Owing to difficulties associated with profiling and differentiation, it is challenging to identify drivers of liking of samples that contain complex flavor but have subtle differences. This study compared the efficacy of free‐comment (FC) analysis with descriptive analysis (DA) for profiling the sensory characteristics of tomato sauce with added garlic flavoring to identify the drivers of liking. Seven garlic tomato sauce samples were prepared by the addition of different garlic flavorings or crushed garlic. FC was conducted using 82 consumer panelists and DA was performed using eight trained panelists. Compared with the DA, the FC revealed the differences between samples better by using the concepts relevant to consumers and the descriptors with hedonic connotations. FC better identified the drivers of liking for the products with subtle differences, particularly in odor and flavor, but the standardized descriptors of DA could not sufficiently explain them due to a poor correlation with liking. Practical applications As the consumer demand for healthful yet flavorful foods increases, the flavors of foods need to be finely adjusted using flavorings to meet consumer expectation. This can cause subtle changes in flavors that may be recognized but are not easy to verbalize or to distinguish, even by trained panelists. In such cases, it is difficult to derive the sensory determinants of liking that may be critical to guide product development. This study compared FC and DA to examine if the more spontaneous and richer descriptions obtained from FC could efficiently profile sample sets with subtle flavor differences. This study will aid the selection of efficient profiling methods for products with complex flavors.

Various strategies for replacing sugar with naturally derived sweeteners are being developed and tested. In this study, the effect of the “functional sweetener” context, which is created by providing health-promoting information, on liking for the sweeteners was investigated using a cookie model system. Cookie samples were prepared by replacing the sugar of 100% sucrose cookies (control) with phyllodulcin, rebaudioside A, xylobiose and sucralose either entirely or partly. The sensory profile of the samples was obtained using descriptive evaluations. Hedonic responses to cookie samples were collected from 96 consumers under blind and informed conditions. Replacement of 100% sucrose with rebaudioside A or phyllodulcin significantly increased bitterness but replacement of 50% sugar elicited sensory characteristics similar to those of the control. Although the “functional sweetener” context did not influence overall liking, liking for the samples was more clearly distinguished when information was provided. Consumers were segmented into three clusters according to their shift in liking in the informed condition: when information was presented, some consumers decreased their liking for sucralose cookies, while other consumers increased or decreased their liking for sucrose cookies. Results suggest that the influence of information varies among individual consumers and that cognitive stimulation, such as health-promoting information, affects liking.