Neuroscience tools to study the effect of the presentation form on food-evoked emotion for senior population

• Published in: Food research international 2024-05, Vol.183, p.114158-114158, Article 114158
• Main Authors: Baranda, Ana B., Ríos, Yolanda, Llorente, Raquel, Naranjo, Ana Belén, da Quinta, Noelia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Appearance; cognition; elderly; Emotion measurement; Emotions; Facial Expression; Female; flavor; food intake; Food Preferences - physiology; Food Preferences - psychology; food research; Food shape; Galvanic Skin Response; Galvanic Skin Response - physiology; gender; hedonic scales; Humans; Male; malnutrition; Middle Aged; multivariate analysis; Senior; smell; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taste; texture
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114158

[Display omitted] •Food appearance is one of the most important aspects that determine food choice.•Products with different shape evoked a different emotional response in senior.•Both genders experienced different emotion on both conscious and unconscious level.•Combination of explicit and implicit methods discriminated better between samples. The elderly population holds significance among consumers because many of them experience alterations in taste and smell or suffer from physical disorders. These factors can lead to reduced food intake, malnutrition, and, consequently, serious health problems. Therefore, there is a need to develop tailored products for seniors, offering both nutrition and appealing foods with easily consumable textures. Among the various characteristics of food, appearance stands out as one of the most critical aspects influencing food preferences and choices. Surprisingly, there is limited knowledge about how food shape affects the holistic emotional responses of seniors. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of food shape on the emotional responses of seniors. This exploration involved the use of explicit methods, such as self-reported questionnaires, and implicit methods, including the measurement of skin conductance responses and facial expressions, as well as their combination. To achieve this goal, we enlisted the participation of 50 individuals (54 % women) from the senior population aged between 55 and 75 years. These participants evaluated two food products with identical sensory characteristics in terms of taste, texture, and flavor. However, these products differed in terms of their shape. We measured their degree of liking and emotional responses using a 7-point hedonic scale, EsSense25, in conjunction with galvanic skin response, and facial expressions, which served as representatives of behavioural and physiological responses. The multivariate analysis allowed to examine sample configurations by gender and establish associations between variables. The combination of implicit and explicit methods led to better discrimination of samples of the same category than the use of each of the methods independently. Although both samples elicited equivalent liking perceptions, they evoked distinct emotional responses, measured at cognitive, physiological, and behavioural levels. In general, men and women experienced different emotions while observing, smelling, handling, or consuming both samples, both consciou