Effect of implicit frame on the acceptance of instant noodles by modifying flavor principles : A cross-cultural approach

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Generally, food acceptability is determined within an implicit frame shaped by an integration of personal, environmental, and contextual factors. The acceptability rating is prone to change when the frame shifts. We investigated the effect of implicit frame constructed by flavor principles on the stability of liking ratings of instant noodles and on the change of food neophobia, and also the effect of neophobia on the preference of instant noodles cross-culturally.
Chinese(n=258) and Koreans(n=263) were recruited. The implicit frame was manipulated by exposing consumers to various instant noodles composed different ethnic flavor principles prior to tasting the target samples. Two noodles with the highest market share in China(T_CHN) and Korea(T_KOR) were chosen as the targets. Consumers were split into five groups and were allocated to one of the five frame conditions (1_general Asian, 2_Chinese, 3_Korean, 4_ no frame T_CHN, 5_no frame T_KOR). Consumers in the Asian frame tasted three noodles popular in Indonesia, Thai, and Japan prior to the two target noodles. Three Chinese and three Korean noodles were served prior to the two targets in Chinese and Korean flavor frame. Two groups of consumers within each country served as control groups and tasted a single sample, either T_CHN or T_KOR, without exposure to other products. All consumers rated the liking of samples using a 9-point hedonic scale and the food neophobia scale (FNS) was used to measure the degree of fear of new foods.
The Chinese control groups gave mean scores 7.0 and 6.6 on overall liking (OL) for T_CHN and T_KOR, respectively. Koreans gave 6.5 and 6.9 OL, respectively. The OL ratings of these target samples were relatively stable for the more familiar sample, T_CHN for Chinese and T_KOR for Koreans, when the consumers were exposed to different types of frames. For the less familiar sample, the liking score fluctuated depending on the type of flavor frame condition. This effect was more drastic among Koreans.
After calculating the FNS total score of consumers in each country and sorting the ranking, hey were divided into neophilics (Chinese: 10-27, Korean: 10-29 scores), neutrals (Chinese: 28-34, Korean: 30-38 scores), and neophobics (Chinese: 39-66, Korean: 35-64 scores) groups by country based on the 33rd and 66th percentiles. Compared to Koreans, Chinese consumers showed relatively lower level of food neophobia. Overall, the neophilics gave higher preference scores for samples than the neophobics group. Also, food neophobia affected differently depending on the degree of familiarity with the sample. The liking rating for familiar samples were similar between the neophobics and neophilics groups, but the liking rating for unfamiliar samples were significantly influenced by the degree of food neophobia. In addition, the food neophobia score was analyzed to be significantly influenced by the type of implicit frame exposed. Food neophobia was found to be more intense when exposed to implicit frame composed of flavors from other ethnic cultures among Chinese and Korean consumers. For testing new products, researchers should consider that the OL score can vary easily depending on the contextual conditions, especially, if the product is unfamiliar to consumers.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

일반적으로 식품의 기호성은 개인, 환경 및 맥락적 요인의 조합에 의해 형성된 암시적 프레임(implicit frame) 조건 내에서 측정된다. 프레임 조절에 따라 식품의 기호도 점수가 쉽게 변화하게 될 수 있다. 본 연구는 한국인과 중국인 소비자를 대상으로 암시적 향미 프레임 조절에 따른 에스닉 면요리의 기호도, food neophobia의 변화 및 food neophobia가 에스닉 면요리의 기호도 변화에 끼치는 영향을 조사하여 암시적 향미 프레임, 기호도와 food neophobia 간 상호연관성을 교차문화적 연구하고자 하였다.
본 연구는 한국 소비자 263명과 한국에 거주하는 중국인 소비자 258명을 대상으로 5종의 암시적 프레임 상황에서 다양한 라면을 평가하게 하였다. 즉, 소비자를 5군으로 나누어 한국(T_KOR)과 중국 타겟 라면(T_CHN)에 대한 각각 단독 평가, 3종의 향미 프레임인 동남아풍 향미/ 한국풍 향미/ 중국풍 향미 프레임에서 한국 및 중국 타겟 라면을 평가하도록 하였다. 각 시료에 대한 기호도 평가는 9점 기호척도를 사용하여 평가하였으면 food neophobia scale (FNS)을 이용하여 새로운 식품에 대한 두려움 정도를 측정하였다.
단독 평가 조건에서 T_KOR 및 T_CHN에 대한 각각 전체적인 기호도 (OL)는 한국인은 6.9점 및 6.5점으로, 중국인은 6.6점 및 7.0점으로 분석되었다. 암시적 향미 프레임에서 두 나라에 소비자들에게 더 친숙한 시료 (한국인: T_KOR, 중국인: T_CHN)에 대한 OL 점수가 비교적으로 안정적인 것을 보였다. 친숙하지 않은 시료의 경우는 향미 프레임에 따라 기호도 점수가 심하게 변동되었는데, 이런 변화는 한국인의 평가에 미치는 영향을 더 많은 것으로 보였다.
각 나라 소비자들의 FNS 총점을 계산하여 순위를 정렬한 후 33번째와 66번째 백분위를 기준으로 나라별 neophilics(한: 10-29점, 중: 10-27점), neutrals(한: 30-38점, 중: 28-34점), neophobics (한: 35-64점, 중: 39-66점)그룹으로 나누었다. 한국인 소비자들에 비해서 중국인 소비자들은 비교적으로 새로운 식품에 대한 두려운 정도가 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 한국과 중국 소비자 모두 neophilic 그룹이 neophobic 그룹에 비해 라면 시료에 대한 기호도 점수를 높게 주는 것으로 분석되었다. 또한, 시료의 친숙 정도에 따라 새로운 식품에 대한 두려움 태도가 다르게 영향을 끼쳤는데 친숙한 시료에 대한 기호도 점수는 neophobics와 neophilics 그룹 간 유사하였으나 친숙하지 않은 시료에 대한 기호도 점수는 소비자의 새로운 식품에 대한 두려운 정도에 따라 큰 영향을 받는 것으로 나타났다. 더불어 Food neophobia 점수는 소비자가 노출된 암시적 프레임 유형에 따라 유의적인 영향을 받는 것으로 분석되었다. 두 나라의 소비자들은 타국풍 향미로 구성된 암시적 프레임에 노출된 경우 더 강하게 새로운 식품에 대한 두려움 태도를 보이는 것으로 나타났다. 향후 프레임과 식품인자의 관계를 이해하며, 프레임에 따른 소비자들에게 친숙하지 않은 제품의 기호도가 쉽게 달라질 수 있다는 점을 고려하여 신제품에 대한 소비자조사를 진행할 필요가 있다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. Introduction 1
• II. Review of literature 4
• A. Flavor principles 4
• B. Consumer's sensory perception of ethnic food: Cross-cultural context 5
• C. Context Effects 7
• III. Materials and Methods 10
• A. Experimental Overview 10
• B. Samples 12
• 1. Selection of samples 12
• 2. Sample preparation and presentation 15
• C. Consumer panels . 16
• D. Consumer test procedure 17
• 1. Taste evaluation of instant noodles 17
• 2. Consumers' demographic, consumptions of instant noodles, and food neophobic trait 18
• E. Statistical analysis 21
• IV. Results 23
• A. General attitudes for instant noodles 23
• 1. Liking and consumption frequencies and methods for general instant noodles 23
• 2. Liking and consumption frequencies for Chinese, Korean and Other foreign instant noodles 26
• 3. Comparisons of food neophobia between Chinese and Korean consumers 30
• B. The acceptability rating varies with the context 32
• 1. Cross-cultural comparisons of 2 target instant noodles by control conditions 32
• 2. Cross-cultural comparisons of 5 instant noodles samples in General Asian flavor frame 38
• 3. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Chinese flavor frame 48
• 4. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Korean flavor frame 57
• 5. Cross-cultural comparisons of 2 target instant noodles samples among 4 different flavor frames 65
• C. The experiences of taste and brand 83
• 1. Cross-cultural comparisons of 2 target instant noodles by control conditions 83
• 2. Cross-cultural comparisons of 5 instant noodles samples in General Asian flavor frame 88
• 3. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Chinese flavor frame 93
• 4. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Korean flavor frame 98
• 5. Cross-cultural comparisons of 2 target instant noodles samples among 4 different flavor frames 103
• D. Comparisons of food related attitudes between Chinese and Korean consumers 106
• 1. Cross-cultural comparisons of 2 target instant noodles by control conditions 106
• 2. Cross-cultural comparisons of 5 instant noodles samples in General Asian flavor frame 112
• 3. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Chinese flavor frame 117
• 4. Cross-cultural comparisons of instant noodles samples in Korean flavor frame 122
• V. Discussions 127
• VI. Conclusion 132
• References 133
• Appendices 140
• Abstract (in Korean) 177