The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical approval
This study involved human participants in sensory and consumer acceptance evaluations. The study was conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines of Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Due to the low-risk, non-invasive nature of the study, it was considered exempt from formal ethical review under institutional practice. All participants were fully informed about the study objectives, procedures, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation. No personal or sensitive data were collected, and participant confidentiality was maintained throughout the study.
Consent to participate
Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the study. The study involved low-risk, non-clinical food tasting activities conducted as part of routine teaching and learning. Participants were fully informed about the study objectives, evaluation procedures, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty before providing their consent.
Consent to publication
Informed consent to publication was obtained from relevant participants.
Availability of data and materials
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this manuscript will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, to any qualified researcher.
Funding
This work was supported by research grant [FRGS-EC/1/2024/STG04/UMS/02/7]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Open Exploration maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliations and maps. All opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and do not represent the stance of the editorial team or the publisher.
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