Can dislike be measured more precisely?
ESN launches 5th collaborative research project with industry
May 2nd, 2011: Since 2009 the European Sensory Network together with its industry partners has annually launched one to two new collaborative research projects. The 5th collaborative research project, which started in April 2011, once again addresses a methodological question. The researchers aim at evaluating alternative scaling methods for measuring affective responses to food and drink products.
Within this project the scientists are comparing different scales with which respondents can express both their overall likes and dislikes for a product on separate scales. As a reference they are using a conventional bipolar 9-point hedonic scale. They expect that the separation of the affective responses in both a liking and disliking dimension will provide more detailed information about both negative aspects and positive aspects of products, than obtained by the original 9-point hedonic scale alone. If the new test liking/disliking scaling method proves to be applicable for hedonic food evaluations, new approaches for internal and external PREFMAPping analysis will be developed.
The project is a collaboration between 6 ESN members:
- KU-LIFE from Denmark (coordinator)
- Campden BRI, UK
- INRAN,Italy
- Nofima Mat, Norway
- SAM, Germany
- SIK, Sweden
- Heineken as industry partner
ESN partner research projects are conducted on a precompetitive level. Research results will be first made available to all ESN members and partners so that they have the initial opportunity to make use of the findings. ESN will not publish the results until at least 12 months after the project finalization.
Topics that have been previously addressed: "Memorability of Food and of Eating Situations", "Predicting Product Success by a Situational Approach", "Emotion Measurement in Food Choice", as well as "Palatability, Satisfaction, and Satiation of Beverages".
ESN launches first collaborative research projects with industry partners
25 November 2008 - The European Sensory Network (ESN*) has offered a new industry network partnership since the spring of 2008. This partnership aims at intensifying the contacts between sensory and consumer experts and the appropriate industry representatives. Up to this point 15 enterprises from a variety of consumer industries have already joined, and the ESN will soon launch the first collaborative projects.
The upcoming projects of the ESN-Industry Partnership Research Programme are being funded collaboratively by ESN institute members and their ESN industry partners. At a recent network meeting at the University of Copenhagen ESN institute members presented three detailed project proposals which had been selected from a list of approximately one dozen suggestions presented to the ESN industry partners earlier in the year. Two of these have been selected as priority projects:
1) The Memorability of Food and of Eating Situations
2) Predicting Product Success by a Situational Approach
Work on these projects will start in January 2009 and will be finished within one year. The results will be first made available to all ESN members and partners so that they have the first opportunity to make use of the findings. ESN will then publish the results 12 months later.
ESN members and ESN-industry network partners will be encouraged to use the networking opportunities of the partnership to develop further collaborative private and group research projects involving one or more industry partner(s) and two or more ESN member(s). The results of such projects will be restricted to research project partners only.
The ESN Industry Network Partnership aims at the continuing exchange of information concerning sensory research issues. It should serve as a platform that allows that industry representatives to have direct contact with leading international sensory and consumer research experts. David Lyon, ESN co-founder and industrial advisor to the expert network emphasizes that, „ESN-Industry Network Partnerships allow industrial companies and ESN members increased networking opportunities, thereby encouraging the organic growth of sensory and consumer sciences in an industrial context through personal discussions and debate.“
It is still possible to join the ESN Industry Network Partnership. This includes both food and non-food industries. Interested companies may contact the ESN chairman via the ESN website.
*The European Sensory Network (ESN) is an international association of experts in the fields of sensory and consumer research. Two important aims of the ESN are to improve sensory and consumer research methodology and promote the direct application of sensory analysis methods within the industry.