Twenty soy sauce products were presented to two sensory panels, one in Thailand and one in the U.S.A. Both panels had extensive training conducting descriptive sensory studies. Neither group had tested soy sauce previously; however, they had different familiarity with soy sauce. Each group separately evaluated samples during the same time period, then met in Thailand to compare and discuss their generated lexicons. Most attributes listed by each group of panelists provided similar definitions and references. Although, a few attributes were not used by one or the other panel because that term either does not exist in both languages (e.g., "cured" is not a term for the Thai panel), represented an uncommon characteristic (e.g., "roaches" for the American panel), or were complex concepts (e.g., "brown"), the panelists used references to assist their understanding of unclear attributes. After discussion, both panels agreed on 59 attributes with definitions and references for a soy sauce lexicon. The article presents attributes in English and Thai. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSA universal lexicon developed by different groups of trained panelists could reduce confusion and make the lexicon more understandable. A universal lexicon would help researchers in other countries to understand product quality. Additionally, the developed lexicon allows researchers to conduct studies with the same standard method in different laboratories enabling comparable results. bs_bs_banner Journal of Sensory Studies

Carriers sometimes are used for sensory testing when a product has a strong characteristic such as the saltiness in soy sauce, the heat/burn in hot sauce or the oily/greasy character of butter or mayonnaise. However, using a carrier in sensory testing may increase the complexity of perceived characteristics or change sensory attributes. In this study, 20 soy sauce samples were evaluated plain (control) and with three possible carriers: cooked rice, chicken broth and grilled chicken, using descriptive analysis by highly trained sensory assessors. As expected, the addition of a carrier in soy sauce decreased the perceived intensity of many sensory characteristics. Although testing in different food matrices did impact some aspects, overall the use of a carrier did not strongly affect the classification patterns of soy sauce samples. Interestingly, the blandest food, white rice, and the most complex product, grilled chicken, appeared to have some of the greatest impact on sensory properties, while chicken broth, a moderately flavored product, had the most similar results compared with the plain soy sauce control. Practical Applications Some products such as condiments or seasoning ingredients that have strong characteristics may need to be evaluated with a carrier for sensory, and especially, consumer tests. An understanding of the effect of the carrier on perceived sensory characteristics would aid sensory scientists in selecting a proper carrier to be used in a study. It cannot be assumed that the blandest nor most complex carrier will provide the best option.

Pomegranate fruit and its products are being widely promoted to consumers as healthy alternatives for their daily diet. The aim was to study the main sensory differences among twenty pomegranate cultivars, determining which cultivars have particular flavour or texture notes that could make them more appropriate for fresh consumption or processing. Four clusters grouped all samples, two of them included sour cultivars and two of them included sweet and sweet-sour cultivars. Cluster 1 (sour) was characterized by having floral, apple, and grape flavour notes and also producing a tongue numbing sensation. Cluster 2 (sour), which included the Wonderful cultivar, had samples with wine-like attributes. Clusters 3 and 4 (sweet and sour-sweet) were characterized by having overall sweet, pear and grape notes for cluster 3, and beet, fruity-dark, fermented, musty and woody flavour for cluster 4.

The data presented in this study are essential for industry as a starting point for developing sorghum grain based food products. It is necessary to address consumers' demands to ensure new products' success in the market, and the present study clearly shows this consumers' input.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to determine the awareness towards ethnic foods made with traditional spices among US and Thai consumers. Design/methodology/approach -Data on the awareness and use of ethnic cuisines and spices were collected from 100 consumers in a Midwestern university town in the USA and 100 consumers in Bangkok, Thailand. Consumers were also asked to identify ethnic spice blends by tasting spice blends in rice and they ranked the perceived health benefits of 15 ethnic cuisines. Findings -The results showed that more Thai consumers (94 percent) shop at ethnic grocery stores than US consumers (55 percent). Also, Thai consumers are more likely to consume ethnic foods from nearby countries, but US consumers have tried a greater variety of ethnic foods. Neither group generally was able to identify a cuisine based only on the spice flavors, although Thai consumers were slightly better at doing so. Asian cuisines were perceived to have the greatest health benefits to both American and Thai consumers. Originality/value -The consumption of ethnic foods is on the rise around the world as consumers seek new food experiences and diversity in their diets. Manufacturers are using these traditional spices to convey an "ethnic" and "healthy" profile to their foods.

The use of personality trait measurement is increasing in sensory evaluation for linking certain variables (i.e., consumption behavior and product preferences) to particular attributes. For this study, 976 consumers rated agreement on 44 statements from the Big Five Inventory using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Data handling methods for personality segmentation were compared: (1) the original 44 variables versus the five computed personality variables; (2) standardization versus nonstandardization of data; and (3) k-means versus Ward's hierarchical clustering method used with principal component analysis.Results indicate using the five computed variables in mapping gave higher percentages of explained variability because of the small number of input variables. However, maps created from the 44 individual variables illustrated that participants were distributed throughout and separated visually into groups. Standardization of the data set did not affect mapping or classification. k-means and Ward's clustering methods provided different classification results within the same data set.Results suggest that when using the Big Five personality traits measurement, the original 44 unstandardized variables and k-means clustering should be used for obtaining consumer segmentation because this captures the greater variability inherent in the 44 variable tests and easily separates consumers into personality groups. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSPrevious research has demonstrated that demographic and economic information provides insufficient explanation for consumer preference and other subjective responses. An application of personality research would aid researchers in understanding psychological factors that influence subjective responses. The study suggests that when using the Big Five personality traits tool, taking time to compute five personality traits is not needed and, in fact, detracts from grouping consumers into clusters. In addition, there is no need to standardize data during data preparation. However, selecting and using an appropriate clustering method for placing consumers into personality groups does impact the outcome. Based on this research k-means clustering is recommended. The personality classification could be applied in consumer segmentation for a better understanding of consumers.