Reference‐based consumer evaluation for sensory quality assessment of fresh horticultural products

Abstract

The sensory quality of fresh horticultural products varies and is often judged against control cultivars, commercial standards, or target‐quality benchmarks. This mini‐review distinguishes three interconnected levels of sensory quality: analytical sensory quality, consumer‐perceived sensory quality, and consumer acceptance. It argues that methods for assessing consumer acceptance should be selected according to the decisions they are intended to inform. Reference‐based evaluation makes the comparison standard explicit during judgment and is relevant to cultivar replacement and quality preservation. In the ‘Degree of Satisfaction‐Difference’ method, consumers judge whether a test product is less satisfying than, as satisfying as, or more satisfying than a presented reference. Responses are analyzed within a signal detection theory framework to estimate reference‐relative satisfaction differences. Differences in harvest window, maturity, and postharvest stability may prevent evaluation of all products in a single set. A common reference may provide an explicit criterion across evaluation blocks, if its sensory quality remains demonstrably comparable. Reference‐based satisfaction complements hedonic liking. Monadic 9‐point hedonic testing efficiently measures how much each product is liked, but including a coded benchmark does not make the judgment reference‐relative. A non‐significant difference in liking neither establishes equivalence nor rules out a reference‐relative satisfaction difference. A monadic liking test and a reference‐based satisfaction test therefore address distinct questions: how much a product is liked and how satisfying it is relative to a specified standard. Their combined use is justified when both outcomes are needed and reference comparability can be maintained, supporting consumer‐oriented quality decisions in fresh horticultural products. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.