Check-all-that-apply (CATA)- and rate-all-that-apply (RATA)-based sensometric assessment of germinated-wheat beverages

Sensometrics assesses sensory perspectives in consumer research using statistics and various methodologies. This study evaluated consumer responses to hot and cold germinated-wheat beverages in check-all-that-apply (CATA) and rate-all-that-apply (RATA) assessments using sensometric statistical approaches, including Cochran’s Q test, penalty-lift analysis, and multiple factor analysis. Hot beverages (HB) were prepared by infusion using different amounts of germinated wheat (HB_1: 0.8 g/100 mL, HB_2: 2 g/100 mL, and HB_3: 4 g/100 mL), while cold beverages (CB) were made using cooled boiled germinated wheat with varying concentrations (CB_1: 25 g/L, CB_2: 50 g/L, and CB_3: 75 g/L). Results of the CATA study suggested that consumers preferred HB_1 and CB_1 because they expressed the sensory characteristics associated with liking , including “barley tea flavor”, “neat taste”, and “nutty taste”, while “bitterish taste”, “stuffy taste”, and “astringent taste” were undesirable attributes. “Browning index”, “barley tea odor”, and “nutty taste” showed significant differences ( p < 0.05) in both favorable and unfavorable rating scores. Overall, CB_1 elicited a clear taste and odor with fewer negative emotions. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of the sensometric approach combined with CATA and RATA analyses to obtain more easily interpretable results on the sensory perception of consumers to new food products.