Effects of repeated tasting sessions on acceptability, emotional responses, and purchasing behaviors of waste-to-value-added SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) ice cream

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of repeated exposure on acceptability, emotionalresponses, and purchase intention of a novel symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast(SCOBY) ice cream, compared to a control (no extra additives) and a guar gum ice creamsample, using three sessions: a survey (SCOBY information) and two tasting sessions(repeated-exposure effect). Participants initially conducted blind evaluations of all sam-ples, followed by an informed tasting. The blind tasting sessions evoked high arousalemotions for the SCOBY ice cream and positive emotions for the control and guar gumsamples. The second session showed a rise in liking for sweetness (5.6–6.5) and texture(5.6–6.7) of the SCOBY samples. Sensory attributes such as flavor (odds ratio = 1.7)and texture (odds ratio = 1.7), coupled with positive emotions such as “happy” (oddsratio = 3.8), “pleasant” (odds ratio = 0.4), and “interested” (odds ratio = 3.8) affectedpurchase intention. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into participants'liking and emotional responses during repeated exposures to stimuli.

Practical Applications: The study's findings show that repeated exposure to novel products enhances con-sumer acceptance and emotional responses, challenging the current formats of tradi-tional sensory studies. This implies that the introduction of novel products can besuccessful with repeated tasting exposure strategies. The focus on improving famil-iarity with sensory attributes, especially flavor and texture, can positively impact pur-chase intention. This insight can guide product positioning, marketing campaigns, andflavor development efforts, encouraging the successful integration of innovativeproducts into the market.1 | I N T RO DU CT I O NFood choice behavior is a multifaceted process influenced by physio-logical (Manippa et al., 2019), socioeconomic (Van Lentheet al., 2015), and psychological factors (Babicz-Zieli nska, 2006). Asconsumer preferences and trends evolve, novel food products andinnovations emerge in the market to cater to the needs and demandsof consumers. Lack of familiarity and exposure to novel food productsReceived: 14 December 2023 Revised: 5 February 2024 Accepted: 12 February 2024DOI: 10.1111/joss.12901Journal ofSensory StudiesThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Sensory Studies published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.J Sens Stud. 2024;39:e12901. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joss 1 of 12https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12901