Perception and liking of yogurts with different degrees of granularity in relation to ethnicity, preferred oral processing and lingual tactile acuity

Abstract

Food perception and liking depend on both product properties and consumer characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ethnicity, preferred oral processing and lingual tactile acuity on the consumer perception and liking of yogurt. To achieve the aim, six yogurt samples were prepared, including a homogeneous yogurt, a yogurt manufactured with micro particles, and four samples with addition of flakes or cut grains in different concentrations into homogeneous yogurt. Adults (n = 152) including seventy-five Asian Chinese subjects and seventy-seven Caucasian Danish subjects rated their perception and liking of yogurts. Subjects' preferred oral processing were identified according to how they prefer to manipulate food in their mouth ('soft processing likers' and 'firm processing likers'), and their tactile acuity was assessed by von Frey filaments. A descriptive sensory analysis of the yogurt was conducted by a trained panel consisting of 10 assessors. Results showed that ethnicity had a considerable influence on the liking of yogurts. Chinese subjects liked both yogurts containing macro particles (grains or low level of flakes) and homogeneous yogurts with no added particles, whereas Danish subjects significantly decreased their liking of yogurts with addition of particles, either micro or macro. Subjects' preferred oral processing and oral tactile acuity had a less pronounced effect on the liking of yogurts. Differences in texture perception of yogurts were negligible. The present results highlight a significant cultural effect on consumer acceptability and thus underline the importance of conducting the cross-cultural sensory research to the yogurt market.