Sensory factors in

Satisfaction with foods

-Consumer’s perspective

Barbara Vad AndersenPhD. student

National Food Institute, DTU

bvan@food.dtu.dk

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Background and Aim

•Satisfaction is believed to be an important factor contributing to

food choice.

•A method measuring sensory satisfaction

•Consumer’s satisfaction with the sensory factors of a product

•Show weather satisfaction is maintained though modulating

the product.

•The focus group interview as a pre-study for development of a

method to measure sensory satisfaction with food/meals.

Aim

•Examine consumer’s experiences with food satisfaction

•Examine which sensory factors consumer’s link to satisfaction.

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Recruitment and focus group procedure

• Two monitored focus groups were conducted April 24 and 26 2012, 90 minutes

• Target group: consumers

adults diff. in: age, sex, BMI, employment and interest in food

no people with special diets could participate

• Choose among eight different meals based on pictures

• Important topics during the interview:

Expectations and experiences,

Sensory reasons for selection and deselection

Sensory factors in the feeling of satisfaction

• Demographic data obtained through end-of-session questionnaire

• Analysis: interviews were thematic analyzed by to reviewers and constructed in

units with quotations to illustrate typical views

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Focus group procedure

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Results

Evaluation of satisfaction is a process starting before intake, ending after digestion

Before

intakeDuring

intake

After

intake

Expectations Taste

Texture

Complexity

Feelings of

fullness

Physiological

feelings

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ResultsFactors affecting satisfaction “before intake”

“..it was something I got in

an easy-made version

being a student.. We

heated a tin of skinned

tomatoes..”

Ass. to previous experience

Expectations

“Expectations means a lot as well as the context in which

you're eating. You don’t expect the same experience if you

are eating in nature, as if you're eating at a restaurant. In

nature a simple lunch with rue-bread can be very good

whereas you expect something more when you eat at a

restaurant.”

The context sets

the setting in

which you

evaluate the food

Comparison to

previous

experience and

general attitude

towards the

product

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“..if we think about Danish strawberries in July.. and

compare them to strawberries from southern Europe.

We expect the berries with an intense red color to

taste like the Danish –but they don’t … so you can

choose a product based on expectations and desires

but the taste make it fail! ”

Confirmation or disconfirmation of

expectations for the taste

Texture

“..It has a bad texture.

Caramelized onions are

too soft and at the same

time crispy, its confusing

and I don’t like it..”

Satisfaction

depends on

whether or not

expectations are

fulfilled

Mismatch between

different textures

ResultsFactors affecting satisfaction “during intake”

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ResultsFactors affecting satisfaction “after intake”

Fulfillment of sensory needs

Satiety

“..there is no doubt in my

mind; my opinion of a

meal is that you must feel

satiated when you finish.

If I leave the table hungry

I would be disappointed.”

“..I would never eat the

onions, because it causes

hell to brake loose in my

food pipe.”

Physiological feeling

“..to me it means

something to experience

different tastes and

textures. You don’t

necessarily get satiated,

but you are satisfied in

another way.”

Satisfaction is not

necessarily linked to

satiation but can

also be linked to

complexity in taste

and texture

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Conclusion

Developing a method for measuring food satisfaction must include

measurements:

before-

during-

and after intake

Feeling satisfaction is not only linked to perception of the sensory

properties but indeed also to confirmation/disconfirmation of

expectations