Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA): a novel temporal sensory method for characterizing products
The development of methodologies that consider the multidimensionality of sensory perception over time can contribute to the development of successful food products. The aim of the present work was to introduce a novel method for dynamic sensory characterization: Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA). TCATA is basically an extension of check-all-that-apply questions, involving continuous selection/deselection of attributes to indicate the changing sample characteristics.
Studies involving yogurts and orange juices were conducted, separately involving trained assessors and consumers. Data are used to illustrate approaches for exploratory data analysis. Raw data from each panelist are represented using indicator charts. Panel data are aggregated into heat maps, providing TCATA product fingerprints. TCATA curves and TCATA difference curves are proposed due to their familiarity for practitioners who currently make use of TDS curves. Analyses are applied to TCATA data based on raw or standardized time. Results give information about products, and lead to hypothesis generation. For example, data from the trained panel suggest a relationship between off-flavor in Orange Juice 4 and increased bitterness and astringency and decreased acidity and sweetness.
Correspondence analysis is used to trace changing product configurations over time, providing a summary multivariate understanding of the dynamic sensory properties. Successive multidimensional alignment analyses provide a fuller perspective on changes in correlation between products and attribute selection over time. CA biplots obtained from both orange juice and yogurt studies highlight the importance of the initial impression to the dynamic profile, suggesting that a single integrated response would fail to capture fully the complexity of products.
Castura, J. C., Ares, G., Antúnez, L., & Giménez, A. (2014). Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) a novel temporal sensory method for characterizing products. 12th Sensometrics Meeting. 29 July – 1 August. Chicago, IL, USA.