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Influence of Sample Presentation Protocol on the Results of Consumer Tests
Author(s) -
GutiérrezSalomón A.L.,
Gámbaro A.,
Angulo O.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of sensory studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1745-459X
pISSN - 0887-8250
DOI - 10.1111/joss.12097
Subject(s) - sample (material) , protocol (science) , presentation (obstetrics) , taste , preference , psychology , statistics , rank (graph theory) , computer science , mathematics , medicine , chemistry , chromatography , alternative medicine , pathology , combinatorics , neuroscience , radiology
Abstract The influence of two sample presentation and instruction delivery protocols on the results of consumer‐based sensory evaluations was studied. In two independent experiments, five peach jams and four Colonia‐type cheese (from the C olonia region in U ruguay) were taste‐tested. In the first experiment, one group of 54 consumers used the sequential monadic ( SM ) and the other group of 54 consumers used the rank‐rating ( RR ) sample presentation protocols for the jam sample evaluation. In the second experiment, one group of 54 consumers used the SM and the other group of 54 consumers used the RR sample presentation protocols for the cheese sample evaluation. All samples were evaluated using hedonic scales and CATA (check‐all‐that‐apply) questions. Overall liking scores were found not to depend on the sample presentation protocol. Although the protocol was found to affect the choice and number of attributes listed in the CATA question used by respondents to differentiate the samples, the spatial configurations of samples derived by multiple factor analysis showed a high degree of correlation between the two protocols for most of the CATA attributes. Based on these results, the SM and RR protocols were found to be equally sensitive, for the products tested, in the conditions of this study. Practical Applications Consumer testing is mainly used to predict operational preference that would assure success in the market. Side‐by‐side or monadic presentation of samples during traditional hedonic consumer testing would give results with the same degree of accuracy when testing a reduced number of samples (4–5). The use of CATA (check‐all‐that‐apply) questions would provide the attributes of the samples in a similar way in either monadic or side‐by‐side sample presentation during consumer testing.