietary acrylamide. A descriptive sensory analysis showed that the baking time positively affected the sensory quality of the crust. The consumer test revealed the same trend and the panelists favorably judged the well-baked baguettes based on a better crust flavor and crispness. The bifidogenic effect of the crust and the crumb from the baguettes baked 22 min was evaluated on the in vitro growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. The results demonstrated that the crumb and the crust had exactly the same bifidogenic impact, therefore not caused by melanoidins., Practical Application: The consumption of bread in France has decreased since 2007, although bread is considered by French people as "healthy" and essential to maintain a balanced diet. The current study evaluated the global qualities of the French baguette in order to highlight its high sensory quality and its beneficial effect by inducing a possible growth of bifidobacteria, even in well-baked baguettes. These findings allow the French bakery industry to develop an argument to promote its technical know-how and to help consumers choose healthier and tastier bread. Moreover, this study provided some recommendations of baking processes to maintain a high sensory quality of the French baguette and limit the formation of undesirable compounds, such as acrylamide, in the crust., (© 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Background: Various studies have shown that sensory liking influences dietary behavior and that individual characteristics are related to food intake and weight status, but little is known about individual profiles associated with salt and sweet liking., Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between a liking for salty and sweet tastes (i.e., a liking for foods rich in salt or sugar and preferred amounts of salt or sugar seasoning in foods) and sociodemographic, psychological, and lifestyle characteristics in a large sample., Methods: Individual factors and liking scores were collected by validated questionnaires from 37,181 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé study, a large web-based observational cohort launched in 2009 that studies relations between nutrition and health. The associations were assessed by multivariable multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for socioeconomic, anthropometric, and health variables., Results: In both genders, with increasing age, individuals were more likely to have a high salt liking (men, OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.30; women, OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.19), whereas they were less likely to have a strong sweet liking (men, OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.91; women, OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.68). Current smokers (men, OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.90, 2.78; women, OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.36, 1.66) and heavy drinkers (men, OR: 2.92; 95% CI: 2.37, 3.58; women, OR: 2.57, 95% CI: 2.22, 2.98) were more likely to like salt than nonsmokers and alcohol abstainers. Regarding the sweet taste, women smokers were less likely to like sweets (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.89). Highly uncontrolled eaters [men, OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 2.04, 2.80; women, OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.99, 2.47) and highly emotional women (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.55) were more likely to have a high liking for sweets than slightly uncontrolled eaters and nonemotional eaters, whereas those with high cognitive restraint (men, OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.46; women, OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.50, 0.60) and former weight-loss dieters (men, OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.70; women, OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.73) were less likely to have a strong sweet liking compared with those with low cognitive restraint and never-dieters., Conclusion: An unhealthy lifestyle that includes smoking and alcohol consumption may influence salt liking, and eating behavior may have an impact on sweet liking. Further research is needed to study the influence of individual factors and sensory liking on dietary intake and weight status. This study was registered at the European Clinical Trials Database as 2013-000929-31., (© 2015 American Society for Nutrition.)

Objective: The present study investigated the impact of salt labelling and repeated in-home consumption on liking of reduced-salt soups., Design: Participants received a chicken noodle soup to be consumed twice weekly at home for 5 weeks. Three soups were included: (i) regular-salt soup as available on the market; (ii) 22 %-reduced-salt soup; and (iii) 32 %-reduced-salt soup. The soups were tasted blind or with the label: 'same great taste, less salt and more herbs'. In total, there were six experimental groups. All groups received the same soup over the whole period. Desire and liking were measured at each time of consumption., Setting: In-home and central location test., Subjects: French consumers (n 646)., Results: There was no significant difference in liking between the three soups when consumed at home, whereas the reduced-salt soups were less liked than the regular-salt soup in the central location test. Labelling did not boost liking scores, which is probably explained by the fact that all soups were similarly liked when eaten at home., Conclusions: The surprising results of the present study in France suggest that a salt reduction of up to 32 % in a chicken noodle soup did not affect long-term liking score as assessed by consumers at home. In addition, initial liking measured at the central location was not predictive of liking after repeated in-home consumption. How far we can go in reducing salt in other products without compromising product quality, and how this impacts consumers' choice behaviour and in turn table salt use at home, are still unanswered questions.

Complementary feeding (CF) practices vary within and across cultures but have been investigated only to a very limited extent. It is however important to understand CF practices and how they differ, as CF sets the foundation for children's later food choices. The present study was set out to examine practices, attitudes and experiences of CF including the introduction of vegetables amongst French mothers (n=18, 25-39 years). Thematic analysis of transcribed focus groups and interviews revealed the perceived importance of the weaning period, as a critical milestone for infants' development but with a sense of "now or never" for introducing new tastes including vegetables. Flavour exposure and taste discovery during weaning were identified as the beginning of a "taste journey", in which educating the palate with a variety of different foods was considered important for children's later eating habits. Weaning was described as emotional and complex, a transition period in which the baby makes progress away from milk towards the family diet and which goes beyond mere nutrition. Advice was sought from official sources, but adapted to the needs of infants. In agreement with earlier observations of French adults, pleasure and taste development were considered of primary importance. In particular, French mothers believed complementary feeding lay the foundations of taste early in life., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Reports on the French government's plan to create a European Centre for Taste Sciences at Dijon, home to the famous brand of mustard. Food group Danone, the University of Burgundy and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique as sources of the idea; Construction date of the center.

The effect of country of origin (local, Switzerland, Argentina, Uruguay), finishing diet (grass, grass plus concentrate, concentrate), and price (low, medium, high) on consumer's beef choice and segmentation was evaluated in Spain, France and United Kingdom. Sensory acceptability of Uruguayan beef from different production systems was also evaluated and contrasted with consumers' beef choices. Origin was the most important characteristic for the choice of beef with preference for meat produced locally. The second most important factor was animal feed followed by price with preference for beef from grass-fed animals and lowest price. The least preferred product was beef from Uruguay, concentrate-fed animals and highest price. Sensory data showed higher acceptability scores for Uruguayan beef from grass-fed animals with or without concentrate supplementation than animals fed concentrate only. Consumer segments with distinct preferences were identified. Foreign country promotion seems to be fundamental for marketing beef in Europe, as well as the development of different marketing strategies to satisfy each consumer segment., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Apple consumers' expectations in Argentina and France were studied by comment analysis of open-ended questions. In an on-line survey consumers stated: attributes which defined quality in an apple; visual, flavor and texture characteristics they liked/did not like to find in an apple. Influence of country, consumption frequency and cultivar knowledge were analyzed by contingency tables, Chi-square per cell tests and Multiple Factor Analysis. Consumers' quality expectations were not the same in both countries. Argentineans and French consumers agreed that quality apples should be juicy (most used term in both countries), tasty, firm and fresh. However, for Argentineans quality was more related to visual characteristics, whereas for French it was driven by flavor. Argentineans used more words but French were more specific, particularly for flavour description. Moreover, frequency of consumption, varieties knowledge and the number of terms given were highly related. Frequent consumers knew more varieties and were more prolific in relation to flavour. Less frequent consumers knew fewer apple varieties and gave more words in the visual category. The use of comment analysis allowed identifying the terms that consumers used in their day to day life to describe apples, finding separately likes and dislikes, in spite of the different languages., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to determine the main flavor components of different natural aged cheese types from various countries and determine whether a unique sensory characteristic exists within specific countries for European cheeses. The flavor of 152 cheeses from Estonia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, England, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark were described during 4 independent studies. The sensory data from these studies were combined. The cheeses were sorted according to milk type and texture, and flavor characteristics of these groups were described. The main flavor characteristics of the cheeses tested were salty, sweet, sour, astringent, biting, pungent, sharp, nutty, musty/earthy, dairy fat, buttery, and dairy sweet. The cluster analysis divided the cheeses into 4 clusters: clusters 1 and 2 were sour, dairy sour, salty, astringent, biting, and varied in buttery (cluster 1) and sharp notes (cluster 2). Cluster 1 and 2 were mainly composed of French cheeses, while clusters 3 and 4 represented cheeses from various countries. Cluster 3 and 4 were sweet, with cooked milk and nutty characteristics and varied from buttery (cluster 3) to sharp notes (cluster 4). Cheeses from some countries, for example, France and Estonia, generally exhibited common sensory characteristics within the specific country, but cheeses from some other countries, such as Italy, varied widely, and seemed to have no common sensory theme. Most regional cheese standards are not specific about flavor profiles and these results suggest it may be possible to start a further characterization of cheeses in some countries., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Sensory properties are important elements to evaluate the qualities of vegetable products and are also determinant factors in purchasing decision. Here we report the Italian results of a preference mapping study conducted within a larger European project with the aim of describing the preferences of European consumers in regard to the diversity of traditional and modern tomato varieties, available on the market. This study has allowed the assessment of fruit quality at 3 levels: objective description of sensory properties, consumer preference tests, and physicochemical measurements. A set of 16 tomato cultivars, with different fruit sizes and shapes, was described and classified according to 18 sensory attributes including flavor, appearance, and texture characteristics. The same cultivars were evaluated by 179 consumers in a "preference mapping" experiment with the goal of identifying the preferred varieties and the reasons for the choice. The consumer data are referred to hedonic ratings (aspect liking and overall liking), familiarity for the analyzed cultivars, and individual features collected by a questionnaire. A hierarchical analysis of the clusters allowed to distinguish, within the sampled Italian consumers, 4 segments with different preferences which represented 19%, 25%, 41%, and 15% of the population, respectively. A partial least square regression model allowed the identification of the sensory attributes that best described consumer cluster preferences for tomato cultivars. Both texture and flavor descriptors were important drivers of consumer preferences, but the relevance (predictive value) of individual descriptors to model tomato liking was different for each consumer segment. Information on demographic and behavioral characteristics, usage habits, and factors relevant for purchasing were also provided on the 4 groups of consumers.

This observational study was designed to evaluate the acceptability of oral antibiotics (including generics) commonly prescribed to children by community practitioners in France. Between February and July 2006, the parents of 953 children enrolled by 46 pediatricians completed a questionnaire, including a taste assessment based on representations of five facial expressions. The proportions of "satisfactory" taste judgments showed a significant difference between amoxicillin-clavulanate reference product and its generics (77.9% vs. 65%, p = 0.01). The amoxicillin-clavulanate generics were more likely than the reference product to be spat out at least once (28.7% vs. 19%, p = 0.05). The full treatment course was taken by 91.7% and 82.3% of children prescribed the amoxicillin-clavulanate reference product and its generics, respectively (p = 0.02). The proportions of "satisfactory" taste judgments showed no significant difference between amoxicillin reference product and generics (64.3% vs. 72.5%, p = 0.3). The amoxicillin generics were not different from the reference product to be spat out at least once (8.6% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.2). The full treatment course was taken by 90.7% and 94.6% of children prescribed the amoxicillin reference product and its generics, respectively (p = 0.3). This study suggests the role of the active substance in the taste, and calls for the evaluation of palatability of future drugs (generics and references) before granting of the marketing authorization, particularly for active substances of poor taste; this palatability plays a significant role in the compliance of the treatment, notably in children. Poor compliance increases the risk of therapeutic failures and the emergence of resistance.

Eating behaviour depends partly on food preference, which may be determined by different types of emotions. Among the emotions generated by food, disgust and pleasure are common and can lead to increased and reduced food consumption. We tested the hypothesis that (1) elderly men and women felt different emotions towards food, and (2) low energy intake is related to negative emotions towards food. In February 2004, a convenience sample of elderly participants was recruited locally by telephone. Food intake of 52 elderly people, aged 63-80 years, was monitored throughout each day for one week and made it possible to assign the elderly people to two groups (low and high energy intake from food consumption data). One month later, each of them assessed their likes or dislikes towards 30 food pictures (vegetables, cheeses, fruits, starchy foods, sweets, meat, fish, offal and eggs) using 19 emotional words (eight words with a positive valence: 'to like', 'thrilled', 'satisfaction', 'surprise', 'serene', 'amused', 'pride', 'interest', and 11 other words with a negative valence: 'disgust', 'indifference', 'guilt', 'uneasiness', 'nostalgia', 'impatience', 'doubt', 'frustration', 'embarrassment', 'disappointment' and 'lassitude'. The emotional intensities experienced with the different pictures were analysed by ANOVA for each group (men and women, small and big eaters). There were differences in likes and dislikes between men and women. Both guilty and liking scores towards food were generally higher in women than in men. Small eaters felt more doubt, unease, disappointment and indifference towards food than big eaters. In conclusion, the report of low food intake was related to more negative emotions towards foods that might be associated with the willingness to restrict food intake or to undernutrition.

Comté cheese, made from raw whole milk with local starter lactic acid bacteria, has been manufactured in the traditional manner in the French part of the Jura mountains since the 13th century. Its flavor vary not only by factors such as grass and hay, but also by geographical production sites. Connoisseurs are able to identify the origin of a certain number of cheeses, which raises the question of whether one can speak of georegions (terroirs) or specific geographical areas as in the case of wine. A new method of large-scale cartography (agro-pedological units) covering 20 cheese cooperatives provided a statistical comparison showing the different edaphic sectors. A sensory analysis of 106 cheeses from these 20 cooperatives (summer or winter cheese with 3 or 6 mo of ripening) has demonstrated Comté georegions corresponding to 85% of the edaphic sectors. Thus, these sectors are equivalent to cheese georegions that are natural entities represented synthetically by agropedological units that have their own vegetation and their own specific type of Comté cheese.

Bread can vary according to the flours used, extraction rate of fermentation methods, but the wast majority of French people usually consume white bread made with wheat flour. Size more than composition is the main criterion in the choice of bread. The choice of loaves with a large diameter corresponds to the traditional consumer in rural areas, but the general tendency is in favour of long loaves with a maximum of crust. This shape is more related to the qualities sought by consumers who want a "light", "crusty", well-baked (golden brown) loaf. Thus they are more interested in the consistency than in the taste, as bread is now only an accessory to a well-flavoured dish. Despite the large drop in the consumption of bread, this search for a good consistency is strong enough to justify quite frequently a detour to a baker whose quality of bread is better. However, this desire for quality does not seem to lead to a larger individual consumption. For various reasons, since the beginning of this century, man has lost his "taste for bread" and any improvement in the "taste of bread" would not be sufficient to make him find it again.