mental aspects are very important and are integrated by the consumer to
form a purchase decision, but are not able to be measured by instru-
ments. Finally, the overlapping fields of instrumental investigation and
acceptance testing are attributes, including purchase factors like color,
size, shape, absence of defects, firmness to the touch and consumption
quality attributes like flavor and mouthfeel.
ROLE OF ACCEPTANCE
The perception and liking of product attributes does guarantee a pos-
itive, single or multiple purchase decision. It is well known that a vari-
ety of influences and circumstances are involved when it comes to the
decision to buy or not to buy even an acceptable product (Cardello and
Sawyer, 1992; Grunert, 1995; Grunert et al., 1996; Oude Ophuis and
van Trijp, 1995). What is the role of acceptance in this context? The use
of the term “acceptance” varies considerably from a synonym of pleas-
antness to an ultimate decision. Most facets in the literature lie between
the two definitions of acceptance by Amerine et al. (1965):
- Actual utilization (purchase, eating). May be measured by prefer-
ence or liking for specific food item. - An experience or feature of experience, characterized by a posi-
tive (approach in a pleasant) attitude.
Applying the first definition means measuring what individuals actu-
ally consume under normal conditions that surround eating behavior
(Schutz, 1990, 1993). But acceptance measurement usually takes place
in different situations, which can reduce the validity of results and can
make relations between a measure of food acceptance and actual food
consumed disappointing (Schutz, 1993). Therefore, an interdisciplinary
approach seems to be necessary.
The second, more restrictive definition is widely used and applied in
sensory acceptance tests (Meilgaard et al., 1991). The objective of these
tests is to identify the liking or nonliking of a stimulus or product by
naive consumers, rather than perceived intensities by trained or non-
trained panelists. The tests should determine the “affective status” of a
product without claiming knowledge of actual purchase behavior.
Sensory Acceptance
The background of sensory acceptance measurement are all the cir-
cumstances of the sensory perception and interpretation, including:
Role of Acceptance 181