Novel Modelling Approaches to Characterize and Quantify Carryover Effects on Sensory Acceptability

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Sensory Science
• Psychology

Background:

• Carryover effects (COE) are sensory biases from prior samples, leading to contrast or convergence.
• These biases can distort perceptions of product acceptability due to psychological and physiological factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize and quantify carryover effects (COE) on sensory acceptability (hedonic liking) of grape juice.
• To compare different modeling approaches for COE quantification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mixed and nonlinear models to analyze data from 540 subjects evaluating grape juice samples (good, medium, poor).
• Assessed liking for color, taste, and overall acceptability.
• Employed three models to quantify COE: interaction effect, residual effect, and proportionality to treatment effect.

Main Results:

• Carryover effects were most pronounced for color perception, primarily manifesting as convergence.
• Model 3 (proportionality) indicated a significant COE for color, representing -15.46% of the direct treatment effect.
• Carryover effects were generally minimal but present across taste and overall liking.

Conclusions:

• Carryover effects can significantly influence sensory acceptability judgments and lead to misinterpretations.
• The chosen modeling approach impacts the quantification and significance of observed COE.
• Researchers should consider and account for COE in sensory evaluation studies to ensure accurate results.