Characterisation and measurement of influences on food acceptability by analysis of choice differences: theory and practice

Influences on food quality and preference are characterised and measured by the differences they cause in real food choices in the usual eating or purchasing situation. The sensitivity of choice to each sensory or conceptual influence must be estimated: the strength of an influence, such as a physicochemical factor in a food, is the discrimination that choice scores make between levels of the influence. Interaction among influences on acceptability within an individual consumer is characterised by the formula that combines influences to predict choice ratings with greatest precision.