A key lifestyle change people could make to reduce their environmental impact is to reduce their meat consumption. However, meat is still a staple in many people's diet, and some consumers are reluctant to cut down. Meat substitutes, if accepted as adequate replacements for meat, may offer a suitable alternative without leaving consumers feeling dissatisfied. The aim of the present study was to identify psychological barriers to reducing meat consumption and increasing use of meat substitutes among Swedish consumers. Participants engaged in focus group discussions around purchasing, preparing, and consuming meat and meat substitutes. Four main themes were identified through thematic analysis: uncertainty, scepticism, health, and identity. These are discussed in relation to previous work on the barriers to reducing meat consumption. Strategies to communicate the environmental impact of meat to consumers and effect change through behavioural interventions are considered.

Wine mouthfeel is considered important for wine quality by experts, while consumers understanding of mouthfeel and the role of wine body in their wine choice is unknown. One experiment determined the influence of intrinsic wine mouthfeel on consumers' wine liking and emotions, and the other, how consumers understand the term wine body. The first experiment used a 2 astringency level×2 body level experimental design. The samples were base wine with; nothing added (control), added xanthan gum (for increased body), added grape seed extract (GSE, for increased astringency), and with both added xanthan gum and GSE. The consumer taste trial (n=112) indicated that wine with increased body did not influence wine liking and emotions; while increased astringency decreased liking and elicited more intense negative emotions. The second experiment examined consumers' knowledge of wine body through an online survey (n=136). Consumers described wine body most frequently using words such as flavour, fullness, and strength. Wine body was therefore understood by consumers predominantly as a holistic multi-sensory perception of flavour. Wine flavour was indicated by consumers to be the most important factor driving purchase decisions followed by balance of flavours and wine body. It is crucial that wine professionals carefully communicate wine characteristics to consumers to prevent possible misunderstandings such as the meaning of wine body and as a result better meet consumer expectations. In future, the term body may benefit from a clearer definition for academic research as well as industry.

Food studies have shown that emotion responses can be influenced by the food alone and environmental context. The influence of context on the perception and liking of red wine flavors and on the emotions evoked is poorly understood. The main aim of this research was to examine the effect of wine flavors and context by immersive environment on consumer’s perceived intensities of green and floral flavors, liking and emotions elicited during wine consumption. Red wine consumers (n = 105) tasted three Cabernet Sauvignon wines; control wine (CW), green wine (GW, control wine spiked with 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine, IBMP), and floral wine (FW, control wine spiked with rose water), in both a “floral” room (FR) and a “green” room (GR). The wine consumers were asked to taste and rate the intensity of green and floral flavors, hedonic liking and the emotions elicited. The results showed that in both rooms, FW was rated consistently higher in floral flavor and GW higher in green flavor. The control and FW were significantly ( p < 0.001) more liked than the GW. Based on wine liking, three clusters were identified. The control and FW evoked significantly higher positive emotions relative to the GW ( p < 0.05), whereas GW evoked significantly higher negative emotions compared to the control and FW ( p < 0.05) in both rooms. The effect of immersive environment did not influence flavor perception, hedonic liking or emotion responses. Consumers were also separated into three clusters according to their liking of wines tasted and despite clusters having identical liking for certain wines the associated emotions differed.

Summary: The factors that vary the aroma of Tuber magnatum fruiting bodies are poorly understood. The study determined the headspace aroma composition, sensory aroma profiles, maturity and bacterial communities from T. magnatum originating from Italy, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia, and tested if truffle aroma is dependent on provenance and if fruiting body volatiles are explained by maturity and/or bacterial communities. Headspace volatile profiles were determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC‐MS‐O) and aroma of fruiting body extracts were sensorially assessed. Fruiting body maturity was estimated through spore melanisation. Bacterial community was determined using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Main odour active compounds were present in all truffles but varied in concentration. Aroma of truffle extracts were sensorially discriminated by sites. However, volatile profiles of individual fruiting bodies varied more within sites than across geographic area, while maturity level did not play a role. Bacterial communities varied highly and were partially explained by provenance. A few rare bacterial operational taxonomical units associated with a select few nonodour active volatile compounds. Specificities of the aroma of T. magnatum truffles are more likely to be linked to individual properties than provenance. Some constituents of bacteria may provide biomarkers of provenance and be linked to nonodour active volatiles.