Search

The effects of written information of key sensory characteristics of apple cultivars on hedonic ratings and willingness to pay (WTP) were measured in an experimental auction. Participants (n = 118, 95F, 23M, mean age 37y.) rated, in three subsequent rounds, pleasantness and WTP based on (1) appearance only (n = 25), (2) appearance, written information and tasting (n = 44), or (3) appearance, tasting and written information (n = 49). Four domestic cultivars were described as medium sour and crispy ('Amorosa'), sour and medium crispy ('Konsta'), medium sweet and medium crispy ('Lobo') and sweet and medium crispy ('Tobias'). The differences between the cultivars in pleasantness and WTP were minimal when the evaluation was based on appearance only. The effect of tasting after visual inspection was positive in three cultivars and negative in one ('Konsta'). Written information after tasting did not affect pleasantness or WTP. For one cultivar ('Tobias'), information given before tasting created expectations that were not fulfilled, thus tasting decreased hedonic ratings and WTP. Mean WTP was 2.36 euro/kg. When pleasantness increased by one point, WTP increased by 0.31-0.45 euro/kg. Regression models showed that pleasantness explained 38-55% of WTP. Respondents who reported consuming domestic apples more often than once a week had 0.52-0.74 euro/kg higher WTP than those who consumed them less frequently, suggesting that familiarity with the product increases WTP. Results indicate that both written information and tasting contribute to the ratings of pleasantness and WTP. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., Postprint (published version)

The ageing populations in many countries are growing and has become a major human, societal, economic and health concern. One of the main obstacles is undernourishment, which is a significant and neglected public health problem among the elderly (Bülow et al., 2003). The negative consequences of poor nutrition lead to a general decline in the quality of life and associated costs for health care (Arvanitakis et al., 2008). Appetite is a key factor in food intake (Edfors and Westergren, 2012). Loss of appetite is however common and due to many factors, eg decreased ability to perceive sensory attributes, the meal situation, health etc (Nyberg et al., 2014). The EU funded project HealthSense (2000-2003) between 24 laboratories collected and reported a remarkable body of information, but since then no major effort to tackle the problem has been undertaken. More knowledge is needed on elderly people’s food preferences and perception, culinary preparations and how to organize meals and food intake. The aim of the workshop is to find new ideas on how to increase appetite in elderly from a sensory perspective and put this into the holistic view of appetite for life! Outlines of workshop Introduction Appetite-for-life Five minutes presentations by invited speakers concerning how to increase appetite from sensory perspectives Interactive session where the workshop audience is divided into groups. Each group discuss on the basis of a case and with inspiration from the picture above Short presentations from each group Common discussion Conclusions and end of workshop Invited Speakers: 1) Giboreau, A., Institut Paul Bocuse, Ecully Cedex, FRANCE 2) Kremer, S. WUR, Wageningen, NETHERLANDS 3) Matullat, I., TTZ, Bremerhaven, GERMANY 4) Olsson, V., Kristianstad University, SWEDEN 5) Sulmont-Rossé, C., Issanchou, S. INRA, Dijon, or Maître, I : LUNAM Angers, France