CATA-optimize-to-ideal (CATA-OI): A consumer-driven product optimization method compared with liking/disliking CATA and ideal profile method.

Authors

Jisu Park, Jae-Young Han, Seo-Jin Chung, Sara R Jaeger, Eunkyoung Yoon, Sohyun Kim, Woobong Lee, Yangsoo Byeon

Published in

Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.). Volume 243. Issue Pt 1. Pages 120344. Nov 01, 2026. Epub Aug 09, 2026.

Abstract

This study introduces Check-All-That-Apply Optimize-to-Ideal (CATA-OI), a novel consumer-based sensory method that integrates CATA profiling, hedonic assessment, and ideal product evaluation in a single session. When a sample does not match the consumer's ideal, consumer explicitly indicate which attributes should be added/increased, or reduced/removed, providing direct, sample-specific optimization guidance. The objective was to evaluate CATA-OI by comparing it with Liking/Disliking CATA and the Ideal Profile Method (IPM) using four Korean fermented soybean paste (doenjang) samples with distinct sensory profiles as a case study. In total, 157 female consumers participated in a between-subjects design: CATA-OI (n = 59), Liking/Disliking CATA (n = 48), and IPM (n = 50). All groups completed a shared questionnaire assessing the sensory attributes of ideal doenjang and overall liking of each sample, followed by method-specific evaluations. Umami, gu-su (holistic, savory flavor), salty, aged flavor were consistently identified as essential; hwa-han (tingly, warm sensation) texture, metallic, and ammonia flavor were undesirable. One of the commercially fermented samples scored highest for liking across all groups and fit-to-ideal in the CATA-OI group; traditionally handmade samples scored lowest. Liking/Disliking CATA identified affective drivers but lacked targeted improvement direction, while IPM highlighted perceived-to-ideal deviations without reflecting hedonic importance. CATA-OI fit-to-ideal scores closely aligned with overall liking rankings. Multiple Factor Analysis confirmed CATA-OI produced sensory configurations consistent with both IPM (RV = 0.977) and Liking/Disliking CATA (RV = 0.954), positioning it as a hybrid method combining IPM's profiling strength with CATA's consumer-driven accessibility. CATA-OI offers a practical and valid tool for deriving ideal profiles and sample-specific improvements, supporting consumer-oriented product optimization.

PMID:
42692733
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.