Sensory and Consumer Science in the Green Transition

Dear Colleagues,

The European Commission, FAO, and WHO, among others, have acknowledged the urgent need for a transition to a more sustainable food system with less effects on the environment. One way to meet this need is by reducing the agricultural emissions from animal production via consumer-driven product demand for plant-based protein. 

Thus, plant-rich food (PRF) consumption is a critical component of the solution for a successful green transition of the global food landscape. Many start-ups and established food companies are taking responsibility by developing PFRs, which may or may not be designed, including end-user adoption. Consumers are interested, yet hesitant, with respect to adopting PRFs as part of their habitual diet. The barriers to acceptance are largely linked to sensory characteristics and nutritional aspects.

This situation causes a dilemma for food industries, society and consumers, and if the interest of consumers and companies is not supported by solutions to accelerate acceptance, there is a risk of losing their long-term engagement due to dissatisfactory experiences and economic viability issues. Thus, there is an urgent need to find sensory- and consumer-based solutions that can be applied in product development contexts to ensure that PRFs have a more immediate and sustained effect on the market.

Aim: For this Special Issue of Foods, it is timely to collate key research and opinion on the status of sensory and consumer analysis, its applications and impact in the context of new product development for consumer engagement and successful green transition.

Specific areas of research relevant to this Special Issue, with respect to sensory- and consumer-driven sustainable food products, are as follows:

• Sensory modalities and their interaction in sustainable food development;
• Texture analysis and the importance of texture in new green foods;
• Visual analysis and extrinsic versus intrinsic elements of the sensory nature of sustainable food;
• Qualitative and quantitative methods for sustainable food impact, and how they reflect the consumer and why;
• Classical sensory analysis and sensory profiling as they are used in sustainable product design;
• Sensometrics and data science, the power of computing in perception data for the green transition;
• Digital and instrumental sensory science; e.g. biometrics, haptics, eye tracking, EEG and beyond in new and sustainable green eating;
• Product mimicry versus new product categories for consumers as solutions for the green transition;
• The relevance of instrumental devices, e.g., e-noses, e-tongues, gustomenters and the like, sensory and instrumental correlation, instrumental versus sensory characterization in green product development;
• The latest immersive contexts and cognitive psychological contributions and how these will reinforce sensory assessment as a holistic experience and generate an exceptional understanding of food and green eating;
• Consumer engagement and techniques to understand sensory needs in society for the successful adoption of sustainable foods and food products.

Research papers, opinion papers and review articles are welcome in this Special Issue of Foods. The ultimate aim is to publish the Special Issue collection once curated as an open-source book volume to act as a status and inspirational volume with respect to current practice and future perspectives in sensory and consumer science related to sustainable food and green eating.

Prof. Dr. Derek V. Byrne
Guest Editor

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• sensory science
• consumer science
• green transition and the senses in eating, sustainable food uniqueness, food and beverage product quality
• nutrition and green eating
• multisensory effects
• cross-modal interactions
• sensory methods, sustainable appetite