Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA): A novel dynamic method for characterizing products

Abstract

Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) is introduced as a new dynamic method for describing multidimensional sensory properties of products as they evolve over time. TCATA extends the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method. Selection and deselection of attributes are tracked continuously over time, permitting assessors to characterize the evolution of sensory changes in products. TCATA is presented using results from trained panel evaluations of yogurt products. Data are also used to illustrate approaches for exploratory data analysis. Raw data from each assessor are represented using indicator charts. Panel data are aggregated into TCATA product plots. Reference lines are added to provide additional guidance. Product pairwise comparisons are made in TCATA difference plots, emphasizing differences that are less likely to have arisen from chance. Correspondence analysis (CA) is used to visualize product trajectories over time in a sensory space, providing a summary multivariate understanding of the dynamic sensory properties. CA conducted on the TCATA yogurt data highlight the importance of the dynamic profile, and suggest that understanding the complexity of products requires investigation of temporal changes. Results indicate that the TCATA method has potential for evaluating temporal aspects of sensory perception but further research is required to identify methodological issues and to refine the methodology.