B002415 - CONSUMER TESTING

ITALIAN

Consumer testing vs. market research ; Food preference models; Types of consumer tests ; Settings for consumer tests ; Applications of consumer tests ; Sampling, recruitment, and screening; Sampling and demographics; Sample size and power issues; Demographics, psychographics, attitudes, usage and genetics ; Tools for collecting affective responses. Consumer segmentation; Repertory Grid Method and focus group; Consumer's hedonic and sensory expectations Preference Mapping; Drivers of liking

Textbooks:
H. T. Lawless, H. Heymann, Sensory Evaluation of Food: principles and practices, (1999). Kluwer Academic Publisher, The Netherlands.
Consumer-led food product development, (2007). Hal MacFie (ed.) Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, (UK)

Knolewdge acquired: Factors affecting consumer liking and preference for food products;
Competence acquired (at the end of the course):
Management of sensory evaluation and consumer testing resources, activities, and their interaction with other business units; exploratory research techniques. To be able to apply a method for studying consumer perception of food quality. To be able to study hedonic and sensory consumer expectations.
To be able to apply multivariate statistical methods in studying consumer preference.
Skills acquired (at the end of the course): Being able to analyse the complexity of a phenomenon and to identify relevant individual factors. Being able to develop multidisciplinary approaches in solving complex problems. Being able to integrate tools, techniques and methods from different scientific disciplines. Being able to define what kind of specific competence are needed in solving complex problems

Students are expected to be familiar with the sensory analysis of food; Chemical and Physical Analysis of Food; Statistic

Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 225
Hours reserved to private study and other indivual formative activities: 144
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 48
Contact hours for: Laboratory (hours): 10
Contact hours for: Laboratory-field/practice (hours): 14
Seminars (hours): 0-3

Exam modality: oral examination on the subjects of lectures and laboratory

Terminology ; Consumer testing vs. market research ;Types of consumer tests ; Settings for consumer tests ; Applications of consumer tests ; Sampling, recruitment, and screening; Sampling and demographics; Sample size and power issues;
Fixed and Mixed ANOVA models. Univariate methods in analysing sensory data (t-test; linear regression). Multivariate methods in sensory data analysis (PCA and GPA).
Time Intensity and Temporal Dominance of Sensations; Free Choice Profile; Projective mapping;
Source of test subjects: employees vs. local residents vs. population at large; Preference testing; Measurement of liking ; Segmentation
Demographics, psychographics, attitudes, usage and genetics; Neophobia, Innovativeness; Involvment; Familiarity.
Understanding consumer language?the Repertory Grid Method; Segmenting consumers based on sensory liking?Internal Preference Mapping and Preference Clustering; Documented effects of context variables on consumer behaviour and responses; Laboratory, central location, home-use and other field tests; Internal laboratory tests Testing with special populations; Focus groups; Consumer's hedonic and sensory expectations Relating consumer and sensory data; Principal component analysis of sensory attributes and hedonic ratings
Internal preference mapping with projection of sensory data; External preference mapping; Drivers of liking.