Influence of Expectation Measure on the Sensory Acceptance of Petit Suisse Product

• Published in: Journal of food science Vol. 83; no. 3; pp. 798 - 803
• Main Authors: Teixeira Lopes, Maria Micheline, Passos Rodrigues, Maria do Carmo, Souza de Araújo, Ana Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-03-2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Attention; brand power; Cheese; Children; Choice Behavior; Cognitive ability; Color; confirmation; consumer; Consumer Behavior; Decision analysis; Female; Food consumption; Food Handling; Food Preferences; Food production; hedonic scale; Humans; Influence; Male; Nutritive Value; Packaging; Physiological effects; Pictures; Product information; Sensory evaluation; Sensory properties; Taste; Yogurt; Young Adult; hedonic scale; confirmation; brand power; consumer
• ISSN: 0022-1147; 1750-3841
• DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.14067

The consumer's expectation has an important role in the consumption of food products. It is one of the factors that influence the perception of sensory attributes and interact with the physiological, behavioral and cognitive factors influencing consumer decisions. The present study aimed to analyze the influence of consumer's expectations on the acceptance of Petit Suisse. Products of 4 different brands were used for the sensory analysis, 2 international brands and 2 regional ones. The 9‐point regular hedonic scale was employed to carry out affective sensory and expectation measure tests (with and without product information). Concerning the present research, photos of the packaging of each product were printed in color and presented to the participants. These photos displayed the following pieces of information: the product brand, pictures, colors, product name, nutritional information and date of manufacture. International samples obtained higher grades when presented with their packaging, and obtained lower values both in the blind test and in the real expectation test evaluation. It can be concluded that the sensory analysis of the expectation measure showed that the brand influences the acceptance of the product, for the consumer's expectations for international brands had positively confirmed and disconfirmed acceptance.
Practical Application
This study generated a significant contribution, especially for companies that aim for a wider market. The application of sensory analysis with a focus on expectation measure, it shows that the brand determines the purchase, based on the results of this study. Therefore, the product's visual identity must be invested in; it must arouse children and adults’ attention. That is, it reinforces that the image of the product, the label and what it arouses in the consumers are extremely important for the final choice.