The growing interest in gluten‐free products makes it crucial to understand the mechanism of consumers' perception of gluten‐free claims. Due to the limited research measuring the influence of the type (verbal/nonverbal), number and location of gluten‐free statements on product labels on visual attention and consumers' purchase decisions, the main aim of this research was to evaluate the perception of gluten‐free claims and the Crossed Grain symbol on cookie packages of both consumers who are on a gluten‐free diet and those who are not. To that end, a questionnaire survey (600 respondents) and an eye‐tracking study (67 respondents) were carried out. The results showed that the respondents are aware of the basic rules of gluten‐free products' labelling, but 32% of those on the diet claimed that the products were not labelled properly. The analysis proved (p < .05) the significant relation between the number of gluten‐free claims and consumers' purchase intention. The respondents paid more attention to verbal gluten‐free claims than to nonverbal ones on packaging (p < .05). In the case of the Crossed Grain symbol, addition of verbal statement strengthened the information and decreased the respondents' level of uncertainty about a given product, which is important, especially for people newly adopting the diet. No difference in the visual attention to gluten‐free statements between the followers and non‐followers of the diet was found (p > .05), which allowed us to conclude that the perception of gluten‐free claims is an automatic process. These results suggest that designing product labels by considering the information architecture concerning gluten may help strengthen consumers' attitudes towards gluten‐free products and impact buying behaviour.

The aim of this study was (a) to evaluate the influence of date type and freshness labelling on a consumer rejection of expired food, (b) to assess how product category influences a consumer who rejects expired food based on a given criterion and (c) to investigate if a consumer's handling of food is rational as pertains to 'use by' or 'best before' dating. A consumer sensory study was conducted among 180 participants from Poland in which their attitude towards eight different foods labelled with two date types ('use by' or 'best before') and four various freshness dates was examined.The results showed that date type ('best before' vs. 'use by'), freshness labelling and food category significantly influenced consumer rejection of food products and the criteria of rejection changed as the product became expired. Consumer behaviour regarding edibility after expiration was irrational and was manifested in both the acceptance of potentially harmful food products (from 31.5% to 60.2% of expired food products labelled with the 'use by' date were accepted) and the rejection of edible foods (from 24.4% to 56.7% of expired foods labelled with the 'best before' date were rejected). This study provides new insight into the influence of shelf-life labelling and sensory perception on discard intention which ultimately results in unnecessary food waste. Our findings that date labelling can contribute to consumer apprehension of the suitability of a given food product for consumption shed new light on the role of building awareness among consumers in order to encourage waste-reducing behaviour.

0000-0002-4744-9361, phone 48 61 856 9022 www.food.actapol.net pISSN 1644-0730 eISSN 1898-9594 http://dx. ABSTRACTBackground. The present work was designed to evaluate the influence of incorporating freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on the chemical composition, antioxidant activity and sensory properties of cookies. Material and methods. The content of fat, water, total ash, protein and directly reducing sugars, total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and reducing power (FRAP) was determined in cookies containing a 5, 10 and 15% freeze-dried black chokeberry and control sample. Enriched cookies were prepared by replacing the dough with freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on a weight basis. The samples were subjected to Qualitative Descriptive Analysis and consumer hedonic test.Results. The incorporation a growing amount of black chokeberry resulted in an increase in the water, total ash and directly reducing sugar content and to a decrease in the fat content of the cookies. TPC increased from 14.1 mg GAE per 100 g control sample to 481.1 mg GAE per 100 g cookies with 15% black chokeberry. The multiple increment in DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power FRAP was observed in cookies with the additive in comparison to the control sample, which was due to the high antioxidant capacity of black chokeberry. The addition of black chokeberry influenced the sensory profile of cookies, resulting in their darkening, in turn strengthening the intensity of sour taste, chokeberry flavour and astringency and at the same time decreasing the intensity of sweet aroma, sweet taste and crumbliness of the cookies. The sample with 10% of black chokeberry showed a balanced sensory profile with high consumer liking. Conclusion. The consumer acceptance and high antioxidant activity of experimental cookies suggest that freeze-dried black chokeberry could be considered as a nutritive additive to cookies and other bakery products.Sady, S., Sielicka-Różyńska, M. (2019). Quality assessment of experimental cookies enriched with freeze-dried black chokeberry.

PurposeThe manner in which consumers understand and interpret date labels influences their attitudes toward food quality at the purchase and consumption stage. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate the influence of “best before” dates on expected food liking and (2) assess how sensory perception and expectations toward “best before” dates influence actual food liking.Design/methodology/approachA consumer sensory study was conducted among 110 participants in Poland. The participants' attitudes were examined toward food products (rice, sponge cookies, canned fruit salad and leaf tea) labelled with different “best before” dates and toward those same but unlabelled food products. The consumers' expected liking based solely on “best before” dates were also evaluated.FindingsThe analysis showed that date labels may have an opposite contribution to consumer apprehension of foods. It is proved that “best before” dates maintain a consumer’s positive attitude toward fresh products and reduce consumer uncertainty regarding food edibility, which would be experienced in the absence of date labels. Conversely, results of this study confirmed date labels' role in consumers denigrating expired food and showed consumers' unreasonable convictions that the food's sensory attributes were altered. Thus, otherwise safe and edible food was wasted – it was shelf-life information, not sensory quality, that determined the tested food's perceived value.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is that it involves product assessment to explore the interaction between consumers and a food product's sensory attributes in the context of making decisions that are influenced by the “best-before” date.

0000-0002-4744-9361, phone 48 61 856 9022 www.food.actapol.net pISSN 1644-0730 eISSN 1898-9594 http://dx. ABSTRACTBackground. The present work was designed to evaluate the influence of incorporating freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on the chemical composition, antioxidant activity and sensory properties of cookies. Material and methods. The content of fat, water, total ash, protein and directly reducing sugars, total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and reducing power (FRAP) was determined in cookies containing a 5, 10 and 15% freeze-dried black chokeberry and control sample. Enriched cookies were prepared by replacing the dough with freeze-dried black chokeberry powder on a weight basis. The samples were subjected to Qualitative Descriptive Analysis and consumer hedonic test.Results. The incorporation a growing amount of black chokeberry resulted in an increase in the water, total ash and directly reducing sugar content and to a decrease in the fat content of the cookies. TPC increased from 14.1 mg GAE per 100 g control sample to 481.1 mg GAE per 100 g cookies with 15% black chokeberry. The multiple increment in DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power FRAP was observed in cookies with the additive in comparison to the control sample, which was due to the high antioxidant capacity of black chokeberry. The addition of black chokeberry influenced the sensory profile of cookies, resulting in their darkening, in turn strengthening the intensity of sour taste, chokeberry flavour and astringency and at the same time decreasing the intensity of sweet aroma, sweet taste and crumbliness of the cookies. The sample with 10% of black chokeberry showed a balanced sensory profile with high consumer liking. Conclusion. The consumer acceptance and high antioxidant activity of experimental cookies suggest that freeze-dried black chokeberry could be considered as a nutritive additive to cookies and other bakery products.Sady, S., Sielicka-Różyńska, M. (2019). Quality assessment of experimental cookies enriched with freeze-dried black chokeberry.