Contextual impact on hedonics, intake and feedback: Comparison between sensory booth and augmented virtuality bar
Aim:
This study investigated the influence of context, induced through an Augmented Virtuality system (Sense-AV), on consumers’ hedonic evaluations, sensory profiling, and intake.
Method:
A panel of 102 consumers (60.8% female, 46.7 ± 12.6 years) evaluated three food products: grilled sausage, mayonnaise (served with crisps), and a beverage (orange nectar or beer), simultaneously presented on a bamboo serving board. Evaluations were conducted in two settings, first in a conventional sensory booth and then in the Sense-AV system. In the Sense-AV system, consumers were able to visualize a virtual environment (8K 360-degree video of a sports bar) through a head-mounted display (HMD) and observe/interact with real-world elements (e.g., hands, mobile devices, food products) through a real-world interaction zone. For each product, consumers assessed overall liking on a 9-point hedonic scale (answered on their mobile devices) and provided free comments (written in the conventional sensory booth and recorded verbally in the Sense-AV). The ad libitum intake of the products was also registered.
Results:
No significant differences in overall liking scores were found for the sausage, nectar, or beer. However, mayonnaise received significantly higher scores (p = 0.019) in the Sense-AV session (8.01 ± 0.88) compared to the booth (7.78 ± 1.19). Intake was significantly lower in the Sense-AV session for all products except mayonnaise. This may be due to unfamiliarity with the Sense-AV system, increased attention to the virtual sports bar that led to less interest in consumption itself or increased social awareness. Verbal feedback was perceived as more natural and easier to give, often containing more information, though expressed in simpler terms than written comments.
Conclusion:
The Sense-AV system, featuring a sports bar context, may enhance hedonic ratings for specific foods and encourage more expressive consumer feedback. However, it may also reduce intake, possibly due to novelty, which might be mitigated through an adaptation session or social contextual factors. These findings support the integration of extended reality (XR) technologies to improve ecological validity in sensory research.
Acknowledgements:
Authors João Pedro Marques and Bruna Barbosa acknowledge Non-Academic Doctoral grants no. 2023.03845.BDANA and no. 2023.03467.BDANA respectively, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and supported by Sense Test, Lda. Author José Carlos Ribeiro acknowledges the PhD Researcher Contract within the “VIIAFOOD” Agenda, approved in the PRR programme (Notice No. 02/C05-i01/2022) under No. C644929456-00000040, for the RTD project “HIT-C—High Integration Technology for Consumer Insights”. All authors acknowledge support from the Mobilizing Agenda “VIIAFOOD” from the Portuguese PRR (Aviso Nº 02/C05-i01/2022) with No. C644929456-00000040, under the R&D project “HIT-C - High Integration Technology for Consumer Insights”. Authors João Pedro Marques, José Carlos Ribeiro, Luís Baião, Bruna Barbosa, Célia Rocha and Luís Miguel Cunha are thankful to national funds via FCT through UID 05748: GreenUPorto - Centro de investigação em Produção Agroalimentar Sustentável.
Publish date
Author(s) João Pedro Marques, José Carlos Ribeiro, Rui Costa Lima, Luís Baião, Bruna Barbosa, Célia Rocha, Luís Miguel Cunha
