Food Sensory Characteristics and Their Impact on Consumer Acceptance and Behavior

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensory and Consumer Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 391

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Bloco 858, Pici Campus, Fortaleza 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
Interests: sensory analysis; foods product develpment; food monitoring; consumer behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sensory characteristics play a crucial role in shaping consumer perception, acceptance, and overall food choices. Attributes such as taste, aroma, texture, and appearance significantly influence purchasing decisions and eating behavior. In recent years, advances in sensory science have provided valuable insights into how consumers evaluate and respond to different food products, considering not only intrinsic properties but also psychological, cultural, and environmental factors. This Special Issue will explore the latest research on food sensory characteristics and their impact on consumer acceptance and behavior. We welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews addressing sensory evaluation methodologies, consumer preferences, cross-cultural studies, emotional and cognitive influences, and the development of innovative food products based on sensory optimization.

Prof. Dr. Paulo Henrique Machado de Sousa
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sensory evaluation
  • consumer acceptance
  • food perception
  • sensory attributes
  • eating behavior
  • cross-cultural studies
  • emotional and cognitive influences
  • food innovation
  • sensory marketing
  • multisensory experience

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 1134 KiB  
Article
Consumer Acceptability of Various Gluten-Free Scones with Rice, Buckwheat, Black Rice, Brown Rice, and Oat Flours
by Jihyuk Chae, Sukyung Kim, Jeok Yeon, Sohui Shin and Seyoung Ju
Foods 2025, 14(14), 2464; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142464 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 264
Abstract
Due to consumer needs and the prevalence of gluten-related disorders such as celiac disease, the gluten-free food market is expanding rapidly and is expected to surpass USD 2.4 billion by 2036. The objective of this study was to substitute wheat flour with oat, [...] Read more.
Due to consumer needs and the prevalence of gluten-related disorders such as celiac disease, the gluten-free food market is expanding rapidly and is expected to surpass USD 2.4 billion by 2036. The objective of this study was to substitute wheat flour with oat, black rice, brown rice, buckwheat, and rice flours in the production of gluten-free scones, to assess consumer acceptability, and to identify factors contributing to consumer acceptability using check-all-that-apply questions. The 10 attributes of appearance, color, texture, grainy flavor, sweetness, familiar flavor, novelty, familiarity, moistness, and consistency exhibited statistically significant differences among the samples (p < 0.001). One hundred consumers evaluated 18 attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale, and all attributes demonstrated statistically significant differences across six samples (p < 0.001). The samples from buckwheat and wheat scored the highest in consumer acceptability. The results indicate a strong positive correlation between overall liking and purchase intention, with sensory attributes such as nutty flavor, cohesiveness, appearance, moistness, color, texture, and inner softness positively influencing consumer acceptability. The attributes affecting negatively were thick throat sensation, unique flavor, and stuffiness. This study is expected to provide data to aid in the development of better-tasting gluten-free products that meet customer and market needs. Full article
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