Understanding the Role of Memory, Emotion and Monetary Value in Consumers Choice of Fruit: a Postharvest Biologists Journey into Consumer Science
R. Harker
Program and Abstract. Australasian Postharvest Horticulture Conference. Royal Lakeside Novote., Rotorua, New Zealand. 27-30 September 2005. July 5-10, 2005. Page 32
2005
บทคัดย่อ
Evaluation of fruit quality is a fundamental aspect of postharvest research. Appearance, taste, texture and flavour of Fruit are measured using trained sensory panels or instrumental methods in order to predict what consumers like or dislike. In these types of study comparisons among treatments are detailed and immediate. However, consumers often eat specific fruits infrequently (e.g. less than once a week), and therefore judgment, of quality involve memory. Furthermore, consumers' expectations of the taste of foods can sometimes override the actual taste of the product (assimilation contrast theory), and emotional connections with foods can be powerful. Ultimately, the price a consumer will pay for a product is the arbiter of quality targets - many horticultural industries are more focused on how much consumers will pay For a product, than how much consumers like the product. In this presentation, results from recent studies on apple texture are presented. We demonstrate the impact of memory on consumers' ability to judge the difference between fruit of differing firmness, and how sensory and emotional perceptions of quality interact in determining the monetary value of apples that have been stored for different durations.