Understanding Asian Consumer Sensory Preferences
2nd Asia Australia Food Innovation Conference, 17-18 March, 2016
Jess Heffernan, BSc. (Hons) | Sensory Research Projects Officer
SENSORY, CONSUMER AND FLAVOUR SCIENCE
Introduction
• Food preferences and sensory perception
• Do Asian consumers differ from “Westerners” in their sensory
perception and food preferences?
• Food export to Asia
• How can we investigate food preferences of Asian consumers?
• Two cross-cultural case studies:
– Lamb meat
– Horticulture
2 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Food preference and perception
• ‘Taste’ is a key driver of food choice
• Innate liking for sweet taste, dislike for bitter taste
• Liking for salty and energy dense food is acquired early in life
• Most food preferences are learned
• Early in life food preferences are most malleable
3 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
What determines food preference?
Exposure
- Habits
- Familiarity
Environment
- Prior experience
Person
- Culture
- Age
- Family/friends
- Health status
- Situation
- Attitudes
FOOD
PREFERENCE
Adapted from: Bendesky and Bargmann (2011) Nat Rev Genet
4 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
5 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Cross-cultural differences in sensory perception
Taste
• No differences in perception of the 4 basic tastes between “westerners” vs.
Koreans, or Japanese, or Malaysians
•
(Druz and Baldwin,1982; Bertino et al., 1983, Laing et al., 1993, Cox 2007,
Prescott & Bell, 1993; Prescott, 1998;Holt et al, 2000)
• Though magnitude of ratings vary between Japanese and Australian
panels, the direction is similar (Prescott, 1998)
Prescott, 1998
• No evidence that Japanese and Australian consumers differ in the
way they perceive tastes, or in their ability to discriminate taste
differences (Prescott, 1998)
Concentration
• Cross-culturally, taste perception varies little, suggesting that differences
in responses to taste stimuli only emerge when hedonic reposes are measured (Laing, 1993)
6 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Cross-cultural differences in food preference
• Taste intensity liking varies between cultures depending on the context
or food studied
• No consistency in direction or magnitude across products
•
(Druz & Baldwin, 1982; Bertino, Beauchamp & Jen, 1983; Prescott et al., 1997; Prescott et al., 1998; Holt et al., 2000)
• Cross-cultural differences in liking were apparent even when panels agreed on taste intensity
•
(Prescott & Bell 1995; Prescott & Bell 1998; Prescott, 1998; Cox, 2007)
• Product dependent differences are related to familiarity and
exposure
•
Prescott, 1998
(Laing et al, 1994; Prescott & Bell, 1995; Prescott, 1998; Koppel 2014).
• Age but not culture was discriminating texture preferences
when controlled for familiarity and exposure
•
(Murray, Easton & Best, 2000)
– A cross-cultural study of Chinese-origin Australians vs. European-origin
Australians
– Novel extruded cereal snack products
Product origin
7 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Exporting to Asia
• Asia is a highly differentiated nationality
• China is one of the fastest growing food and beverage markets in Asia
• Export into Asia provides new opportunities and challenges for food companies
• Australia is recognised by local consumers as having a clean and green
environment with good quality products and brands
• Understanding food preferences of different cultural groups can afford valuable
insights into NPD
http://www.austrade.gov.au/Australian/Export/Export-markets/Countries/China/Market-profile
8 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Developing food products for Asian consumers
Objective sensory
properties
Consumer
acceptance
Trained Sensory Panel
Representative group of
Asian consumers
9 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
How can we investigate preferences of Asian consumers?
Representative group of
Asian consumers
Consumer acceptance
Simple sensory attributes
 Consumer acceptance
 Drivers for liking
 Consumer perceived product
profile
10 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Representative group of
Asian consumers
Trained sensory
panel
Consumer acceptance
Elaborate sensory
profile
 Objective product insights
 Key sensory drivers of liking
 Detailed input for NPD
Case Study 1
Consumer Preferences for Lamb Meat
11 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Consumer liking for lamb meat
• How does feed and fat content influence flavour and texture of lamb
meat?
• Anecdotal information that Chinese consumers do not like strong lamb
flavours
• Is there a difference between preferences of Chinese and non-Chinese
Australian consumers in their liking of lamb meat?
12 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Lamb quality – Brassica feeds
13 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Brassicas, genotype and lamb acceptance
• Consumers preferred
high fat (IMF) and
brassica finished lamb
• No significant
differences in
acceptance between
Chinese & Australian
consumers
14 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Case Study 2
Consumer preferences for a Horticultural
Product
15 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Consumer preferences for a horticultural product
• Confidential client research
• Client exporting to many countries
• Different varieties, different composition, different quality grades
• What are the consumer preferences in key European and Asian markets?
• Is there taste segmentation within markets?
• How can they meet demand in each market?
16 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Overview cross cultural study
17 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Cross-cultural taste segmentation
Japan
Segment A (~71%)
Taiwan
Segment B:different texture
preferences
Segment A (100%)
Segmentation
Spain
Belgium
Segment A (~66%)
Segment A (~25%)
Segment C: different flavour/texture
preferences
Segment C: different flavour/texture
preferences
18 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Take home messages
• Differences between Asian and Western consumers mostly related to
difference in food preferences, not perception
• Consumer preferences differ depending on the product category and are
largely related to culture and exposure
• Objective sensory properties for products of Asian populations can be
measured with a trained panel anywhere in the world
• Asian consumer preferences should be measured with a representative
target group of Asian consumers
19 | Understanding Asian Consumer Food Preferences | Jess Heffernan
Acknowledgements
Thank you
CSIRO Food and Nutrition
Jess Heffernan
Sensory Research Projects Officer
t +61 2 9490 8213
e [email protected]
w www.csiro.au
FOOD AND NUTRITION
Astrid Poelman
Nich Archer
Maeva Broch
David Cox
Conor Delahunty
Damian Frank
Florie Gilbert
Raju Krishnamurthy
Uday Piyasiri