Extraction of consumer texture preferences for yogurt: Comparison of the preferred attribute elicitation method to conventional profiling

During development of a new product, it is important to understand the key attributes of importance to consumers. From a sensory perspective, it is not possible to determine this via conventional profiling where consumer information is not sought. The method examined in this study, which we will refer to as preferred attribute elicitation (PAE), attempts to derive this information from an untrained panel of consumers by asking the group of panelists to agree on a set of attributes which they consider important. This approach also aids in reducing the amount of ambiguity in interpreting terms selected by consumers as all panelists must agree to the terms and feel capable of rating them. The employment of the PAE method in the food industry has so far been limited, therefore, there exists a need to study the strengths and weaknesses of the PAE method in comparison to descriptive analysis to better understand its place among sensory analysis methodologies. The method was effective for extracting key sensory properties of yogurts and panelists were capable of characterizing yogurts in a meaningful way. There is a need to continue assessment of the technique, particularly with more complex food systems.

► We examine a novel technique called preferred attribute elicitation.
► PAE is used to extract important texture attributes of yogurt.
► PAE was successful in extracting key sensory properties important to consumer liking.
► PAE generated meaningful characterizations of products.
► PAE may be useful in early stages of product development.