Browsing by Author "Orr RE"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Can flavour and texture defects of plant-based burger patties be mitigated by combining them with a bun and tomato sauce?
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2023-07-01) Gonzalez-Estanol K; Orr RE; Hort J; Stieger M
    Common challenges for plant-based meat replacers are undesired (inherent) off-flavours (flavour defects) such as beany flavour or bitter taste, which are often associated with the use of plant proteins in meat replacers. Furthermore, plant-based meat replacers are often perceived as dry and lack juiciness and tenderness (texture defects). However, many foods are not consumed in isolation and sensory properties, and their acceptance, can be altered by the addition of other food components or condiments. The study aimed to compare the sensory properties and acceptance of commercially available plant-based burger patties eaten alone and in combination with other foods and/or condiments. Liking and sensory properties of a beef and two plant-based (soy and hemp) patties consumed alone, with a bun, with tomato sauce, and with a bun and tomato sauce were determined using a hedonic scale and Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) methodology, respectively. For both plant-based patties (hemp, soy) bitter taste, beany and nutty flavour intensity remained but decreased with addition of a bun and/or sauce, but positive liking drivers such as meaty and fat flavour were also reduced. This suggests that these off-flavours can only be partly mitigated by the addition of a bun and/or sauce, but clearly cannot be masked completely. Hemp patties were perceived to have a high amount of chunks, which was a driver of disliking. This texture defect decreased with the addition of a bun and a bun with sauce. Off-flavours and texture defects of the hemp- and soy-based patties were too intense to be fully masked and could only be mitigated to a limited extent by the addition of a bun and/or tomato sauce. Notably, these reductions in off-flavour and texture defects were not sufficient to impact liking. The results highlight the importance of understanding product performance in realistic consumption scenarios. Addition of further ingredients and condiments, as is typical in a burger context, may be advantageous, but further research is required to test such a hypothesis.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Development of a consumer-led emotion lexicon for meat and plant-based burger patties using digitally recreated eating contexts
    (1/06/2023) Orr RE; Giezenaar C; Godfrey AJR; Hort J
    The decision to consume novel foods such as plant-based meat alternatives is often determined by emotional response. Generic food emotion lexicons are available for measuring emotional response, however, such lexicons may not capture the nuanced emotions associated with novel products. Here, an emotion lexicon specific to meat and plant-based burger patties was developed. Discussion groups, where participants were digitally immersed in two typical burger eating environments, were used to generate relevant emotion terms toward different patties. A range of consumers contributed to the lexicon including users and nonusers of meat alternatives, two age groups, and three dietary groups. Subsequently, an on-line sorting task followed by hierarchical clustering was used to reduce the size of the lexicon. The final lexicon contained 24 emotion categories. The lexicon shared terms with generic lexicons but notably contained other emotions associated with food neophobia, uncertainty, and deception. Practical Applications: The results of this study provide an emotion lexicon specific to burger patties of meat and plant-based origins. Currently no emotion lexicon has been developed for plant-based patties, or plant-based meat alternatives in general. It provides an important tool for further research concerning links between sensory and emotional drivers of plant-based patty consumption across different types of patty consumers and has potential to be adopted for a wider product set.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Exploring the association of personal factors with affective responses to plant-based meat alternatives with consideration of their perceived similarity to meat
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2025-12-01) Giezenaar C; Mehta A; Orr RE; Godfrey AJR; Foster M; Hort J
    Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) have gained popularity as perceived sustainable replacements for meat, yet consumption remains limited. Understanding how personality traits shape PBMA consumption experience is therefore essential. This study surveyed 140 New Zealand consumers, assessing behavioural traits and attitudes related to willingness to reduce meat consumption/increase PBMA consumption. Participants completed tasting sessions evaluating commercially available PBMA products, based on flavour, texture, overall liking and emotions evoked, and sample perceived similarity to meat. Participants reported their demographic information, dietary habits, and frequency of meat and PBMA consumption. Results showed that higher social status derived from PBMA consumption were linked with higher liking ratings and citation proportion of ‘hungry’ for PBMAs. However, high negative attitude towards vegetarianism/veganism was linked to higher citation proportion for ‘unhappy’ for wholefood samples, while lower citation proportion for ‘unhappy’ for somewhat meat-like samples. High meat attachment was associated with lower perceived similarity to meat in both meat-like and somewhat meat-like samples. Additionally, the high meat consumption group reported lower texture and overall liking for meat-like samples. High variety seeking consumers (VARSEEK scores) were positively associated with flavour and overall liking for wholefood samples. Based on dietary groups, meat avoiders, generally driven by environmental and animal welfare concerns, reported more negative emotions such as ‘unhappy’ when tasting wholefood PBMAs compared to omnivores and flexitarians, despite their strong ethical and environmental motivations. The research highlights the impact of consumer behavioural traits and attitudes on their PBMA perception and acceptance, providing valuable insights for improving product development.