Rate-all-that-apply Research Articles

An itinerant sensory approach to investigate consumers' perception and acceptability at a food exhibition

In a food exhibition where several producers of the same product category are present at the same time, consumers usually have the opportunity to taste several free samples of the same product type, thus they can experience and compare the sensory characteristics of each and evaluate their liking for each sample tasted. This study assessed the potential of an itinerant sensory data collection in understanding the consumers' perception and acceptance of cheese during a multiple tasting experience at a food exhibition. Subjects tasted seven samples of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese aged for different times (24 and 36months) at seven producer stands and recorded their evaluations using tablets, on which an application specifically developed for this study was installed. This evaluation situation was defined as “pseudo-natural,” in opposition to the “natural” and the “naturalistic” settings. The itinerant sensory session comprised a liking test, a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) test using a just about right (JAR) scale, a food pairing test, and a questionnaire. Consumers significantly (p<0.05) discriminated the cheeses as a function of the aging time, describing with different attributes the 24months (sweetness, fresh fruit, grass, yogurt, butter flavors, elasticity, and humidity) and the 36months (saltiness, bitterness, sourness, spicy, aromatic herbs, cheese rind flavors, crumbliness, granularity, hardness, and hotness) aged products. The combined application of regression models, Penalty-Lift analysis, and decision tree models in investigating the relationships between liking and the RATA data, provided results revealing that the attributes elasticity, sweetness, humidity, fresh fruit, and butter were the main drivers of liking. Whereas, the attributes sourness, bitterness, and hardness were the main drivers of dislike. Therefore, even though no significant differences in terms of liking were observed among the tested cheeses, consumers preferred the attributes more frequently perceived in the least aged products. In conclusion, the presented itinerant sensory approach had provided meaningful information to understand the consumers' cheese perception and acceptability. In the future, it could advantageously be applied for studying food perception in other situations in which subjects naturally choose or consume several products while freely moving from one to another (e.g. self-service restaurant).

Comparison of Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) and Descriptive sensory Analysis (DA) of model double emulsions with subtle perceptual differences

The Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method, an intensity-based Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) variant, has recently been developed for sensory characterization involving untrained panellists. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensory profiles of ten model (double) emulsions with subtle perceptual differences obtained from the Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method with untrained panellists (n=80). For this purpose two different analysis approaches were followed (treating the data as frequencies and as intensities) and then compared to results obtained from Descriptive Analysis (DA) with trained panellists (n=11). The RATA method was adapted by including a short familiarization session to acquaint participants with the RATA methodology, the use of the scale, the sensory terms, and product differences. The comparison involved discriminative ability and configuration similarity by means of Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) and RV coefficients.The results in our study show that the RATA intensity approach resulted in higher discriminative ability compared to the RATA frequency approach. Both RATA frequency and RATA intensity resulted in similar overall configurations compared to DA. However, important differences between the use of RATA and DA scales suggest that these overall similarities should be interpreted with caution and warrant a deeper investigation on how RATA scales are understood and used by consumers.

Study of the effect of H2S, MeSH and DMS on the sensory profile of wine model solutions by Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA)

The effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol (MeSH) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on the odor properties of three wine models-WM- (young white, young red and oaked red wines) was studied. Wine models were built by mixing a pool of common wine volatile and non-volatile compounds and further spiked with eight different combinations of the three sulfur compounds present at two levels (level 0: 0μgL−1 and level 1: 40μgL−1 of H2S, 12μgL−1 of MeSH; 55μgL−1 of DMS). For each wine matrix eight WMs were produced and further submitted to sensory description by Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method.Hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol were clearly involved in the formation of reductive aromas and shared the ability to act as strong suppressors of fruity and floral attributes. Specifically, hydrogen sulfide generated aromas of rotten eggs, while methanethiol generated significant increases in camembert and decreases in citrus, smoky/roasted and oxidation aromas. The simultaneous presence of hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol enhanced the intensity of the unspecific term reduction, while the specific nuances individually imparted by each of the two compounds could not be further identified. DMS did not exert any outstanding effect on the reductive character of wines and its sensory effect was matrix-dependent. It was involved in the formation of fruity notes such as cooked/candied and red/black fruits in young wines, and vegetal notes (canned vegetables) in oaked red WMs.

Application of the fast sensory method ‘Rate‐All‐That‐Apply’ in chocolate Quality Control compared with DHS‐GC‐MS

SummaryThis paper studied the fast sensory Rate‐All‐That‐Apply (RATA) method as a contributor to existing quality control (QC) in chocolate production by comparing it with the outcome of dynamic headspace sampling combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (DHS‐GC‐MS). Seven different chocolates were evaluated by a semi‐trained panel using RATA. RATA showed potential as a sensory evaluation tool which could be part of QC programmes in chocolate production as RATA was efficient to perform and captured important sensory deviations, herein addition of excess lecithin and prolonged roasting. However, product deviations caused by long conching were only detected by DHS‐GC‐MS. A more extreme conching process must occur before it can be perceived by humans. RATA and DHS‐GC‐MS should be used as complementary methods in detecting future important issues in chocolate production. DHS‐GC‐MS detects product deviation from chemical perspectives while sensory evaluation gives information on quality parameters from a perceivable perspective influencing consumer satisfaction.

Rate-all-that-apply (RATA) with semi-trained assessors: An investigation of the method reproducibility at assessor-, attribute- and panel-level

Rate-all-that-apply (RATA) is a variant of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions that allows assessor to rate the intensity of selected attributes. Compared to CATA, RATA has the potential to improve sample description and discrimination, and might be more useful when only a small number of assessors are available. Before advocating its use with confidence, investigations on the method validity and reproducibility are necessary.Within this context, this short paper examined the reproducibility of results obtained by RATA within a test–retest paradigm, drawing on data from a case study involving sensory assessment of common defects in chocolate production. Criteria considered were within-assessors reproducibility, attribute stability, and configurational agreement between samples spaces obtained across replicated evaluations. The results showed that although within-assessors reproducibility was moderate, RATA exhibited a very good reproducibility at panel level, as indicated by the high configurational agreement between product maps obtained from individual replicates. The method showed a good reproducibility also at the level of individual attributes. Indications were obtained that the reproducibility of RATA with semi-trained subjects might be similar to that of a simple checklist, in spite of the addition of the intensity rating step.Overall, the work presented in this short paper supports the validity of RATA as a sensory profiling tool, and suggests that its application with semi-trained assessors may be particularly advantageous for industrial applications.

On the analysis of Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) data

Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) is a variation of the more widely used CATA question format. For a pre-specified list of terms, consumers indicate whether they apply to a given product, and if they do so, to rate their intensity. For example, a 3-pt scale may be used with anchors ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ or a 5-pt scale anchored at 1=‘slightly applicable’ and 5=‘very applicable.’ Given the hierarchical nature of the task and the non-normal distribution of the intensity data, it is not obvious how to analyze RATA data appropriately. In the present work we suggest interpreting RATA data as 4- or 6-point scales, considering a missing check for any attribute as a score of 0. Based on that, randomization tests were applied to investigate potential product differences. We show that the null distribution of these tests for RATA data coincides in practice with the one from classical parametric tests derived from an ANOVA context. Consequently, using the common F- and t-tests provides a valid and easy analysis of RATA data. In four consumer studies, tests for product difference usually gave the same results when RATA data were analyzed with ANOVA and Cochran’s Q test. Graphical display of the data was found to be very similar based on Correspondence Analysis (CA) (treating RATA as CATA data) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) (treating RATA as continuous data).

An integrated method for the emotional conceptualization and sensory characterization of food products: The EmoSensory® Wheel

Although acceptability is commonly used to examine liking for food products, more studies now emphasize the importance of measuring consumers' conceptualizations, such as emotions for food products. It is also important to identify how consumers perceive the sensory attributes of food products, as illustrated by the increasing involvement of consumers in product characterization. The objective of this paper is to examine the use of a wheel-format questionnaire to obtain both an emotional and sensory profiles for food products using a hands-on consumer tool. Terms selected were product-specific and the rate-all-that-apply (RATA) approach was used as a scaling technique. Three different experiments demonstrated that the EmoSensory® Wheel could discriminate within and between food product categories. The added value of the RATA approach was illustrated in the sample discrimination for some food products when using the weighted attribute scores for analysis. The tool was used in both blind and informed conditions to illustrate its applicability across different experimental designs. In general, the respondents did not find the task tedious when using the wheel-questionnaire format, demonstrating the potential for collecting information in a more facile way. Although further studies with other food products are needed, this paper shows the potential for using this wheel format to obtain information about consumers' emotional and sensory profiling of food products.

RATA questions are not likely to bias hedonic scores

Concurrent elicitation of hedonic and sensory information from consumers helps to identify the sensory attributes that drive consumer preferences. However, there is a risk that asking consumers about specific sensory characteristics can bias their hedonic responses. This research extends previous work by investigating if concurrent use of rate-all-that-apply (RATA) questions, a variant of CATA questions is associated with bias of the hedonic scores. RATA questions extend CATA questions by requiring consumers to also rate the intensity of the terms that are applicable for describing samples (‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’). In eight consumer studies (n=560) across five product categories there was no evidence of concurrent use of RATA questions influencing hedonic scores. When RATA questions were used concurrently with a hedonic question there was a strong tendency for greater hedonic discrimination between samples (5 of 8 studies). This suggested that the discriminative capacity of the hedonic question was increased by inclusion of the RATA question, a result that could be attributable to the RATA question increasing consumers’ engagement and attention to the task. Further research is required to confirm this result and tentative explanation.

Evaluation of a rating-based variant of check-all-that-apply questions: Rate-all-that-apply (RATA)

The current research explored the possibility of using attribute ratings as a variant (RATA: rate-all-that-apply) to CATA questions (check-all-that-apply), in order to improve sample description and discrimination and to engage participants in greater cognitive processing. The RATA question variant was implemented by asking participants, for the terms they ticked as “apply”, to indicate intensity (using a 3-pt scale with anchors ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’) or rate applicability (using a 5-pt scale anchored at ‘slightly applicable’ and ‘very applicable’). A total of four studies with 328 consumers were conducted. Studies 1–3 involved the consumption of products (milk desserts, bread and gummy lollies), whereas Study 4 was performed with yogurt labels. A between-subjects design was used in all studies to compare product characterizations from CATA and RATA questions. Across the four studies, compared to the simple CATA questions, the RATA variant led to an increase in the total number of selected terms and a small increase in the percentage of terms for which significant differences among samples were identified. Although the stability of sample and term configurations from CATA and RATA questions, calculated using a bootstrapping re-sampling approach, were similar, for two of the four studies RATA questions provided more stable sample and term configurations. Results from the present work reveal the potential of intensity-based CATA variants with consumers for sensory product characterization, but also suggest that these may be study and sample specific.

Beyond liking: Comparing the measurement of emotional response using EsSense Profile and consumer defined check-all-that-apply methodologies

With the rapid proliferation of new products into the marketplace, understanding emotional responses may offer a differential advantage beyond traditional hedonic measures. The objectives of this study were: to determine if emotional data provide discrimination beyond that obtained from hedonic response; to compare the effectiveness of a published predefined lexicon with that generated by the consumer; and, to evaluate the effectiveness of CATA approach compared to intensity scaling as used in EsSense Profile. To this end, the hedonic and emotional response to commercial blackcurrant squash was investigated comparing two different approaches: EsSense Profile™, in which subjects rated a predefined emotion lexicon, and check-all-that-apply (CATA) of a consumer defined (CD) lexicon. Both approaches yielded emotional data that clearly discriminated across the products more effectively than the hedonic scores. Both EsSense and CD-CATA data produced similar emotional spaces and product configurations. In each method, a two dimensional structure (pleasantness vs. engagement/activation) was observed within the product space which corresponded to published circumplex models of emotional response. However, the latter observation was more evident in the CD-CATA approach. The consumer defined lexicon provided a rich and more balanced list of positive and negative emotions specific to the product category although it did lack some terms found to be differentiating on the EsSense lexicon. Also the qualitative nature of the data obtained from CD CATA, limited the extent of the statistical analysis, making it difficult to make the clear inferential conclusions obtained with EsSense Profile. For future emotional studies a hybrid approach, whereby the emotion lexicon is developed combining consumer input and published emotion lists, and is then used to evaluate products using a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) procedure, is proposed.