Sensory analysis - Methodology - General guidance for conducting hedonic tests with consumers in a controlled area

2Scope / Description

This International Standard describes methods for measuring consumer (or relative) liking of products in a controlled area. It is based on collecting responses from consumers to questions, usually on paper, keyboard or touch screen. Tests of a behavioural nature (e.g. recording the number of free choices) are outside the scope of this International Standard. The hedonic tests covered by this International Standard can be used for the following purposes: to compare a product with its competitors; to optimize a product to achieve high hedonic ratings or to be liked by a large number of consumers; to help define a range of products for a specific target consumer group; to help determine the optimal shelf life; to assess the hedonic impact of changes to a product's formulation; to study the effect of sensory characteristics on the liking of a product, independent of external characteristics such as brand, price or advertising; to study the impact of commercial or presentation variables (e.g. packaging). These methods can be effectively used to determine whether a perceived preference exists (liking difference) or not (paired similarity test).