Influence of Poles on Results from Reference-Based Sensory Characterization Methodologies: Case Study with Polarized Projective Mapping Consumers

Abstract

One of the main steps related to the implementation of reference-based sensory characterization methodologies is the selection of the references, sometimes referred to as poles. However, research on the influence of the reference selection on the results from these methodologies is scarce. In this context, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of the poles on results from Polarized projective mapping (PPM). Three groups of consumers evaluated two sets of six samples of powdered drinks using three different sets of poles. Results showed that the set of poles did not largely affect sample configurations and consumers' descriptions. However, some differences in sample configurations were identified when the poles did not represent the whole sensory space represented by the sample sets.