Preference and Psychological Effects on Chewing Sounds Produced by Frozen Desserts with Complex Structures

Chewing sounds influence the judgment of food characteristics and the evaluation of eating experiences. In this study, we investigated the psychological effects of chewing sounds resulting from complex structures by comparing the chewing sounds produced by each element in a frozen dessert, including ice cream, monaka, and chocolate. We measured subjective evaluations of sound quality, mood evoking, and preference for each pre-recorded chewing sound. As a result, the condition containing ice cream, chocolate, and monaka received higher ratings than the other conditions in several items of both mood and preference evaluations, suggesting that the composite structure of frozen desserts has a positive effect on the perception of chewing sounds and on mood. Furthermore, principal component analysis and preference evaluations revealed that sound quality characteristics such as “natural,” “prominent high-frequency components,” and “spaciousness” are associated with preferences for the chewing sounds of frozen desserts.