ABSTRACT
Studying and predicting consumers' texture perception of milk desserts are important for dairy companies during new product development and the design of positioning, advertising and communication strategies. In this context, the aim of the present work was to study the relationship between consumers' texture perception of milk desserts and rheological measurements.
Six commercial milk desserts were evaluated by a panel of 50 consumers, who were asked to answer a check‐all‐that‐apply question. The rheological behavior of the desserts was evaluated using oscillatory tests, flow curves and the evaluation of structural breakdown by α‐amylase.
Multiple factor analysis showed that data from rheological measurements and consumers' responses to the check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) question provided similar information and were able to identify differences in the texture of the evaluated milk desserts. Rheological measurements were able to predict consumers' perception of the characteristics responsible for the largest texture differences between the desserts.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Check‐all‐that‐apply question consisted on a useful and simple methodology to gather an insight on consumers' perception of the sensory characteristics of milk desserts, providing information that was in agreement with rheological measurements. The advantage of this methodology is that it only requires participants to select words from a list, being easier, less time consuming and more natural to use.