Comparison of methods for generating sensory vocabulary for further use in CATA studies with consumers

A fundamental basis of the CATA method is a predefined list of vocabularies. However, it has not yet been investigated which methods are suited best for generating attributes which are appropriate for a description and differentiation of product samples by untrained consumers. Gaining a deeper understanding of whether and how different methods of generating sensory vocabulary will affect the applicability of these attributes in CATA studies (i.e., their suitability for describing and differentiating product samples) can contribute significantly to increasing the quality of CATA studies.
The present study compares three methods to develop sensory vocabulary focusing on taste terms. Three CATAs with 10 standardized chocolate bar samples and untrained consumers (n = 311) were carried out. In the first CATA, sensory attributes stemmed from a previous napping study with untrained consumers. The second CATA based on attributes taken out of individual qualitative sample descriptions. Finally, a selection of terms from an existing vocabulary list of chocolate products was used for the third CATA..
To compare the results of the individual test groups, multiple correspondence analyses were carried out for the three CATAs. Cochran’s Q test was conducted in order to identify significant differences among the samples for each of the sensory terms using XLStat®.
The analysis indicates that napping generates the highest percentage of suitable sensory attributes for the description and differentiation of product samples (79.2%), followed by the use of individual qualitative sample descriptions (67.7%) and the selection of existing terms (56.5%).
Our results demonstrate that the generation of sensory vocabulary by consumers (i.e., in form of a napping study) is suited best for further CATA analyses with consumers. Indications, according to which vocabulary for consumer studies should be generated by consumers can thus be supported by our study.