ISHS Acta Horticulturae 259: Workshop on Measuring Consumer Perception of Internal Product Quality
MEASURING CONSUMER REACTION TO THE FLAVOUR OF FRESH TOMATOES |
| Authors: | G.E. Hobson, C. Gough, C. Townley |
| Abstract:
Through manipulations of the nutritional and the environmental conditions under which tomato plants are grown, it is possible to alter fruit yield and its composition and flavour. A range of methods for assessing flavour are available including hedonic scales, rank-order methods, triangulation tests and paired comparisons. Examples of each general method are given, and their strengths and weaknesses are commented upon. One of the most reliable techniques has been to establish differences by triangulation testing and, if necessary, follow-up with pairwise comparisons. In an objective study, a trained taste-panel established a vocabulary of descriptive terms, each of which was scored on a separate linear scale. Principal component analysis enabled similarities and differences between various tomato lines to be shown, but the results must be related to the preferences of the average consumer. | |
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