Mapping consumer preference for the sensory and packaging attributes of Cheddar cheese

Products' packaging attributes can predispose the consumer to purchase whilst products' sensory attributes confirm liking and may determine repeat purchases. Products should, therefore, convey their sensory character by their pack and, by doing so, consumer expectations generated by the pack will be met. In this study, a trained panel measured the packaging attributes of Cheddar cheese by descriptive analysis using a vocabulary of 20 attributes. This panel also evaluated the sensory characteristics of the cheeses using 32 aroma, flavour, texture and appearance attributes. In addition, 200 consumers rated the cheeses' packaging for preference and 207 different consumers rated the cheeses for sensory preference. Analysis of variance showed that all 20 packaging attributes and 22 of the sensory attributes discriminated between the cheeses. Principal components analysis then illustrated the relationships between products and sensory or packaging attributes. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal components analysis of preference data revealed groups of consumers within the two samples who had diverse preferences for cheeses' packaging and sensory attributes. Consumer clusters' preference for packaging and sensory attributes was then successfully predicted,using partial least squares regression. Relationships between descriptive packaging and sensory attributes were also investigated and determined only general associations between products' sensory and packaging attributes. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.