Hydroponic Basil Production: Temperature Influences Volatile Organic Compound Profile, but Not Overall Consumer Preference

Altering the growing temperature during controlled-environment production not only influences crop growth and development, but can also influence volatile organic compound (VOC) production and, subsequently, sensory attributes of culinary herbs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the influence of mean daily temperature (MDT) and daily light integral (DLI) on key basil phenylpropanoid and terpenoid concentrations, (2) determine if differences in sensory characteristics due to MDT and DLI influence consumer preference, and (3) identify the sweet basil attributes consumers prefer. Thus, 2-week-old sweet basil ‘Nufar’ seedlings were transplanted into deep-flow hydroponic systems in greenhouses with target MDTs of 23, 26, 29, 32, or 35 °C and DLIs of 7, 9, or 12 mol·m−2·d−1. After three weeks, the two most recently mature leaves were harvested for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and consumer sensory analysis. Panel evaluations were conducted through a sliding door with samples served individually while panelists answered Likert scale and open-ended quality attribute and sensory questions. The DLI did not influence VOC concentrations. Increasing MDT from 23 to 36 °C during production increased 1,8 cineole, eugenol, and methyl chavicol concentrations linearly and did not affect linalool concentration. The increases in phenylpropanoid (eugenol and methyl chavicol) were greater than increases in terpenoid (1,8 cineole) concentrations. However, these increases did not impact overall consumer or flavor preference. The MDT during basil production influenced appearance, texture, and color preference of panelists. Taken together, MDT during production influenced both VOC concentrations and textural and visual attribute preference of basil but did not influence overall consumer preference. Therefore, changing the MDT during production can be used to alter plant growth and development without significantly affecting consumer preference.

Characterization of the Flavor Precursors and Flavor Fingerprints in Grazing Lambs by Foodomics

Tan sheep are greatly preferred by consumers in China because of their nutritional value and unique flavor. However, the meat quality of Tan sheep has decreased due to the change in feeding systems from grazing to indoor. Studies investigating the mechanisms for the decrease in meat quality are limited. A total of 28 Tan sheep were randomly allocated to two treatments, receiving a concentrated diet, or pasture. Flavor precursors and volatile compounds were analyzed with foodomics. E-nose and E-tongue analyses suggested that the aroma and taste profiles differed between the feeding systems. The grazing lambs had higher levels of linoleic acid and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.01). Metabolomics indicated that 25 hydrophilic metabolites active in glycolipid and amino acid metabolisms were changed by the feeding system. Among the 57 volatile compounds identified, methional, γ-butyrolactone, benzaldehyde, and ethyl acetate were at concentrations significantly higher in the grazing lambs than the indoor-fed lambs (p < 0.01). These results reveal key changes in flavor precursors and flavor profiles affected by the feeding system, which may provide an initial view of the reason for consumer preference for the grazing Tan sheep.

Is Buying Local Food a Sustainable Practice? A Scoping Review of Consumers’ Preference for Local Food

Access to healthy food and the introduction of sustainable nutrition practices are two important issues today. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to food security but it has also provided opportunities for local food production. The discussion on local food has been gaining attention in recent years, but there is still a lack of clear understanding of the term ‘local food’ in the literature. The relationship between local food and sustainability issues is still unclear and has various connotations. This discordance leads to further discussions on whether buying local food should be considered a sustainable behavior and whether consumer preference for local food can be perceived as a sustainable practice. A scoping literature review was conducted in order to fill this gap and to shed light on the main tendencies of the scientific literature regarding this topic. The outcomes of the research revealed three dimensions of ‘local food’ definitions in the literature: geographical, geopolitical, and organic; while the problem of a unified local food definition remains open. The studied literature did not show any sound evidence for sustainability attributes in the definition of local food and consumer perception of local food.

Modeling and Simulation of Consumer Preference Decision for Commercial Complex Location Based on System Dynamics

The influencing factors of consumer shopping behavior play a key role in the later performance of commercial real estate enterprises. On the basis of analyzing the influence factors of customer patronage and the influence factors of commercial complex site selection decision and their relationship, a causal relationship graph and a system dynamic model are established, which can describe the influence of customer preference on commercial complex site selection decision. And introducing customer subjective factors optimize the original pure objective factors site selection decision model. The model is implemented by using the system dynamics modeling tool Vensim. At the same time, the model is verified by using the data of the first-hand investigation. The results show that the calculated data of the model is in good agreement with the actual data. The results show that the system dynamics method can effectively simulate the influence of various factors on the decision-making of the commercial complex. As the forecast of the model, the key indexes of the decision-making of the city commercial complex are discussed, and the measures to be taken are put forward, which can provide reference for the decision-making of the location.

An Analysis on Consumer Preference of Ayurvedic Products in Indian Market

With the growing awareness of lifestyle diseases and risk related to chemical-based products, there has been an increasing interest in green/natural products. The purpose of this study is to analyze the recent surge in the growth rate of Ayurved Market and to explore factors that are driving or inhibiting the said pattern. The study will use descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis to understand the factor influencing the consumer perception of Ayurvedic products. The study will also investigate the relation between the demographic factors and preference for Ayurvedic products. The study identifies the factors which influence the brand preferences and to know how these factors are further influenced by demographics. The result of the study indicates that the factors of trust and satisfaction have positive and significant impact on the brand preferences, whereas price has negative but insignificant influence on brand preferences. This study is an attempt to understand the role of Ayurved in food science as well as medical science.

Exploration of Aceh traditional food: Chemical quality characterization of asam sunti in Banda Aceh

As a result of its diverse culture and nature, Indonesia is rich in traditional cuisine. In Aceh province, located in the western part of Indonesia, there is a special condiment known as asam sunti, made of fermented bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi L.). Asam sunti is used as a spice to give a sour taste and specific aroma in Acehnese cuisine. Although asam sunti is widely used by the people in Aceh, but until now there is no standard quality that shows the quality of asam sunti. The quality of a sam sunti products that existing on the market is very diverse, especially in colour and texture. This study aims to analyse the chemical quality of asam sunti obtained from several markets in the city of Banda Aceh. Samples were obtained from 5 markets, namely Gampong Baroe, Peunayong, Seutui, Ulee Kareng and Gampong Peuniti Market. Chemical parameters analysed were moisture content, ash content, salt content and titrated acid content. The result shows that asam sunti in Banda Aceh city market has diverse chemical characteristic with moisture content range 21.38%-33.8% with average 29.48%, ash content 0.13%-0.45% with average 0.27%, salt content 6.11%-18.34% with average 8.15% and titrated acid content 7.5%-14.5% with average 11%. This chemical data needs to be correlated in further research with the level of consumer preference through descriptive and hedonic sensory tests so that later a complete asam sunti quality character can be obtained and can be made into a standard that is practically and scientifically acceptable.

Quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits inoculated with Escherichia coli under different storage conditions

The study evaluated the effect of storage temperatures of 7 and 22 °C for 168 h on tomatoes (Charleston cv.) inoculated with 107 CFU mL-1 of the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli pathogroup (ETEC) strain on color indexes (hue angle, h°, and chroma, C*), firmness, titratable acidity (% citric acid), ascorbic acid, total soluble sugars and reducing sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose). ETEC survived with populations of 7 and 9.2 Log CFU g-1 at 7 and 22 °C, respectively until 120 h. Bacterial adherence and colonization under both storage conditions were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The index C* and ascorbic acid had higher values at 22 °C, while the parameters h°, firmness, and citric acid had lower values at the same storage temperature. At 7 °C, the concentration of total soluble sugars was affected; glucose and fructose showed lower values (0.054 and 0.057 g 100 g-1, respectively). Finally, the inoculated fruits exhibited significant differences in the parameters of consumer preference of fresh tomatoes such as color, firmness, sugars, and organic acids, which were affected depending on the storage temperature.