Check-all-that-apply Questions Research Articles

Fermentation of whey-derived matrices by Kluyveromyces marxianus: alcoholic beverage development from whey and fruit juice mixes.

This research paper addresses the hypotheses that Kluyveromyces marxianus can be cultured with good alcohol production on different whey-derived matrices, and that the fermented product can be used in order to develop alcoholic beverages with acceptable sensory characteristics by mixtures with yeast-fermented fruit-based matrices. Growth and fermentative characteristics of Kluyveromyces marxianus LFIQK1 in different whey-derived matrices were explored by culturing (24 h, 30°C) on reconstituted whey, demineralized whey, heat-treated whey and milk permeate media. High lactose consumption, ethanol production and yield were observed. Reconstituted whey matrix was selected for mixing with orange or strawberry juices fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to obtain alcoholic beverages (W-OR and W-ST, respectively). Consumer evaluation of beverages was performed using acceptability and Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questions. Good acceptance was observed, significantly higher for W-ST than for W-OR. CATA questions gave information about organoleptic characteristics of beverages. Penalty analysis showed W-R and W-ST were positively associated with smooth/refreshing and fruity/natural, respectively. Liking was represented, accordingly with penalty analysis, by natural/refreshing. A novel alternative for utilization of whey and whey-related matrices by alcoholic beverages production with natural ingredients is presented.

Sensory perception of ice cream and plant-based alternatives evaluated blinded and with ingredient lists

New plant-based alternatives (PBAs) to dairy are being created by the food industry and they are of interest to many consumers. However, some of these PBAs use ingredients that are unfamiliar to consumers. As such, the objectives of this study were to first evaluate the acceptability and sensory perception of ice cream as well as dairy and plant-based frozen desserts. Secondly, to evaluate the impact of the ingredient lists on the acceptability and perception of these food products. Two sensory trials were conducted using hedonic scales and check-all-that-apply (CATA). Participants (n = 117) were asked to evaluate five products (dairy, frozen dairy dessert (FDD), cashew, coconut, and soy) in blinded and informed conditions (with the ingredient list). The plant-based samples were liked significantly less than the dairy-based ice cream in both the blinded and informed conditions. The dairy ice cream was associated with natural vanilla, creamy flavour, sweet and milk/dairy flavour, which all increased the participants’ liking. The plant-based samples were associated with off-flavours, nutty, beany, and vegetal, as well as a strong aftertaste, sandiness, and grittiness. The presentation of the ingredient lists decreased the participants’ liking of the plant-based samples’ flavour but it did not impact their sensory perception based on the CATA question. Overall, the presence of the ingredient list decreased the consumer acceptability but did not impact the sensory properties the participants perceived in the ice cream samples.

Comparison of sensory profiles by two different check-all-that-apply (CATA) terms developed from trained panelists and naïve consumers

The application of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions to consumer sensory profiles has become popular over the past 20 years. The present study used sensory evaluations of yogurt to investigate how CATA terms from trained panelists (T-TP) and naïve consumers (T-C) affected the frequency of the use of terms, discrimination of samples, and reproducibility of sample evaluations. T-TP was developed by trained panelists after training sessions for a descriptive analysis of yogurt. T-C was elicited from naïve consumers using open-ended questions. A sensory evaluation of nine yogurt samples was conducted using CATA with T-TP and T-C by 85 naïve consumers. It was found that T-C was chosen more frequently by the consumers than T-TP, and the number of terms with significant differences between the samples was higher in the CATA with T-C than that with T-TP. Additionally, the use of T-C improved the reproducibility of the sample evaluations with a higher attribute selection stability index (SSI). Correspondence analysis showed that the overlap in the confidence ellipses was smaller for T-C than for T-TP, indicating that the sample discrimination power was higher when using T-C. In summary, our findings suggest that the use of T-C in CATA questions has an advantage in sensory profiling and product discrimination.

Comparison of Pivot Profile, CATA, and Pivot-CATA for the sensory profiling of instant black coffee

Sensory profiling is a primary technique used to characterize products in the food industry. Consumer-based rapid descriptive methods such as Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) and Pivot Profile (PP) are widely preferred over classical methods. In this investigation, the relatively new combined Pivot-CATA sensory method using PP and CATA questions was applied and validated using instant black coffee samples. Three groups of untrained assessors performed PP, CATA, and Pivot-CATA tests on instant coffee samples independently. Data from three sensory methods was collected, analyzed, and compared by applying correspondence analysis, sensory maps, confidence ellipses, and practical applications. Results showed that Pivot-CATA presented similar sensory spaces and maps to PP (RV = 0.890) and CATA (RV = 0.919). Confidence ellipses of Pivot-CATA were the least overlapping and the smallest. Practical advantages of Pivot-CATA include a shorter data collection time, questionnaires that were easier to follow as compared to PP, and more detailed sensory profiles for similar products in contrast with CATA. Thus, Pivot-CATA has proven to be a promising method for future research, by combining the advantages of both the PP and CATA methods in characterizing the sensory properties of products. This research also guides future validations and applications of Pivot-CATA in different food product categories, thus contributing to these products’ quality control and development in the food industry.

Ice cream with sucralose, stevioside, and erythritol as sugar substitutes: Sensory profile and customer preference.

Sugar-free food has been gaining popularity because of low-calorie content. But sugar replacement by high-intensity sweeteners can negatively affect sensory. In this study, the effect of the addition of sucralose (Suc), stevioside (Ste), and erythritol (Ery) as sugar substitutes on the sensory profile and overall acceptance of ice cream were evaluated by penalty analysis (PA) based on the check-all-that apply (CATA) method, with those of the partial least squares (PLS) regression. Twelve sweetening agents of ice cream samples were presented to 106 consumers who answered on an overall liking question using the 15-point hedonic scale and a CATA question with 32 attributes that described the sensory characteristics of ice cream. The results showed that mixed sweeteners (60%Suc+20%Ste+20%Ery or 60%Suc+10%Ste+30%Ery) can present an advantageous performance when used separately, and making ice cream similar to that of sucrose (Sac) added. Adding Suc, Ste, and Ery to ice cream hardly felt bitterness, astringency, and chemical-like sensations of the sweetening agent. The significant difference between different sweeteners is the intensity and speed of sweetness. Developing combination of high-potency sweeteners that can make sweetness appear quickly could open up new ways to design sugar-free ice cream.

The superior performance of the two-step rating-based double-faced applicability (DFA) test to the check-all-that-apply (CATA) question

For successful product development and marketing in the food/beverage industry, it is vital to study the product attributes perceived by consumers effectively and efficiently. Recently, a two-step rating-based ‘double-faced applicability’ (DFA) test was developed to study consumer perception and evaluation of product attributes in a quantitative way using d-prime affect magnitude (d'A) based on signal detection theory. This study assessed the product discrimination and characterization performance and interpretationability ofd'Aoutput measures of the DFA approach in comparison with the check-all-that-apply (CATA) question. An independent samples design (each N = 108) was used to evaluate eighteen ready-to-drink (RTD) latte products with eighteen attributes. A cluster analysis was also performed, and based on this the relationships of the two output statistics -d'Aand total citation frequency were examined. Product attributes were generated based on literature reviews on coffee sensory and emotion studies and sensory/consumer research methodology to encompass consumer perception generally applicable to beverage, and for each attribute, a pair of ‘double-faced’ descriptors in three categories - ‘general weak-strong’, ‘sensory’, and ‘sentimental consequence’ were used for the DFA test. Thed'A of the DFA test provided similar product characterization to citation frequency of the CATA question, yet provided better product discrimination and reflected the consumer affective perception for each product independently in a better interpretable way, in valence. It showed a sigmoid relationship with the citation frequency due to its nature of reflecting valence. Overall, the results contribute support for the usefulness of the DFA approach for consumer product testing and suggest the potential of developing a generally applicable DFA test format for studying integrated attribute perception.

Consumer perception of purple-fleshed sweet potatoes

Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes (PFSP) are a new product for Uruguayan consumers. It shows differentiable sensory characteristics and added nutritional benefits, but sensory and hedonic expectations raised by PFSP have not been explored yet in Uruguay. The aim of this work was to explore Uruguayan consumers' perception of PFSP with a special focus on the hedonic, sensory and emotional expectations raised by them in comparison to traditional yellow and orange-flesh genotypes available in the market. A series of pictures of three types of SP were used in a social-network-driven study completed by 179 SP consumers. A word-association task and rating of expected liking together with exploring how they would feel after consumption using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) question composed of 21 emoji were carried out. Participants were also asked to describe the expected sensory characteristics using a CATA questions composed of 17 terms, selected based on results from previous sensory studies. Results revealed a lack of consumer familiarity with purple flesh coloration and lower expected liking scores compared to traditional orange and yellow flesh genotypes. It was also associated with scarce positive hedonic and emotional associations related to the emojis flushed face, face screaming in fear, grimacing face and weary face. Moreover, they were expected to have similar characteristics to yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes (YFSP) in terms of texture and flavor, being also associated with off-flavors presence. This highlights the need to develop diverse marketing strategies to increase familiarity before the commercial release of PFSP.

Public meals as a platform for culinary action? Tweens’ and teens’ acceptance of a new plant-based food

A plant-rich meal pattern is widely considered to be one possible solution for a shift towards a more sustainable food culture that considerably decreases food-related greenhouse gas emissions globally. The public meal, in particular school meals, can ideally become a platform for developing multisectoral cooperation through culinary action, transforming food from being a commodity to part of a strategic solution with societal outcomes. The aim of our study is to support a shift toward more sustainable meal solutions within the public meal sector. The objective is to introduce the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method in a large real-life consumer study, using only one food product, during a lunch break, and still account for the variation in perception between consumers. The objective is also to explore strategic multi-sectoral insights for introducing new foods to a larger population for a shift toward a plant-rich meal pattern. In this study, we established a cooperation between a small-sized food company, four schools and a university in Sweden. A plant-based sausage roll based on minced grey peas was developed. The likes and dislikes of 800 t(w)eens being served the grey pea roll were checked using hedonic values and CATA questions and compared with an ideal. To understand which CATA terms were persistent (meaning relevant, liked and just-about-right across consumer clusters), results including frequency scores, consistency, mean impact on liking, just-about-right scores and agglomerative hierarchical clustering were combined in an extended statistical processing. Our results show that unique/novel and natural were the only persistent CATA terms; these terms should therefore be interesting candidates for further improvement regarding classification and conceptualization of plant-based products in public meals. The CATA term vegetarian, on the other hand, can both increase and decrease liking scores.

Check-All-That-Apply Questions including the Ideal Product as a Tool for Selecting Varieties in Breeding Programs. A Case Study with Mandarins

Obtaining superior quality varieties are one of the main objectives of fruit breeding programs worldwide. In this study, we investigate employing check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions, which include the ideal product, as a method to select new varieties according to consumer organoleptic quality requirements. To this end, mandarin cultivars were used as a case study. Four new cultivars from the IVIA breeding program (‘Pri-88′, ‘Pri-89′, ‘Pri-90′ and ‘Tri-707′), and two commercial cultivars related to them (‘Clemenules’ and ‘Oronules’), were evaluated by a consumer panel using the CATA questions method, which include their ideal product. Our results reveal that this method is a useful tool for selecting varieties based on consumer descriptions of their sensory properties in relation to those of their ideal cultivar. This allows the different consumer preference patterns and differences in sample perceptions to be taken into account. A penalty analysis was performed, including the ideal product, to identify the “must-have” attributes; i.e., those that consumers included in their ideal mandarin description and, whenever present in samples, they significantly increased acceptance. For the mandarins herein evaluated, these attributes are “refreshing taste”, “very aromatic”, “sweet”, “juicy”, “very intense taste”, “sour” and “not very fibrous”. The fruit characteristics that contributed to improve the quality of the new varieties vs. the original varieties were also identified. ‘Pri-89′ and ‘Tri-707′, obtained from ‘Clemenules’, came closer to consumers’ ideal variety, because besides the aforementioned “must-have” attributes, these mandarins have small segments. ‘Pri-90′ implied improvement in relation to ‘Oronules’ and is an appropriate variety for those consumers sensitive to bitterness and who like mandarins with a certain level of sourness.

Using check‐all‐that‐apply to evaluate wine and food pairings: An investigation with white wines

AbstractGrowing consumer interest in food and wine pairing leads to a need for more studies to be conducted evaluating consumers' perception of food pairings. Many studies have used trained panelists to evaluate food and wine pairings; however, this study sought to determine how consumers evaluate food and wine pairings using the check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) method. The participants (n = 112) were asked to evaluate five white wines for their liking of the wine, their sensory perception of the wines and identify which food items they would pair with the wine using a CATA question. The participants separated the wines based on their sweetness and dryness, as well as their acidity. The participants liked sweet, citrus, fruity and floral white wines, and disliked earthy and sour attributes. When the participants paired the wine with hard cheeses and chocolate their liking increased; however, when the wines were paired with French fries, steak, and lemon pie, it detracted from their liking. Future research should ask participants to explain their pairing choices using open‐ended comment questions.Practical ApplicationsVery few studies have explored consumers' food and wine pairing preferences. This study identified which food consumers pair with different white wines and how food items can positively or negatively impact consumers' liking of the wine. The results of this study are important to those working in the food and wine service industry. The findings of this study contribute to the gap in knowledge of consumers' preferred food pairings and investigate the use of a check‐all‐that‐apply question to evaluate food and wine pairings. Future research should ask consumers to explain their food pairings, as well as evaluate how wine knowledge and familiarity with wine impact their pairing decisions.

Influence of post-harvest physiology on sensory perception, physical properties, and chemical compositions of Moris pineapples (Ananas comosus L.).

This study was conducted to evaluate consumer profiling of pineapple at five maturity stages using check-all-that-apply (CATA) method and to determine the influence of post-harvest physiological changes on the physical and chemical properties of the pineapple. Nineteen CATA terms describing sensory attributes of pineapples at five maturity stages were generated. Seventy-five consumers were involved in describing the changes in the organoleptic properties of pineapple using CATA questions. The relationship between physicochemical properties and sensory description of pineapples was analyzed using correspondence analysis (CA). The total variance of 97.7% and 92.2% obtained in the CA plot of the physical and chemical properties with the consumer profiling data suggests that consumers have effectively described the pineapple harvested at five maturity stages. Changes in physical and chemical compositions in pineapple upon maturation result in the development of pineapple's desirable organoleptic characteristics, characterized as fresh, attractive, and bright yellowish, with a soft, fibrous, and juicy texture, a sweet odor and pineapple aroma as well as sweet taste. Index 3 pineapple has been described as pale, hard, and crunchy in texture at the early stage of maturity and has a sour taste. The characteristic was transformed to bright yellow, soft, fibrous, and juicy texture after maturation, (25% ripeness onwards), as well as the production of sweet taste and aroma of pineapple. Instrument analysis of yellowness (b value) and carotenoid has strongly influenced the sensory attributes of brightness, freshness, and attractiveness of the pineapple. Changes in total soluble solids (TSS) and a ratio of TSS to total acids (TA) contributes to the development of aromatic compound which increases the appealing quality of the pineapple. Pineapple sensory characteristics, physical properties, and chemical compositions were significantly affected by post-harvest physiology. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Sensory and instrumental methods were used to construct the properties of pineapple at different stages of post-harvest physiology. This article demonstrates that the Check-all-that-apply (CATA) analysis provides adequate sensory profiling information based on customer perceptions in relation to instrumental details, and it can be extended to other pineapple varieties and citrus fruits.

TURF analysis for CATA data using R package ‘turfR’

CATA (Check All That Apply) questions are one of the most popular approaches used widely in sensory and consumer fields. This paper proposes to apply the TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) technique to summarize and analyze CATA data. Numerical examples from a women’s multi-vitamin/mineral gummy survey conducted online recently in the US are provided to show the TURF analysis for CATA data. The R package ‘turfR’ was used in the analysis of the CATA data. An R code (‘turfcata’) was developed and is provided for the analysis using the R package ‘turfR’.

Sensory acceptability, consumption frequency, and factors associated with consumption of fruits and vegetables among low and medium income consumers in Argentina

AbstractThe acceptability, consumption frequency of fruits and vegetables (F&V), and the reasons for consuming these foods were studied. A total of 370 housewives carried out different tests: Sensory Acceptability, Consumption Frequency, Free Listing (FL), and Check All That Apply (CATA). In these tests, the household income (HI) of the housewives was considered. Of the 25 fruits and 27 vegetables included in the acceptability test, more than 40% had average values greater than or equal to 7 for both HI, low income (LI) and middle income (MI). In general, F&V had more mentions in low consumption frequency categories. Only the consumption frequency of three fruits and two vegetables was influenced by HI. The acceptability patterns in both foods do not always correspond to their frequency of consumption. CATA question showed that factors related to habits, practicality and availability, in addition to sensory acceptability, influenced the consumption of these foods in LI and MI populations.Practical applicationsThe use of questionnaires and CATA methodology permitted to know about F&V consumption in the LI and MI Argentinian population. The information about the reasons for the low consumption of F&V in both incomes sectors could complement data obtained through existing surveys and provide insight to motivate consumption through changes in current consumer promotion campaigns.

A Comparison of the Percentage of "Yes" (Agree) Responses and Importance of Attributes (Constructs) determined using Check-All-That-Apply and Check-All-Statements (Yes/No) Question Formats in Five Countries.

Check All That Apply (CATA) has become a popular type of questionnaire response in sensory/consumer research in recent years. However, some authors have pointed out potential problems with the method. An online survey using either a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) or Check-All-Statements (CAS) format for questions was conducted to provide a deeper understanding of the response data using the two question formats. With CATA, respondents select all terms or statements that apply from a given list, while, with CAS, respondents must respond (e.g., yes/no or agree/disagree) to each term or statement to show that it applies or does not apply. Respondents from five countries (Brazil, China, India, Spain, and the USA) were randomly assigned one of the two question formats (N = 200 per country per method). Motivations for eating items that belong to five food groups (starchy, protein, dairy, fruits, and desserts) were assessed. Results showed that CAS had higher percentages of “agree” responses than CATA. Also, the response ratio of CAS and CATA data was different, suggesting that interpretations of the data from each response type would also be different. Respondents in the USA, China, and Spain took longer to complete the CAS questionnaire, while respondents in Brazil and India had similar time durations for the two question formats. Overall, the CATA format was liked slightly more than the CAS format and fewer respondents dropped out of the survey when using the CATA response type. These findings suggest that the CATA format is quick and relatively easy for consumers to complete. However, it provokes fewer “apply” responses, which some psychologists suggest underestimates applicable terms or statements and CATA provides a different interpretation of data than the CAS format that requires consumers to respond to each term or statement. Further, CAS may overestimate the applicable terms. Consumer insights collected using CATA and CAS can lead to different decisions due to differences in data interpretation by researchers (e.g., marketers, nutritionists, product developers, and sensory scientists). More investigation is needed for the CATA and CAS question formats.

Examination of effects on situational appropriateness when co‐elicited with hedonic product responses

AbstractThe present research examined the effect of co‐eliciting situational appropriateness with hedonic product responses. This contributed methodological insight regarding the use of the item‐by‐use (IBU) approach in product research with consumers. The research involved 9 consumer studies (105 to 289 consumers per study). In each study, participants were randomly divided into two groups. One of the groups evaluated samples for situational appropriateness only, whereas the other group evaluated hedonic responses and situational appropriateness. Five studies elicited IBU responses using check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) questions and four studies used 7‐pt rating scales. The inclusion of the hedonic question introduced significant changes in IBU responses in eight of the nine studies. When effects were established, they were largely systematic in the sense of reducing term frequency/average ratings of the focal situational uses. That is, a given situational use would generally be evaluated as less appropriate under co‐elicitation (H + IBU) than when situational appropriateness was measured alone (IBU only). The effect was larger for CATA questions and mirrors previous research on hedonic and sensory co‐elicitation. The most likely explanation is that the inclusion of a hedonic question reduces participants' cognitive effort when completing the CATA questions.Practical ImplicationsSituational appropriateness is often positioned as an adjunct to hedonic responses rather than the main focus of a study, and as such co‐elicitation of these two types of responses are common. In this research, situational appropriateness data (as item‐by‐use [IBU]) were elicited with and without hedonic scores (H + IBU vs. IBU only). It was found that when co‐elicitation alters the situational responses, the effect on the IBU data was, in most cases, minor and without large practical relevance.

Risk of hedonic bias in sensory co‐elicitations: Comparison of CATA questions and applicability ratings

AbstractCo‐elicitation of hedonic responses and sensory responses is now common. Against this background, this research compared the risk of hedonic bias from sensory check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) questions and sensory term ratings from unstructured line scales (RQ1) and evaluated if the risk of hedonic bias is independent of the sensory terms of the CATA question (RQ2). Seven studies with 137–293 participants each were conducted, using different product categories. Between‐subjects experimental designs were used and allocated consumers to one experimental condition (EC). For RQ1, these were hedonic, hedonic immediately followed by a CATA question, and hedonic immediately followed by a rating of term applicability (“not at all” to “extremely”). In RQ2, both ECs involved hedonic ratings followed by a CATA question, but the sensory terms differed. Results showed a significant effect of EC on hedonic ratings in three of five studies for RQ1, suggesting that hedonic bias may or may not occur. For RQ2, the terms of the CATA question influenced hedonic ratings in two of three studies, and a negative hedonic effect was seen when CATA terms drew attention to particular characteristics of individual samples. Collectively, the results suggest that likelihood of bias depends on interactions between product category, samples, and terms.Practical applicationsResults from the present work suggest that hedonic bias in sensory co‐elicitations using CATA questions and scales may occur depending on the type of sensory attributes considered in the study. The consideration of terms that trigger attention to specific sensory attributes of the samples may lead to changes in hedonic ratings. Rating scales appear more likely to be associated with hedonic bias compared to CATA questions due to their more analytic approach to sample evaluation.

Impact of consumption frequency on generations of sensory product profiles using CATA questions: Case studies with two drink categories

Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) is a very popular tool for rapid sensory profiling in consumer research. Yet, consumers’ dietary habits, such as consumption frequency, has been neglected in regard to the impact, if any, on CATA question responses. The present work aimed to fill this gap, by focusing on the effect of different consumption frequencies with four studies (N = 686). Two categories of drink products were involved, chrysanthemum tea and instant coffee. For each category, two sets of products were prepared to constitute two levels of difference between samples (larger vs. smaller). Consumers were classified into high- and low-consumption groups according to their consumption frequencies of each focal product; the size of these subgroups ranged from 54 to 130. Overall, the two groups did not produce large discrepancies from each other when constructing sensory profiling of the tested samples with CATA questions as well as the stability of sample configurations. However, there were some nuances between them. In the evaluation of chrysanthemum tea samples, the higher-consumption group of consumers presented better discrimination than the lower-consumption group while this was reversed for coffee samples. This might be mainly attributed to the fact infrequent consumers were more sensitive to such negative attributes as “strong chrysanthemum smell for chrysanthemum samples, earthy for coffee samples”. Further, despite the higher stability obtained with larger sizes of difference between samples in Studies 3 and 4, in general, the effect of size of differences within sample sets was not significant between different consumption groups. To more effectively contribute to refinement of methodological guidelines for CATA questions, more validation work is needed.

Check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions: Sensory term citation frequency reflects rated term intensity and applicability

CATA questions (check-all-that-apply) are popular for sensory product characterisation tasks with consumers. Lingering uncertainty over the meaning of term citation frequency was addressed in the present research, which directly compared CATA questions with intensity and applicability ratings obtained on 10 cm unstructured line scales. In three studies (n ~ 210 consumers per study), evidence fitting with expectations based on the extant literature was obtained to confirm that citation frequency reflects intensity. The two response types were strongly linearly related, meaning that it is possible to infer significant differences between samples for a given CATA term as representing differences in perceived intensity. This finding emphasises how, despite the simplicity of the CATA task and the fact that individual responses are not measures of intensity, the average citation frequencies do reflect perceived intensity. Therefore, across a group of consumers, there is no information loss relative to rating scales. A systematic difference between citation frequencies and intensity ratings was attenuation of scale use in the latter, which was between 15 and 80 on a 0 to 100 scale. Attenuation was less pronounced in CATA responses which spanned approx. 5 to 85%. In the second part of the research, which included six studies (n ~ 135 to 205 consumers per study) CATA questions were compared with applicability ratings obtained on 10 cm unstructured line scales. The results were highly similar to the comparison between CATA questions and intensity scales and further confirmed that average CATA term citation frequency can be interpreted as representing (but not directly measuring) consumers’ intensity perceptions. The attenuation in scale range was again observed. Collectively, the results contribute further support for the popularity of CATA questions for sensory characterization by consumers in product testing.

Multi-response approaches in product-focused investigations: Methodological variations across three case studies

Consumers’ product experiences are increasingly uncovered using approaches that extend beyond acceptability and sensory perception. The present research is situated in this context and adopts a multi-response approach to jointly obtain attitudinal, conceptual, emotional, situational and/or sensorial evaluations. With the aim of greater methodological understanding, three case studies were conducted with samples in three product categories (fruit- and vegetable-based beverages (n = 10), seafood (n = 6) and chocolate (n = 7)) using consumers from New Zealand (n = 196), India (living in New Zealand) (n = 138) and China (n = 167), conducted in central location (CLT) or home-use test (HUT) settings. Showcasing this multi-response approach and demonstrating its versatility in product research is the main contribution of the research. Across the three case studies different combinations of response types and scaling formats were successfully used (including CATA (check-all-that-apply) questions, yes/no questions and rating scales), and it was also found that tasted foods and written stimuli (food names) served equally well as stimuli. The degree of liking or disliking for individual samples was a useful benchmark against which to interpret the other types of responses, and situational appropriateness, obtained as item-by-use (IBU) responses always contributed unique insights. Facial emoji to obtain product-emotion associations yielded less valuable insights than a conceptualisation task. As expected, and in accordance with the rationale for adopting a multi-response approach, the combination of response types yielded greater stimuli insights than would otherwise have been gained. This held for each of the three case studies and supported future applications using a multi-response approach that extends beyond many related initiatives by including four response types in each case study.

What does it mean to check-all-that-apply? Four case studies with beverages

The use of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions in product-focused consumer research on foods and beverages is now common, and the method is known to provide valid sensory product characterisations. Extensive methodological research has been conducted and has supported uptake, but understanding of how consumers complete CATA questions is incomplete, particularly with regard to their decision to select or not a term to describe the sensory properties of products. The present research was situated within this gap, and using open-ended questions participants (n = 636) were asked to describe how they perceived a pair of samples with regard to an attribute and link this to CATA term selection. The results, obtained for taste (‘sweet’ and ‘sour/acidic’) and flavour (‘cinnamon’ and ‘smoky’) confirmed consumers’ ability to accurately perform sensory characterisation tasks. In particular, it was found that: i) the great majority of the consumers accurately used the CATA terms for describing the sensory characteristics they perceived in a sample, ii) when a term was not selected for describing samples, the majority of the consumers indicated that the corresponding sensory attribute was not perceived, iii) when a term was selected for describing only one of the samples in a pair, consumers reported to have perceived a difference in attribute intensity between the samples. Thus, CATA questions remain a desirable option for sensory product characterisation tasks with consumers, but should be selected with thought as they may not always be able to achieve desired sample discrimination due to the binary nature of the responses.