A home-use test (HUT) is one method that provides a measure of ecological validity as the product is consumed in home under common daily use circumstances. One product that benefits from being evaluated in-home are ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. This study determined consumer acceptance of microwave-thermally-pasteurized jambalaya, a multi-meat and vegetable dish from American Cajun cuisine, and a control (cooked frozen jambalaya) through an on-line home-use test (HUT) over a 12-week storage period. Paralleling the HUT, an online auction determined consumers’ willingness to pay. The study also explored how the social environment may impact the liking of the meals when a partner of the participants joined the sensory evaluation of the meals. Consumers (n = 50) evaluated microwave-processed jambalaya stored at 2 °C and a control (cooked frozen jambalaya stored at −31 °C) after 2, 8 and 12 weeks of storage. Consumer liking of different sensory attributes was measured. Participants could choose to share the meals with a partner as a way to enhance ecological validity. The responses from 21 partners to the sensory-related questions were collected. After the sensory evaluation, the participants bid on the meal they had just sampled. Results showed that processing method (microwave vs. control) did not significantly influence the measured sensory attributes. Only flavor liking decreased over storage time (p < 0.05). The inclusion of partners significantly increased (p = 0.04) the liking of the appearance of the meals. The mean values of the bids for the meals ranged from $3.33–3.74, matching prices of commercially available jambalaya meals. This study found suggests that the shelf- life of microwave-processed meals could be extended up to 12 weeks without changing its overall liking. The study also shows the importance of exploring HUT methodology for the evaluation of consumers’ acceptance of microwave-processed jambalaya and how including a partner could contribute to enhance ecological validity.

Introduction. The consumption of fruits and vegetables inversely correlates with the incidence of degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancer, and cataracts associated with aging, due to the action of bioactive compounds including vitamin C, polyphenols, and carotenoids. Objective. To evaluate the nutritional profile of eleven fruits grown in Costa Rica. Materials and methods. This study was carried out at the National Center for Food Science and Technology of the Universidad de Costa Rica, in 2010. The content of total dietary fiber, total polyphenols, reported as gallic acid equivalents (GAE), total carotenoids expressed as µg β-carotene, and the hydrophilic capacity for oxygen radical absorbance (H-ORACFL) of eleven traditional or underutilized fruits were determined: banana (Musa AAA subgroup Cavendish cv. ‘Grand Naine’), high altitude tropical blackberry (Rubus adenotrichos cv. ‘wine with red thorns’), melon (Cucumis melo cv. ‘Veracruz’), fig (Ficus carica cv. ‘Brown-Turkey’), mango (Mangifera indica cv. ‘Tommy Atkins’), papaya (Carica papaya hybrid ‘Pococí’), pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes HBK), pineapple (Ananas comosus cv hybrid MD-2 ‘Gold’), quince (Cydonia oblonga), jocote (Spondias purpurea cv. Tronador), and red tree tomato (Solanum betaceum). The fruits were collected in different locations in San Jose, Cartago, Alajuela, Guanacaste and Limon. Results. Six of the fruits studied presented dietary fiber contents between 4.2 and 6.6 g 100 g-1. The highland tropical blackberry presented the highest content of total phenolic compounds (538 ± 97 mg GAE 100 g-1) and the highest antioxidant activity (62.1 ± 4.0 μmol Trolox equivalents g-1) and the cooked pejibaye presented the highest content of carotenoids (72 ± 4 µg β-caroteno g-¹). Conclusion. The values of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds in the eleven fruits grown in Costa Rica represent valuable nutritional characteristics given the associated health benefits supported by clinical and epidemiological studies.

This study employed a home-use test to explore the sensory perception and evoked emotions of older adults in the assessment of chicken pasta meals with different salt concentrations. Ready-to-eat (RTE) meals with three salt levels (100%, 75%, and 50%) and two treatments—with and without added herbs—were tested. Multiple sensory attributes and overall meal liking were evaluated by participants (n = 54; 60–86 years of age) with hedonic and just-about-right scores. Twenty-five food-evoked emotions were also tested. Sensory results suggested a 50% salt reduction is possible with minimal impact on the overall liking, while a 25% salt reduction did not affect the saltiness and flavor liking of the meals. Herb addition positively impacted the aroma, flavor, and spiciness liking of the meals. The emotions that differed (p < 0.05) among meals were active, aggressive, bored, calm, happy, and wild, with the meals with herbs added eliciting more positive emotions. A questionnaire elicited information about participants’ interest in healthy eating, food technology neophobia, and picky behaviors to determine the influence of these factors on participants’ salt consumption habits. Sensory acceptance data combined with questionnaires explored what influenced this group of older adults in their acceptance of and interest in RTE meals.

Introduction: Rice is a staple food in Costa Rica representing almost 24 % of the total calorie intake in the diet. Consumers have become more quality conscious about the rice consumed, so producers need to focus on the quality of rice along with production. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical profile and consumer preference of five Costa Rican rice varieties: Palmar 18, Basmatico, Chin Chin, INTA-Miravalles, and CR- 5272. Materials and methods: Proximate analysis, amylose, and mineral content were performed in the raw grain. Two different sessions were performed (n=120 each) to evaluate consumer preference measurements using the John Brown R-Index (RJB) index. The first sensory panel selected the best cooking preparation and the second, the preferred rice variety. Instrumental color measurements (L*, C*, hº, DE) were applied to the cooked rice varieties (76-96ºC for 38 min). Results: Regarding the physicochemical characterization, INTAMiravalles showed the highest protein content (8.2%), while Basmatico and Chin Chin, the lowest. Four varieties presented high amylose content (AC) and INTA-Miravalles reported an intermediate AC. The mineral content varied among varieties. INTA-Miravalles showed the highest N, followed by Palmar 18. The cooking preparation from the regulatory agency was preferred by consumers. The consumers’ preference of the varieties ranked from high to low: Basmatico>Chin Chin=CR5772>Palmar 18=INTA-Miravalles. Conclusions: This study suggests that consumer preference for cooked rice was influenced by physicochemical characteristics such as protein, AC, mineral content, and aromatic attributes. Consumer acceptance is an important factor to consider when new varieties are developed. The water-to-rice ratio during cooking played an important role in cooked rice sensory quality.