The Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with many health benefits. The association between the MD and food neophobia (FN) is still unexplored in adults. The present cross-sectional study was aimed to explore the relationships between adherence to the MD, FN, and sociodemographic variables in a large Italian cohort. Familiarity and frequency use (FFI) of prototypical and non-prototypical Mediterranean foods were used to calculate a new adherence index: the Italian Taste Mediterranean Index (ITMI). The FFI of all Mediterranean foods increased with age, while butter, soft drinks, red/cured meat, and sweets were more common in younger people. Accordingly, ITMI increased with age (F_2,2384 = 54.11; p < 0.0001). Women recorded a higher ITMI (6.70) than men (6.10). Individuals with high FN showed higher FFI for soft drinks and sweets and lower ones for most typical MD foods, than individuals with low FNs. A decrease of ITMI was recorded with the increase of the FN(F_2,2384 = 22.84; p < 0.0001). With ageing, ITMI increased even in individuals with a high FN. The results suggest that FN may negatively affect adherence to the MD, lowering its potential health benefits, in the adult population. Monitoring of food habits, dietary education, and anxiety management, may be valuable tools to control FN and support the adherence to the MD.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are an important source of nutrients with beneficial effects on human health. However, they contain lectins, that limit the direct use of flour in food preparations without thermal treatment, and phytic acid, that reduces mineral cation bioavailability. The objectives of this research were: to obtain biofortified snacks and a cream using an untreated common bean flour devoid of active lectins (lec⁻) and with reduced content of phytic acid (lpa) and to evaluate the sensorial appreciation for these products. The main results of the present work were: the products with the lpa lec⁻ flour did not retain residual hemagglutinating activity due to lectins; they showed higher residual α-amylase inhibitor activity (from 2.2 to 135 times), reduced in vitro predicted glycemic index (about 5 units reduction) and increased iron bioavailability compared to the products with wild type flour; products with common bean flour were less appreciated than the reference ones without this flour, but the presence of an intense umami taste can be a positive attribute. Results confirmed that the use of the lpa lec⁻ flour has important advantages in the preparation of safe and nutritionally improved products, and provide useful information to identify target consumers, such as children and elderly people.

Honey is a worldwide known and appreciated food product. Its appreciation by consumers is due to both its nutritional properties and the extremely reduced processing. The floral origin, color, aroma and taste are key factors in determining the quality of honey. Nevertheless, rheological properties, as crystallization rate, play a fundamental role in the perceived overall quality. Indeed, crystallized honey is often considered of poor quality by consumers, but a fine-grained or creamy texture is becoming interesting from the producers’ side. The purpose of this study was to investigate textural and aromatic properties and consumers’ perception and acceptance of two monofloral honeys that were differently crystallized. Liquid and creamy samples were obtained from crystallized samples. Physico-chemical, descriptive and dynamic sensory analysis, as well as consumer and CATA tests, were conducted on the three honey textures. The physico-chemical analysis well-discriminated the crystallization levels and evidenced that, although the honey variety was different, the textural properties of the creamy samples are very similar. Crystallization was shown to affect the honey sensory perceptions: liquid samples were sweeter, but less aromatic. Consumer tests allowed the validation of panel data and confirmed consumers’ higher appreciation for liquid and creamy honey.

The sustainability of reducing light in apple orchards under well-watered (ww) and water stress (ws) conditions was evaluated for water relations, plant gas exchanges, fruit growth, yield determinants, and fruit quality over three years. A black (B) 28% shading net was compared with two different 50% shading nets: red (R) and white (W). Each net was combined with two irrigation regimes (ww and ws) based on plant water status. Under ww and ws conditions, increasing shade from 28% to 50% was not detrimental for plant gas exchanges, yield, or quality over three years. Higher shade improved plant water status regardless of irrigation regime. Higher shading could be considered sustainable in apple orchards over several seasons. Fruit quality was more sensitive to plant water status than to light reduction. ws increased fruit soluble solid content and relative dry matter, regardless of shading, and this was positively reflected in consumer’s preference. When water availability is limited, increasing shading to 50% can help save water and maintain high-quality yields associated with water stress. Given the likely reductions of water availability in agriculture, growers and consultants may consider shading apple orchards as a sustainable and safe horticultural technique to save water.

Understanding climate change awareness and its related risks is crucial to plan efficient climate-smart strategies. An online survey was conducted on Italian consumers with the aim to understand consumers’ inclination toward food products obtained with climate-smart strategies. Specifically, consumers’ awareness about climate change and willingness to choose and pay for products derived from climate-smart agriculture were investigated. Results highlighted two targeted consumers, one more interested in economic issues and more “conservative” and the second one more concerned with climate changes risks with a higher interest in environmental and ethical values (fair trade), representing the primary target consumers for climate-smart foods. This segmentation can be useful to identify expectations and purchase drivers that can facilitate climate-smart policies and the establishment of the climate-smart foods on the market.

In recent years, the jellyfish (JF) blooms in many coastal areas around the world, due to climate change, have pointed toward its possible exploitation as an alternative seafood product to support the global fishery sector. However, being a novel food in Western countries, there is a gap in knowledge on JF sensory properties. This research aims to develop a sensory lexicon for edible JF through a fast but reliable method, such as RATA. Sensory attributes collected from the literature were selected through RATA applied to five mildly processed JF. The lexicon selected was then validated on three JF samples, through descriptive analysis, to test its applicability and discrimination power. The results showed that RATA could be a reliable tool in the lexicon development of novel foods, such as JF. Moreover, the lexicon developed provides a valuable communication instrument, which will open new sensory research studies focusing on JF palatability.