Application of check‐all‐that‐apply and non‐metric partial least squares regression to evaluate attribute's perception and consumer liking of apples

Sensory Perception and Willingness to Pay for a Local Ancient Pear Variety: Evidence from In-Store Experiments in Italy

Product optimisation is one of the most crucial phases in the new product development or launch process. This work proposes applying penalty analysis to investigate the impact of not just-about-right (JAR) sensorial aspects on willingness to pay (WTP) and an overall liking for a local Italian ancient pear variety and to verify the mediating role of pleasantness in the relationship between not-JAR sensory attributes and consumers' WTP using structural equation model (SEM). One hundred and twelve non-expert participants recruited during an in-store experiment evaluated overall liking and JAR attributes and were involved in an in-field experimental auction based on the non-hypothetical Becker-DeGroot-Marshak (BDM) mechanism. The participants' average WTP for the sample was EUR 3.18 per kilogramme. Only juiciness and sourness significantly impact consumers' overall liking but not on consumers' WTP. Moreover, pleasantness did not mediate the relationship between non-balanced sensorial aspects and WTP. In conclusion, the penalty analysis for attributes not being JAR in monetary and hedonic terms is a beneficial research approach for a deep-inside evaluation of the potentiality of the product in the marketplace, providing helpful directions for product optimisation. Results show market potential for the local ancient pear variety 'Angelica'.

Free comment as a valuable approach to characterize and identify the drivers of liking of high-protein flavored milk drink submitted to ohmic heating

Flavored milk drink is a popular dairy product traditionally processed by pasteurization, which is a safe and robust process. Still, it can imply a greater energy expenditure and a more significant sensorial alteration. Ohmic heating (OH) has been proposed as an alternative to dairy processing, including flavored milk drink. However, its impact on sensory characteristics needs to be evidenced. This study used Free Comment, an underexplored methodology in sensory studies, to characterize five samples of high-protein vanilla-flavored milk drink: PAST (conventional pasteurization 72 °C/15 s); OH6 (ohmic heating at 5.22 V/cm); OH8 (ohmic heating at 6.96 V/cm); OH10 (ohmic heating at 8.70 V/cm), and OH12 (ohmic heating at 10.43 V/cm). Free Comment raised similar descriptors to those found in studies that used more consolidated descriptive methods. The employed statistical approach allowed observation that pasteurization and OH treatment have different effects on the sensory profile of products, and the electrical field strength of OH also has a significant impact. PAST was slightly to moderately negatively associated with "acid taste," "fresh milk taste," "smoothness," "sweet taste," "vanilla flavor," "vanilla aroma," "viscous," and "white color." On the other hand, OH processing with more intense electric fields (OH10 and OH12) produced flavored milk drinks strongly associated with the "in natura" milk descriptors ("fresh milk aroma" and "fresh milk taste"). Furthermore, the products were characterized by the descriptors "homogeneous," "sweet aroma," "sweet taste," "vanilla aroma," "white color," "vanilla taste," and "smoothness." In parallel, less intense electric fields (OH6 and OH8) produced samples more associated with a bitter taste, viscosity, and lumps presence. Sweet taste and fresh milk taste were the drivers of liking. In conclusion, OH with more intense electric fields (OH10 and OH12) was promising in flavored milk drink processing. Furthermore, the free comment was a valuable approach to characterize and identify the drivers of liking of high-protein flavored milk drink submitted to OH.

Effects of Consumers’ Sensory Attributes Perception on Their Willingness to Pay for Apple Cultivars Grown at Different Altitudes: Are They Different?

Per capita apple consumption is decreasing in many European countries due to the perception that apples have inferior sensory traits and to the dissatisfaction of some consumers with mainstream apple cultivars. Previous studies on the consumers’ acceptance of apples state that sensory attributes have a large influence on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). Following this previous evidence and with the aim of reversing this decreasing consumption trend, our objective was to study the effect of apple sensory attributes on consumers’ WTP for a mainstream (‘Golden Delicious’) and a local traditional apple cultivar (‘Reineta’), grown at two different altitudes (high and low). A total number of 195 apple consumers participated in one experiment with two tasks. In the first task, participants were asked to rate five external and internal sensory attributes, and in the second, to indicate their maximum WTP in an experimental auction for the four apple samples. Results indicated that the WTP and the effect of sensory attributes on the WTP were different among the four apple samples. Our findings indicate that sweeter and juicer apples might be marketed at higher prices and that firmness is only appreciated in the case of the local cultivar grown at low altitudes.