ACRYLAMIDE IN FRENCH FRIES PREPARED IN AT HOME AND FAST FOOD CONDITIONS

French fries, prepared either at home or in fast food restaurants, are one of the most desired dishes of Romanians and the main contributors to the intake of acrylamide through the diet. The aim of this study was to investigate how the frying in at home and fast food conditions influences the acrylamide level of French fries and to establish a correlation between acrylamide content and the color parameters. Potatoes from the Queen Anne variety and two types of oil (sunflower, palm) were used. Frying in at home conditions was realized in a pan in sunflower and palm oils (103°C for 13-15 minutes) and frying in fast food conditions was performed in a fryer using only palm oil (170°C for 11 minutes). Determination of acrylamide was achieved fallowing the GC-MS/MS method. The level of acrylamide in French fries fried in at home conditions showed higher acrylamide content when the sunflower oil was used (764.58 µg/kg) compared to the samples fried in palm oil (541.65 µg/kg). Also, a variation between the two types of frying was observed when using palm oil and a lower acrylamide level was obtained for French fries fried in at home conditions (541.65 µg/kg) than for potatoes fried in fast food conditions (684.37 µg/kg). For all the samples analyzed the acrylamide content exceeded the benchmark level of 500 µg/kg set by the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158. Linear correlations between acrylamide levels, expressed in % d.m., and the color parameters (L*, a* and b*) were found: as the level of acrylamide increased, the parameters L* and b* (R2 = 0.80) decreased, and a* increased (R2 = 0.68).

Feasibility of collaborating with independent Latino-owned restaurants to increase sales of a healthy combo meal

Americans spend the majority of their food dollars at restaurants and other prepared food sources, including quick-service and fast-food restaurants (PFS); independent small restaurants make up 66% of all PFS in the US. In this feasibility study, 5 independent and Latino-owned PFS in the Washington DC metro area worked with academic partners to start offering healthy combo meals with bottled water and promote these using on-site, community, and social media advertising. The number of healthy combos sold was collected weekly, showing that the new combos sold, and customers in all 5 sites were surveyed as they exited the PFS (n=50): >85% had noticed the combo meals; 100% thought it was a good idea to offer it, 68% had ordered the combo (of these, >94% of customers responded that they liked it). Results suggest that it is feasible to work with independent Latino-owned restaurants to promote healthy combos and collect data.

Microbiological Quality of Food and Ready Meals Sold in Fast Food Restaurants on the Campus of NANGUI ABROGOUA University in Abidjan (Ivory coast)

The objective of this study was to analyze the microbilogical quality of foods sold in fast food restaurants on the campus of NAGUI ABROGOUA University (UNA). The detection and enumeration of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total and fecal coliforms, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, sulfite-reducing anaerobes (ASR) and Clostridium perfringens were carried out according to the standard methods in force. In 3 months, 36 samples of ready meals from 7 sites were collected and analyzed. The results obtained revealed that the germ loads (colony forming unit : CFU) vary according to the nature of the germ, its origin and the nature of the food sampled. The charges in GAM vary from 9.4 108 ± to 1.5 108 CFU/g to 6.3 101 ± 4.5 101 CFU/g. Overall, attiéké-garba and its condiments contain most of the germs sought with the exception of Salmonella which are absent in all the dishes analyzed. Thus, in terms of microbiological quality, 60 %, 33.3 %, 25 % and 13.3 % of the samples taken respectively from the school office aera, IREN - market and fixed restaurant sites are of non-microbiological quality satisfying the standards. This non-compliance is more attributable to attiéké-garba and its condiments contaminated with coliform strains, in particular Escherichia coli and strains of Staphylococcus aureus. It is therefore necessary to improve the hygienic quality of meals served in fast food restaurants on the campus of NANGUI ABROGOUA University (UNA), in particular attiéké-garba condiments and curdled milk to ensure better consumer safety.

Customer Satisfaction and Repurchase Decision: Evidence from Fast Food Restaurants

Service quality is a major determinant of customer satisfaction and consequently a repurchase decision in the fast food restaurants’ (FFRs) industry. Nevertheless, prompt and efficient services alone may not guarantee a restaurant a place in today’s hyper- competitive marketplace. Therefore, this study was conceived to examine the impact of food quality (FQ), service quality (SQ), perceived value (PV) and restaurant environment (RE) on customer re-purchase decision, mediated by customer satisfaction (CS). Data for the study were obtained from a sample of 320 consumers drawn from 12 FFRs in three major towns in Delta State, Nigeria. Multiple and hierarchical regressions were used to analyse the data generated. The findings indicated that FQ, SQ, PV and RE exerted positive and significant effects on CS and re-purchase decision. The results also showed that CS fully mediated the relationship between SQ and repurchase decision, but the meditational influence was only partially for FQ, PV and RE; implying that FQ, PV and RE have their own direct influence on RPD besides through SQ. Given the impact of FQ, SQ, PV and RE on CS and repurchase decision, restaurants’ managers need to continually improve on the quality of their services, environment and offerings to sustain the patronage of their clients in order to survive in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace.

Survey on salt content in selected food products of fast food restaurants and determination of salt intake awareness among fast food consumers in Klang Valley

Introduction: Malaysians are exposed to a high salt diet, which is one of the contributors to the prevalence of hypertension among them. This study aimed to identify the salt content in selected food products of fast food restaurants and to determine the salt intake awareness among fast food consumers. Methods: Salt content data were collected through online survey from the official websites of selected restaurants (Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, Subway® and Texas Chicken). The food products were classified into eight food categories (chickenbased, potato-based, rice-based, sandwich, salad, bread, dessert, and sauce). The cross-sectional study on salt intake awareness was conducted among 108 Malaysian adults from these restaurants. A knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire was disseminated online. The salt content and the consumers’ salt intake awareness were analysed using Statistical Products and Service Solution (SPSS) software version 25.0. Results: A total of 105 food products were surveyed in this study. Sauce products contained the highest salt content (1.9±0.8 g/100g), followed by bread (1.2±0.3 g/100g), potato-based (1.2±0.4 g/100g), chicken-based (1.2±0.3 g/100g), sandwich (1.1±0.6 g/100g), rice-based (0.7±0.3 g/100g), salad (0.4±0.2 g/100g), and dessert (0.3±0.4 g/100g). For the KAP study, a total of 108 consumers had participated and mostly (48.2%) had a fair level of salt intake awareness. Conclusion: Most food products of fast food restaurants contained high salt content and majority of fast food consumers had a fair level of salt intake awareness. More strategic interventions are needed to control the salt intake among adults in Malaysia

Customer Satisfaction and Revisit Intention towards Fast Food Restaurants in Sri Lanka

This study aimed at examining factors that effect of food taste, food quality, service quality, perceived price, responsiveness, restaurant environment on customer satisfaction and revisit intention. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey of fast food restaurant customers in a selected metropolitan area from Colombo district and students from University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and R Studio 3.5.1 software. The study has found that food quality and perceived price are the important antecedents of restaurant customer satisfaction. Further, the results clearly showed a significant role of customer satisfaction on revisit intention and crucial impact of perceived price on customer satisfaction. In addition, revisit intention towards the fast food restaurant is directly influenced by food tastes. This study collected data from two selected groups; students from University of Sri Jayewardenepura and one metropolitan area, and data has analyzed further based on demographic characteristics further to confirm the results. Therefore, this study provides valuable insight to restaurant managers on attracting, retaining and satisfying their customers.