Subjective ideals and sensory optimization in evaluating perceptual dimensions in food

Abstract

Conducted 3 studies in which a total of 115 ss scaled various perceptual dimensions of food samples (e.g., the concentration of flavor ingredients or the texture of meats). In addition, ss judged differences between the flavor concentration of their food samples and the concentration of an estimated ideally acceptable sample. Results indicate that, with appropriate instructions, ss were able to (a) make ratio-scale or category-scale judgments of intensity for a given food along 1 or more perceptual dimensions, (b) perceive discrepancies between the food samples that they tasted and ideally acceptable samples, and (c) estimate the magnitude and direction of change that they would make to 1 or more flavor dimensions of each sample to increase its acceptability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)