Comparison of two sensory profiling techniques based on consumer perception

Eight chocolate milk desserts with different formulation were evaluated by two groups of consumers. Fifty consumers evaluated the samples and indicated their overall liking and answered a CATA question. Meanwhile, 40 consumers elicited up to four words to describe the desserts and completed a projective mapping task. Projective mapping and the check-all-that-apply question provided very similar sensory profiles for the evaluated milk desserts. Differences in the sensory characteristics of the samples were explained by differences in their formulations, which suggest the validity of the sensory profiles given by consumers. Projective mapping and the CATA question consisted on valuable tools to understand their perception of the sensory and hedonic characteristics of the desserts. These methodologies could consist on useful and interesting complimentary techniques to trained assessors’ data, being CATA question easier to understand and less time consuming for consumers.     

Studying the influence of package shape and colour on consumer expectations of milk desserts using word association and conjoint analysis

Food packaging plays a major role in attracting consumer attention and generating sensory and hedonic expectations; which could affect their product perception and purchase decisions. In the present study word association and conjoint analysis were used to study the influence of package shape and colour on consumer expectations of milk desserts. Six images of milk dessert packages with different colour and shape were presented to 105 consumers, who were asked to complete a word association task and to score their expected liking and willingness to purchase the desserts. Both package shape and colour affected consumers expected liking scores and their sensory expectations regarding the desserts. Consumers associations were mainly related to sensory characteristics. Both methodologies provided an interesting insight on the consumer’s expectations generated by the packages and could be useful in order to design packages which create appropriate expectations regarding the product.     

Prebiotic Low Sugar Chocolate Dairy Desserts: Physical and Optical Characteristics and Performance of PARAFAC and PCA Preference Map

The addition of prebiotic and sweeteners in chocolate dairy desserts opens up new opportunities to develop dairy desserts that besides having a lower calorie intake still has functional properties. In this study, prebiotic low sugar dairy desserts were evaluated by 120 consumers using a 9‐point hedonic scale, in relation to the attributes of appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall liking. Internal preference map using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the consumer data. In addition, physical (texture profile) and optical (instrumental color) analyses were also performed. Prebiotic dairy desserts containing sucrose and sucralose were equally liked by the consumers. These samples were characterized by firmness and gumminess, which can be considered drivers of liking by the consumers. Optimization of the prebiotic low sugar dessert formulation should take in account the choice of ingredients that contribute in a positive manner for these parameters. PARAFAC allowed the extraction of more relevant information in relation to PCA, demonstrating that consumer acceptance analysis can be evaluated by simultaneously considering several attributes. Multiple factor analysis reported Rv value of 0.964, suggesting excellent concordance for both methods.     

Identifying drivers for consumer acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla

ABSTRACT:  The traditional production of corn tortilla has been modified by new processing technologies to make possible a commercial-scale production; this practice has resulted in products having sensory properties different from those produced by the traditional method. There is no published information on sensory attributes driving acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. Identifying sensory drivers for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas will help commercially produce products that satisfy consumers' expectations. A consumer study was conducted to evaluate acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas and determine drivers of acceptance and purchase intent of the products. Ten samples of corn tortillas were selected to represent a variety of corn tortillas available in the Mexican market. Three hundred Mexican consumers evaluated acceptability of appearance, color, thickness, rollability, resistance to tearing, aroma, chewiness, taste and aftertaste, and overall liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptance and purchase intent were determined with a yes/no scale. Analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance revealed that consumers were able to differentiate differences in sensory acceptability among 10 samples. For example, 2 homemade and 1 small commercial-scale samples, with an overall liking score of 6.6 to 6.7, were more acceptable than others. Rollability, resistance to tearing, and chewiness were attributes underlying overall differences among 10 samples. Attributes determining overall acceptance of corn tortillas were chewiness and overall liking. Purchase intent was influenced by overall appearance, rollability, chewiness, taste, and overall liking. This study revealed critical sensory attributes and their weights given by Mexican consumers when making decisions for acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortilla.     

Influence of brand information on consumers’ expectations and liking of powdered drinks in central location tests

The aim of the present work was to study the influence of brand on consumers’ expectations and liking of orange-flavoured powdered drinks. Ten samples of orange-flavoured powdered drinks were evaluated by 108 consumers who scored their expected liking (looking at the pack only) and the overall liking under blind and informed-testing conditions (tasting the products). Consumers were also asked to answer a check-all-that-apply question with eight statements related to some products’ characteristics and usage occasions. Results showed that brand and package information had a large impact on consumers’ liking scores only for well-recognized brands. Hierarchical multiple factor analysis performed on liking scores for the three evaluation conditions showed that informed liking scores were closer to expected liking scores than to blind liking scores, suggesting that brand information was more important than hedonic reaction to the sensory characteristics in determining consumers’ liking scores for the samples on the informed condition.     

The relative influence of packaging,labelling, branding and sensory attributes on liking and purchase intent: Consumers differ in their responsiveness

The relative impact of several extrinsic attributes on informed hedonic liking and purchase intent for wine is measured by combining a blind hedonic test with an informed tasting of the same wine packaged in different product concepts. This study separated the relative effect of various attributes and also considers differences between consumers in their responsiveness to various product cues.Five-hundred and twenty-one regular wine consumers participated in a central location test in three German cities in 2005. Respondents first rated hedonic liking of a white wine in a blind condition, then evaluated elements of product concepts differing in four extrinsic attributes, region of origin, grape variety, brand and packaging style, before indicating their liking and purchase intent in an informed condition.Overall, label style and brand evaluation were the strongest drivers for informed liking followed by liking in the blind condition. Purchase intent was influenced directly only by informed liking and price evaluation; the effect of the extrinsic and intrinsic cues is mediated through informed liking. A latent class regression resulted in three consumer segments that differ in the responsiveness of their informed liking to the different product characteristics. Younger inexperienced consumers utilised a mix of various cues, wine experienced consumers based their evaluation mainly on grape variety and blind hedonic liking, and older frequent wine consumers were influenced most strongly by brand and packaging. These findings provide insights into the relative impact of product packaging, branding and labelling on overall product liking and indicate strong differences in how consumers respond to different product characteristics.     

PARAFAC: Adjustment for modeling consumer study covering probiotic and conventional yogurt

The feasibility of the parallel factors model (PARAFAC) as a modeling tool for consumer sensory acceptance data of complex food matrices was investigated. The attributes of aroma, flavor, taste, texture, and overall liking of probiotic and conventional yogurts were evaluated by 120 consumers using a 9-point hedonic hybrid scale. Six yogurt samples were used: three were prototypes supplemented with a glucose oxidase/glucose system, which is a potential oxygen scavenging system, and the other three were commercial yogurts. The yogurts supplemented with the glucose oxidase/glucose system presented similar sensory acceptance towards commercial probiotic and conventional yogurts (p > 0.05), besides having garnered lower mean scores for the sensory attributes. Appearance and overall liking were the most significant attributes for the first two components of the PARAFAC model. Finally, the advantage of using this method to explore the intrinsic nature of consumer sensory data is discussed and compared to principal component analysis (PCA).     

UHT纯牛奶消费喜好和关键感官特性的关联分析

以14种市场上不同类型超高温（Ultra-high temperature,UHT）纯牛奶为研究对象,采用9点喜好标度、适合项勾选法（Check-All-That-Apply,CATA）和恰好标度,同时结合偏最小二乘回归分析（PLS）分析不同类型UHT奶消费喜好和关键感官特性接受性差异。研究表明：不同类型UHT奶的整体喜好值范围为4.07~6.25,脱脂奶和部分全脂奶的喜好值最低（<5）,全脂和低脂奶的整体喜好差异不显著（p>0.05）。不同类型UHT奶的乳香、甜味、余味、浓稠和爽滑5个关键感官特性接受性上存在显著差异（p<0.05）,通过PLS回归模型筛选出导致消费喜好差异的7个关键感官特性接受性指标,分别为余味、乳香、甜味、浓稠、爽滑（-）、甜味（-）和乳香（-）。甜味和乳香偏弱以及爽滑度不够是分别导致低脂奶和部分全脂奶样品整体喜好偏低的关键感官特性。相关研究旨在为后期UHT纯牛奶消费喜好和产品感官品质研究提供基础理论和数据参考。     

Development of vitamin E-enriched functional foods: stability of tocotrienols in food systems

Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family that provide many nutritional benefits. Developing tocotrienol-fortified functional foods introduces vitamin E into consumers diets without changing their food habits. The purpose of this study was to compare the stability of tocotrienols in bulk form and six food matrices at a fixed dose (40 mg kg⁻¹) under accelerated and conventional storage conditions. The delta- and gamma-tocotrienol content was measured using HPLC, and the sensory attributes were evaluated using triangle and hedonic tests. Tocotrienol in bulk powder was less stable under stressed conditions than in bulk oil, with the powders having approximately 40% and 80% reduction in δ- and γ- after storage and bulk oil with no significant degradation. HPLC analysis demonstrated that tocotrienol content remained unchanged in dry mix lemonade, yogurt, raw and UHT milk, and margarine over time; however, complete degradation of γ- and partial degradation (up to 50%) of δ-tocotrienol was observed in bread during ambient and stressed storage conditions. A significant decrease in the δ-tocotrienol relative concentration was also observed in HTST processed milk samples. Tocotrienol addition was not perceived, and no significant difference in the product attributes and overall liking was reported in the discrimination sensory testing.     

The effect of multiple yeasts co-inoculations on Sauvignon Blanc wine aroma composition,sensory properties and consumer preference

Consumer acceptance testing has been only recently applied in wine research, to assess wine sensory attributes that affect hedonic liking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Saccharomyces yeast co-inoculations on wine volatile composition and sensory profiles, and to determine if differences were sufficient enough to affect consumer acceptance. Fermentations were conducted using two- and three-yeast co-inoculations, and single strains. Yeast inocula differed substantially in volatile thiols and other flavour compounds, and in their sensory properties. Wines from four yeast inocula which showed large sensory differences were subjected to consumer testing by 120 consumers, with differences in overall liking found. Four clusters of consumers were identified, with one group strongly preferring the two-yeast co-inoculated wine with an intermediate sensory profile, while another group favoured the wine made using the three-yeast co-inoculation. This study has demonstrated that the yeast inoculum used to conduct fermentation affects consumer acceptance.     

Utilizing hedonic frame for projective mapping: A case study with Korean fermented soybean paste soup

Projective mapping (PM) based techniques are frequently used to develop consumer perception maps holistically for identifying and characterizing samples with similar characteristics. In the present study, the criteria for locating samples in projective mapping are narrowed from the original projective mapping methodology. This study proposes the use of a hedonic frame (i.e. reasons for liking similarity), H_PM, and comparing it using a sensory frame (i.e. sensory similarity), S_PM, with the aim of understanding how consumers perceive soups made with various Korean fermented soybean pastes. The participants comprised a total of 69 consumers. Fifteen fermented soybean paste products from different regions of Korea were selected. All consumers evaluated samples using both S_PM and H_PM, which were conducted in separate sessions. The order of the two mapping sessions was balanced between the subjects. In the S_PM method, subjects grouped samples with similar sensory characteristics. In the H_PM method, subjects grouped samples which had similar reasons for liking or disliking on a mapping sheet. Ultra flash profiling was conducted in both S_PM and H_PM after the mapping tasks. Multiple factor analysis was used for statistical analysis. S_PM and H_PM resulted in different product positions. Although some samples shared very similar sensory characteristics with each other in S_PM, distinct differences appeared in the reasons for (dis)liking in H_PM. Critical attributes that affected sample positioning differed when using different criteria for mapping the samples which resulted in discrete perceptual maps of S_PM and H_PM. H_PM can identify important hedonic drivers of samples that may not be caught by a sensory based approach.     

From consumption behaviour to sensory measurement: Sensory characterization of the perceived flavour complexity of a chocolate dessert experience

The fresh dairy dessert category comprises a growing number of bi-layered products. These products can be considered as more complex than other dairy desserts because of their heterogeneity and the multiplicity of sensations they evoke. In this study, we set out to sensory characterize some bi-layered chocolate desserts and find the sensory determinants of their perceived complexity. To do this, we adapted the sequential profiling method to assess sensory attributes covering the full consumption of the dessert. This adaptation was based on the observation of consumers’ eating styles during a first experiment. We observed that most consumers ate bi-layered chocolate desserts in spoonfuls composed of both layers, with different proportions of top and bottom layer. From these observations, we specified a standardized eating pattern representative of this behaviour. In a second experiment, seven commercial bi-layered chocolate desserts were evaluated by a panel trained to follow this eating pattern, and using the adapted sequential profiling. This evaluation showed the evolution of the sensory perception of bi-layered products from the first to the last spoonful. Perceived complexity data identified three groups of panellists based on their complexity scores. These groups matched three different ways to define ‘perceived complexity’ in a chocolate bi-layer dessert. We also observed that perceived complexity could be related to the richness of the sensations perceived, and specifically to the maximum number of salient attributes and the fluctuation of dominant attributes during the sequence of spoonfuls.     

Colour and shape of design elements of the packaging labels influence consumer expectations and hedonic judgments of specialty coffee

Packaging plays an important role on attracting the consumers’ attention and creating hedonic and sensory expectations, which may affect actual product experience. The present study aimed at investigating whether the colour and/or shape of design elements of packaging labels would influence sensory and hedonic judgments of specialty coffee by amateur consumers. Participants (n = 174) first evaluated their expectations of coffee acidity and sweetness by looking at the coffee package, and subsequently, their experience of the same attributes when tasting a cup of coffee, in addition to rating their liking and purchase intent. The experiment followed a 2 × 2, between-subject design for label type (green or pink, round or angular), and the same coffee was served to all participants. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted in order to assess main effects of colour and shape of the design elements of the packaging labels as well as interactions on sensory and hedonic ratings. Both colour and shape significantly affected consumers’ sensory expectations (pre-tasting ratings) regarding the specialty coffee, but they had no significant effect on post-tasting (actual perception) sensory ratings. Interactions between colour × shape were found to affect the hedonic measures. The coffee associated with the congruent labels (i.e., angular/green or the round/pink) received higher liking and purchase intent ratings than the one associated with the incongruent labels (i.e., angular/pink and the round/green). The implications of these results for the design of coffee packaging that convey some functional benefit as well as possible directions for future research are discussed.