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The food experience is multisensory and multisensory external stimuli may affect food choice and emotions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multisensory eating environment on food choice, intake and the emotional states of the subjects in a salad lunch buffet setting. A total of 30 female subjects consumed a salad lunch twice in the multisensory laboratory. The two test conditions (control and multisensory condition with environmental stimuli) were randomized and the visits were scheduled one week apart. Subjects selected and ate a meal from a salad buffet including 14 food items and the intake of each item was weighed. They answered an online questionnaire about the meal and their emotional states (20 different emotion terms) after the lunch. There was no significant difference in the food consumption between the control and multisensory conditions. The subjects were very satisfied with their lunch for both study visits but the pleasantness of the eating environment was rated higher under the multisensory condition. In emotional terms, the subjects selected the term “happy” significantly more frequently under the multisensory condition compared with the control. In conclusion, the multisensory eating environment in this study was not related to food intake but may be associated with positive emotions. The effect of the eating environment on food choice and experience deserves further study with a larger study population in a real lunch restaurant setting.

The taste‐modifying properties of nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) are compared for the first time. The samples were prepared in the form of gels, with and without added sweet and bitter taste components. As viscosity itself is known to affect taste perception, the viscosities of NFC and CMC samples were set to the same level as shear rates commonly found in the oral cavity. A trained panel of 10 assessors evaluated the bitterness and sweetness of the samples. Further, the assessors were given an opportunity to describe the samples in free words. The taste‐modifying capacities of the thickening agents were at the same level when sweet compounds were added. However, CMC was better able to reduce the bitterness of quinine hydrochloride than NFC, which did not show any bitterness‐reduction ability with the compound. This was unexpected, as our previous studies of NFC showed fairly high binding capacity with quinine. The open‐ended responses revealed that the NFC‐containing samples had an astringent sensation, while certain assessors observed a sensation of saltiness in the CMC samples. This may explain the inability of NFC to mask the bitterness of quinine hydrochloride, as astringency may act as a bitterness enhancer, while saltiness may suppress it. Both thickening agents were perceived as slightly bitter. Our study reveals the need for further assessment of the orosensory properties of NFC, particularly the magnitude and origin of its astringency, before it can be fully utilized in food industry applications.

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In recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), off-flavors can accumulate in fish muscle tissue. They are problematic for consumer acceptance and the reputation of farmed fish products. Although off-flavors are not toxic at low concentrations, they often give fish muscle earthy, muddy, or other unwanted flavors. Traditionally, the study of off-flavors in fish focused on muddy and earthy off-flavors caused by geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), but other unwanted flavors and compounds have also been identified. In this study, the selected off-flavors were chemically quantified in fish from a RAS-rearing rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and in different stages of depuration. A group of trained panelists with experience in sensory evaluation was specifically trained in analyzing rainbow trout samples. The panelists evaluated the fish with a sensory profile of 29 sensory attributes (12 odor, 5 taste, and 12 flavor properties). Overall, the concentrations of all the studied off-flavor compounds decreased, some to below the limit of detection and others (e.g., octanal, octanoic acid, phenylacetaldehyde, and acetoin) to a certain low level. Moldy, earthy, and musty odors and flavors especially decreased during depuration compared to fish in RAS. This study shows the consistency of the chemical analysis and sensory profiling. It also provides important information about the effects of the depuration period in RAS and on the chemical and sensorial quality of rainbow trout.