This study investigated the relevance of sensory properties, in terms of consumer perception, to discriminate different qualities of Italian cooked hams and establish consumer preference. It was developed in two phases: 1) Descriptive analysis (DA): A trained panel (8 assessors) evaluated sensory differences among six samples belonging to different cooked ham categories available in the Italian market, respectively “standard” “selected”, and “high quality”; 2) Consumer study (CS): 92 subjects who consumed cooked ham at least once a month were recruited. Sensory, emotional, and context appropriateness responses were collected using a 9-point scale under blinded conditions. Liking was collected in blind and expected conditions. A modified version of the Emosemio approach was used to develop the questionnaire. The list of items in the questionnaire was obtained by semiotic analysis of the lexicon used to describe cooked ham (blogs, websites), previous studies on cooked and cured hams, and on emotions elicited by food products. In addition, the attributes generated in the DA were considered. Semantic correspondence between attributes generated by the panel and consumer lexicon was investigated using semiotic analysis and statistics. Coherently with DA, for consumers, the main differences between products were registered in visual and texture characteristics, confirming that these properties are the most important in driving consumers’ preference of cooked ham. The analysis of emotions yielded results that followed the trend of overall liking, indicating a product that elicited more surprise and curiosity than the others. These results confirm the effectiveness of this approach in investigating consumer perception. Moreover, "translation" of technical-scientific attributes (generated by the trained panel) into a clear language that can be effectively used in quality-related communications was achieved.
Sara Barbieri, Sara Spinelli, Alessandra Bendini, Rosa Palagano, Giovanna Cosenza, Tullia Gallina Toschi (2016). Communicating the sensory quality of cooked ham: a comparison between product profiles generated by trained panel and consumers.
Communicating the sensory quality of cooked ham: a comparison between product profiles generated by trained panel and consumers
BARBIERI, SARA;BENDINI, ALESSANDRA;PALAGANO, ROSA;COSENZA, GIOVANNA;GALLINA TOSCHI, TULLIA
2016
Abstract
This study investigated the relevance of sensory properties, in terms of consumer perception, to discriminate different qualities of Italian cooked hams and establish consumer preference. It was developed in two phases: 1) Descriptive analysis (DA): A trained panel (8 assessors) evaluated sensory differences among six samples belonging to different cooked ham categories available in the Italian market, respectively “standard” “selected”, and “high quality”; 2) Consumer study (CS): 92 subjects who consumed cooked ham at least once a month were recruited. Sensory, emotional, and context appropriateness responses were collected using a 9-point scale under blinded conditions. Liking was collected in blind and expected conditions. A modified version of the Emosemio approach was used to develop the questionnaire. The list of items in the questionnaire was obtained by semiotic analysis of the lexicon used to describe cooked ham (blogs, websites), previous studies on cooked and cured hams, and on emotions elicited by food products. In addition, the attributes generated in the DA were considered. Semantic correspondence between attributes generated by the panel and consumer lexicon was investigated using semiotic analysis and statistics. Coherently with DA, for consumers, the main differences between products were registered in visual and texture characteristics, confirming that these properties are the most important in driving consumers’ preference of cooked ham. The analysis of emotions yielded results that followed the trend of overall liking, indicating a product that elicited more surprise and curiosity than the others. These results confirm the effectiveness of this approach in investigating consumer perception. Moreover, "translation" of technical-scientific attributes (generated by the trained panel) into a clear language that can be effectively used in quality-related communications was achieved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
