Loading...
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Consumer-led adaptation of the EsSense Profile® for herbal infusionsPublication . Rocha, Célia; Moura, Ana Pinto de; Pereira, Diana; Lima, Rui Costa; Cunha, Luís MiguelThis work aimed to adapt the EsSense Profile® emotions list to the discrimination of herbal infusions, aiming to evaluate the effect of harvesting conditions on the emotional profile. A panel of 100 consumers evaluated eight organic infusions: lemon verbena, peppermint, lemon thyme, lemongrass, chamomile, lemon balm, globe amaranth and tutsan, using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) ballot with the original EsSense Profile®. A set of criteria was applied to get a discriminant list. First, the terms with low discriminant power and with a frequency mention below 35% were removed. Two focus groups were also performed to evaluate the applicability of the questionnaire. The content analysis of focus groups suggests the removal of the terms good and pleasant, recognized as sensory attributes. Six additional terms were removed, considered to be too similar to other existing emotion terms. Changes in the questionnaire, resulting in a list of 24 emotion terms for the evaluation of selected herbal infusions, were able to discriminate beyond overall liking. When comparing finer differences between plants harvested under different conditions, differences were identified for lemon verbena infusions, yielding the mechanical cut of plant tips as the one leading to a more appealing evoked emotions profile.
- Adaptation of the food choice questionnaire using a design thinking approach and application to rice consumption by the major European consumersPublication . Castanho, Ana; Brites, Carla; Rocha, Célia; Moura, Ana Pinto de; Oliveira, Jorge C.; Cunha, Luís MiguelPortugal, the largest rice consumer in Europe, is witnessing an increase in imported rice, prompting a need to understand the underlying reasons for this rise. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) has been adapted to particular cases, however, the procedure isn’t standardized. A method based on Design Thinking—a usercentred problem-solving approach—and the use of images in the association technique, was developed and presented to Portuguese rice consumers, comprised of three phases. In the Inspiration phase, the FCQ items and others retrieved from interviews were converted into images through an online survey. In the Ideation phase, eight Portuguese rice consumer consensus-groups performed card-sorting and word association exercises based on these images and an evoked context regarding rice. In the Implementation phase, the generated words were compared to the original FCQ items. The method was revealed to be valuable in adapting the FCQ in a structured manner that can be employed to other realities. The adapted FCQ consisted of 33 items (including 12 new) and was presented to 371 Portuguese rice consumers. An exploratory factorial analysis revealed six factors, where Sensory Appeal, followed by Convenience, and Health & Nutrition were the most relevant. A cluster analysis based on consumption patterns, when compared to the rice choice determinants, revealed three consumer groups: “Nationals” - mainly consumed Portuguese rice, “Varied” - consumed different rice types, and “Imported” - predominantly consumed Basmati rice. The findings indicate that the changes in lifestyle contribute to the preference for more convenient rice, regardless of price, aligning Portuguese consumer patterns with those of other European countries.
- Cross-cultural perspectives on the consumer perception of Port wine and its impact on promotionPublication . Cunha, Luís Miguel; Ho, Irene; Alves, José; Rocha, Célia; Rocha, Daniel; Braga, Pedro; Lima, Rui Costa; Moura, Ana Pinto de
- Consumers’ associations with herbal infusions and home preparation practicesPublication . Rocha, Célia; Moura, Ana Pinto de; Cunha, Luís MiguelThe consumption of infusions is affected by many factors, namely those associated with culture, health and sensory properties. The main goal of this research was to explore and understand consumers’ perceptions and behaviours regarding consumption and preparation of herbal infusions, applying a mixed methodology: the evaluation of consumers’ behaviours, assessed through direct self-reported measures, and indirect methods, such as free word association and auto-videography. A total of 489 Portuguese consumers replied to a web-based questionnaire. Based on their frequency of consumption and availability, 60 participants were selected for an observational study. Over 27% of the participants had at least a daily cup of herbal infusion, and over 74% had it at least every week. At home, participants reported the use of teapots (44.1%) or mugs/cups (52.0%) to prepare their infusions, and mostly chose bags (77.7%). Approximately 80% of the respondents removed the bags or loose leaves after steeping, mainly based on the infusion colour (53.1%). The freeword association results show that daily and weekly consumers establish a stronger connection with the sensory, emotional, health and wellbeing dimensions of the product, while less frequent consumers only consider the composition of the herbal infusion. From the observational study, it was noticeable that most of the consumers take less than one minute to steep the infusions, clearly below the four to ten minutes recommended for the most popular herbal infusions, like lemon verbena or peppermint. These results emphasize the need for communication strategies focused on the preparation process to give consumers tools to improve their sensory experience.