ABSTRACT SIPPLE, LAUREN. Evaluation of Children’s Perceptions of Fluid Milk Properties for School Meal Programs. (Under the direction of Dr. MaryAnne Drake). Evidence suggests that adequate consumption of milk and dairy products, especially during childhood, contributes to growth and development in addition to prevention effects against numerous diseases. Unfortunately, fluid milk consumption has declined for decades and most children do not meet their daily recommended intake of dairy products. School meal programs make fluid milk accessible to millions of children each day, and therefore this context is of primary interest for increasing children’s milk intake and creating lifelong milk consumption habits. It is important to understand children’s perceptions of the different properties of fluid milk so that appealing products targeted toward this demographic may be developed. One area that has received little attention in this regard is fluid milk packaging. This study identified the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes that influence children’s perceptions, attitudes, and consumption of fluid milk at school, especially as they relate to fluid milk packaging. An online choice-based conjoint (CBC) survey (n=211) and four 1-hour focus groups (n=31) were conducted with child milk consumers ages 8-13 y to evaluate extrinsic attributes. The survey evaluated milk package attributes including packaging type, front-of- package graphics, package color, and labeled milkfat content. Focus groups topics included perceptions of preference, usability, health, taste, and milk consumption habits. To evaluate intrinsic properties related to packaging, three varieties of milk (unflavored fat free, unflavored low-fat, and chocolate flavored fat free) were produced and packaged in polyethylene-coated paperboard cartons, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles (all 250 mL). After 10-13 d of storage at 4°C under dark conditions, milks were evaluated by descriptive analysis and child acceptance testing (ages 8-13 y, n=126; n=122; and n=126 for each variety, respectively). Extrinsically, package type was the most important attribute to children (P < 0.05), but graphics, nutritional labeling, branding, package size, and overall familiarity also drove preferences. The ideal milk packaging build from the conjoint survey was a HDPE bottle with blue-colored packaging and a cow graphic, labeled as low-fat milk. Intrinsically, all varieties of milks packaged in paperboard cartons developed package- specific flavors, including refrigerator/stale and paperboard, after 10 d of storage. These off- flavors were not detected in HDPE or PET packaged milks. For unflavored milks, child consumers preferred the flavor of PET or HDPE packaged milks over cartons (P < 0.05), regardless of milkfat content, but preferences were not distinct for chocolate flavored milk. The results of this research demonstrate that children’s liking and preference for milk are driven by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors and suggest that improvements are needed to increase acceptance of milk currently served in school meal programs. © Copyright 2020 by Lauren Sipple All Rights Reserved Evaluation of Children’s Perceptions of Fluid Milk Properties for School Meal Programs by Lauren Sipple A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Food Science Raleigh, North Carolina 2020 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ _______________________________ Dr. MaryAnne Drake Dr. April Fogleman Committee Chair _______________________________ Dr. Kevin Gross BIOGRAPHY Lauren Sipple was born on October 26th, 1994 to Jennifer and Michael Sipple. She grew up near Green Bay, WI with her two sisters, Rachel and Claire. After graduating from Denmark High School in 2013, Lauren pursued her B.S. degree in Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her time at UW, she participated in all things dairy, including WCMA Student Dairy Showcase, Dairy Product Evaluation Team, NDC New Dairy Product Competition, and Wisconsin CDR’s Descriptive Sensory Panel. After graduating with her undergraduate degree in 2017, Lauren’s interest in dairy processing and sensory drew her to NC State to pursue her M.S. in Food Science under the advisement of Dr. MaryAnne Drake. When she’s not working, Lauren loves running, and achieved a longtime goal by running her first marathon during her time at NC State. You might also find her listening to live music, exploring local breweries, or cheering on her beloved Badgers and Packers. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for everyone that has helped me over the past few years. I would especially like to thank Will Harwood and Angelina Schiano for letting me constantly pester you with questions about surveys, Dylan Cadwallader for laying the groundwork for this project, and Brandon Carter for supporting me in my pursuit of a processing project. Thanks to all the other MAD lab members who trained me and helped along the way – I couldn’t have done this without you. To everyone at the NC State Dairy, especially Randy, Carl, and Gary, thanks for your help and for accommodating my constant requests. I would also like to thank Dr. April Fogleman and Dr. Kevin Gross for serving on my committee. Dr. Drake, I can’t begin to thank you enough for the opportunities you have given me. Thank you for being supportive of my academic ambitions by allowing me to pursue research beyond my thesis in my short time here. Your example of hard work, passion, and determination has been so valuable. Dr. Barbano, what an absolute honor and privilege it has been to work with you. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from your wealth of knowledge. To Clara, Olive, Angelina, Michael, and my Trinity church family – you made Raleigh feel like home, and I’m going to miss you. To Grandma Pat, thank you for supporting me and for rescuing me from my first hurricane. To my best friend Leo, thank you for anchoring me and for always being so patient and encouraging. Finally, thank you to my parents for your unconditional love and support. Dad, thank you for inspiring me to pursue a career in dairy and for your example of work ethic, it helped shape who I am today. Mom, thank you for being my biggest supporter and encouraging me to chase my dreams – even when those dreams brought me 1,000 miles away from home. Without your daily words of encouragement, I couldn’t have possibly made it through this journey. I love you guys. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Literature Review. Evaluating Child Preferences, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Fluid Milk for School Milk Programs ........................................................................................ 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Sensory Testing with Children ....................................................................................................... 2 Cognitive Abilities ............................................................................................................. 2 Physiological and Psychological Development of Olfaction and Gustation ...................... 4 Children’s Development of Food Preferences ................................................................... 6 Quantitative Testing Methods ............................................................................................ 7 Evaluating Children’s Values, Emotions, and Product Perceptions ................................ 13 Testing Conditions ........................................................................................................... 16 Legal and Safety Considerations ...................................................................................... 17 Milk Consumption Trends of Children ........................................................................................ 18 Milk Consumption and Children’s Health ................................................................................... 20 Regulations of Milk in School Meal Programs ............................................................................ 24 Factors Affecting Children’s Perception and Consumption of Milk ........................................... 25 Composition and Processing Factors ............................................................................... 25 Extrinsic Factors ............................................................................................................... 37 Packaging Factors ............................................................................................................ 39 Children’s Perception of Current Milk Packaging ........................................................... 46 Conclusion and Objectives ........................................................................................................... 47 References .................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 2: Children’s Perceptions of Extrinsic and Intrinsic