To avoid or retard the lipid peroxidation of meat products, antioxidants are commonly added. Considering the safety and health of additives in meat products, consumers prefer natural antioxidants rather than synthetic ones. Gentisic acid and epicatechin were identified as the major phenolic acid and flavonoid, respectively, of litchi flowers (LFs). The physicochemical properties of pork meatballs with or without dried LF powders (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, w/w) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ; 0.01%, w/w) were analyzed during a 4-week frozen storage period. LF and TBHQ decreased (p < 0.05) thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values but increased (p < 0.05) thiol group contents in meatballs. LF added to meatballs improved (p < 0.05) texture and water-holding capacity (centrifugation/purge losses) more than in the control group upon the storage. Although LF powders made meatballs redder and darker (p < 0.05) than the control and TBHQ groups, they did not affect the preference of panelists. The addition of 0.5% LF powders exhibited the best (p < 0.05) overall sensory panel acceptance. LFs may be an effective natural antioxidant to reduce lipid and protein oxidation for frozen cooked meat products.

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The main purpose of this project was to develop the optimal sweetness sensation framework for baking products. Phase 1 was designed to measure consumers' differential thresholds of sweetness sensation when the sweetener contents of various sweetener‐leveled products were increased and lowered by using the constant stimuli method. Results indicated that the consumers' differential thresholds increased when the initial sweetener levels of products increased. Phase 2 was designed to establish the psychophysical power function of sweetener‐content changes and consumers' psychological sensation of products with different sweetener levels by adopting the magnitude estimation method. Regardless of the initial sweetener levels of products, the results showed that consumers perceived the products as less sweet immediately after the sweetener contents of products dropped by even a small amount; however, consumers perceived products as sweeter only when products dramatically increased in contents of sweetener.

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of prior exposure on restaurant menu-product sales. Several experiments were conducted to investigate how prior-exposure menu presentation affects memory processes in two types of choice situations (memory-based and stimulus-based) and how prior exposure on restaurant menu-item sales affects consumer attitude.The results indicate that memory-based choices benefit from the prior-exposure menu and are enhanced by conceptually driven memory. Stimulus-based choices benefit from prior exposure and are enhanced by perceptually driven memory. Appropriate prior-exposure menu increases product sales; however, consumers were not willing to purchase the items. Suggestions for restaurant marketers/managers are proposed in this article.

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