This research is applicable to multiple areas of the food industry. Juice manufacturers or other companies that process raw agricultural produce can use this research as another way to repurpose biowaste, and companies making specialty condiments can use this research to inform future product development. General considerations discussed regarding the use of berry fruit pomace can be applied by any company interested in pomace reuse.

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In sensory evaluation, trained panelists are recommended to accurately assess complex flavors. However, many researchers assume that “simpler” qualities such as basic tastes can be reliably assessed by untrained individuals. In this work, we tested whether untrained participants would conflate the basic tastes of “bitter” and “sweet” with the hedonic aspects of an aroma by using Jelly Belly BeanBoozled® candies. These products are sweet candies which have either pleasant (e.g., coconut) or unpleasant (e.g., sour milk) aromas. In the first test, all participants rated candies with their nose open. In the second test, all participants rated candies with nose closed immediately followed by nose open. Both experiments demonstrated that sweetness was rated higher for good beans than bad beans and bitterness was rated higher for bad beans than good beans when rated with nose open. Closing the nose eliminated this difference, as all beans were actually sweet and not bitter. Practical applications Researchers should use caution when interpreting sensory ratings from untrained participants, even for “simple” sensations such as basic tastes. While it is often necessary to use untrained participants, these individuals may conflate the hedonic aspects of the product with other sensory qualities.

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Objectives Vegetable consumption in the U.S. population is well below recommendations, which relates to poorer health outcomes. Both adults and children report that unpleasant flavor is a common reason for avoiding vegetables. This flavor problem, however, should be manageable, as myriad studies indicate that repeated exposure to flavors, even unpleasant vegetable flavors, improves acceptability. Yet, increasing exposure to vegetables is difficult, as vegetables are often less convenient to consume and less available than other foods. We propose to address this barrier to repeated exposure through use of a game, challenging players to identify flavors in vegetable flavored gummy candies. Methods This pilot project will test the efficacy of our game in college students. Baseline testing will collect sensory ratings (bitterness, sweetness, and disliking/liking) of pureed and chopped target (exposed in game) and non-target (not exposed in game) vegetables. Baseline testing will also ask about habitual intake and attitudes toward fruits and vegetables. Participants will then complete a 2-week game phase, where they will play the game once per day, with sensory evaluation of the pureed/chopped vegetables repeated at the beginning, middle, and end of the game phase. Participants will be randomly assigned to a control group (non-vegetable flavors) or a vegetable group (vegetable flavors). Results At the end of the experiment, we will have data on how liking and sensation of vegetables change after 2 weeks of playing the game, and whether baseline or changes in sensory ratings are influenced by dietary intake of and attitudes towards fruits and vegetables. We expect the vegetable group to show improved sensory ratings for the target vegetables, with lesser/no changes in ratings for the non-target vegetables. Additionally, we expect to see no or minimal changes in any sensory ratings for the control group. Conclusions This work will test an innovative approach to improve vegetable acceptance. As a result, we will have initial data on whether this approach might be useful for helping people improve their diets. Future work will build on this, using the game in tandem with approaches to improve access to vegetables and preparation skills. Funding Sources Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences

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