Sensory Quality of Fresh French and Dutch Market Tomatoes: A Preference Mapping Study with Italian Consumers

TLDR

Sensory properties are key determinants of vegetable quality and influence purchasing decisions. The study reports Italian results of a preference‑mapping project aimed at describing European consumer preferences for diverse tomato varieties. The authors evaluated 16 tomato cultivars using 18 sensory attributes, conducted hedonic preference tests with 179 Italian consumers, and collected demographic and behavioral data to support a preference‑mapping analysis. Four consumer segments were identified, comprising 19%, 25%, 41%, and 15% of participants, with texture and flavor attributes driving preferences differently across segments as revealed by hierarchical clustering and PLS regression.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Sensory properties are important elements to evaluate the qualities of vegetable products and are also determinant factors in purchasing decision. Here we report the Italian results of a preference mapping study conducted within a larger European project with the aim of describing the preferences of European consumers in regard to the diversity of traditional and modern tomato varieties, available on the market. This study has allowed the assessment of fruit quality at 3 levels: objective description of sensory properties, consumer preference tests, and physicochemical measurements. A set of 16 tomato cultivars, with different fruit sizes and shapes, was described and classified according to 18 sensory attributes including flavor, appearance, and texture characteristics. The same cultivars were evaluated by 179 consumers in a “preference mapping” experiment with the goal of identifying the preferred varieties and the reasons for the choice. The consumer data are referred to hedonic ratings (aspect liking and overall liking), familiarity for the analyzed cultivars, and individual features collected by a questionnaire. A hierarchical analysis of the clusters allowed to distinguish, within the sampled Italian consumers, 4 segments with different preferences which represented 19%, 25%, 41%, and 15% of the population, respectively. A partial least square regression model allowed the identification of the sensory attributes that best described consumer cluster preferences for tomato cultivars. Both texture and flavor descriptors were important drivers of consumer preferences, but the relevance (predictive value) of individual descriptors to model tomato liking was different for each consumer segment. Information on demographic and behavioral characteristics, usage habits, and factors relevant for purchasing were also provided on the 4 groups of consumers.