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

• Multiple model emulsions with subtle differences were evaluated by trained (DA) and untrained (RATA) panels.
• RATA data were explored as parametric (ratings) and as non-parametric data (CATA).
• RATA as ratings showed superior discriminative ability than RATA as CATA.
• Both approaches to analyse RATA data provide similar sensory maps as DA.
• A definition of applicability in future RATA tasks is recommended.

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.