engleski

Adolescents´ acceptance of highly innovative food product evaluated through traditional sensory approach and emotional responses

The new food product development is usually connected with sensory, functional, technological and competitive challenges. The higher level of innovation the higher risks of consumer’s rejection in early stage of commercialization is evidenced. To minimize those risks at the beginning of product development a sensory quality design is of the highest focus of food developers. Measuring of emotional responses (explicit and/or implicit) have recently been seen among practitioners as a valuable tool associated with traditional sensory methods. Cultural background, age and gender are among the most frequent variables that could reveled the differences among consumers. The aim of the study was testing of Swedish and Croatian adolescents’ sensorial acceptance of highly innovative vegetable sauce, not (yet) present at the market, measured with traditional sensory tests in parallel with explicit and implicit emotional responses. Overall, 70 adolescents (16 – 19 y) were participated in the survey (Swedes n=37 ; Croats n=33) conducted in the secondary school venues (during 2018 – 2019). An innovative vegetable sauce was served along with french fries. Regardless of neutral face emotions, the later results have shown that explicit emotional responses to the eaten meal were very positively evaluated among both groups (3.96 Croats 4.05 Swedes at the Likert 5-point scale). Overall acceptability of color, odor and taste of the meal measured with hedonic test (7-point scale) were close to the emotional scores while the intensity of sourness, spiciness and saltiness (JAR scale) have revealed significant differences between groups: Swedes rated weak intensity of these attributes particularly sourness (JAR -1.1 p<0.0001). The results of the study have shown that despite higher level of sensory acceptance validated by traditional and explicit emotional scores among both groups, neutral face emotions (implicit) were likely connected with somewhat weaker intensity acceptability of sensorial attributes of innovative food product, particularly among Swedish adolescents.

adolescent, innovation, food, emotion, sensory evaluation

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