Emotions elicited by foods

In the last decade emotion measurement exploded in sensory and consumer research on food products, both in the research field and in the applied research fo/r commercial purposes. This chapter presents approaches and applications to measuring emotions associated with food in product innovation and optimization, including product formulation and development, integrating both the product and the packaging/branding. Expectations affect product experience both in terms of liking and emotions. The relationship between these three variables will be discussed based on case studies. The measurement of emotions in product development and innovation has been more and more integrated with other measurements, not limited to liking. Characterizing the products by adopting a multi-perspective approac/h to gain a deeper insight into consumer experience and to understand which aspects have a greater impact on product performance is extremely important in commercial applications. The rationale behind the investigation of emotions elicited by foods in blind conditions is that the product, with its sensory properties (without the pack/brand information), may elicit emotions. This topic will be discussed presenting what we know at present about sensory drivers of emotions in food products.