Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

The perception of quality in the process of olive oil tasting: The effects of packaging attributes

Author(s):

Francisco J. Torres-Ruiz *, Raquel Barreda-Tarrazona, Manuela Vega-Zamora, María Gutiérrez-Salcedo, Eva M. Murgado-Armenteros

Recieved Date: 2013-07-18, Accepted Date: 2013-10-24

Abstract:

At present, it is assumed that consumers select foods through a comprehensive assessment of their quality, which is influenced by the food itself and the whole set of elements integrated in it, such as container, label, price, etc. All these elements should be considered in the management of product quality, as well as their characteristics and nutritional and technical properties. Thus, decisions on the container have become increasingly important in recent years, not only because of the need of preserving and transporting food properly, but also because they have an important role in the quality assessment made by the consumers. In this paper we study the effect of different types of packaging on overall quality and flavour assessments in the case of olive oil. The main objective of this research was to quantify the impact of the packaging attributes, on the consumer perception of the quality of the olive oil that it contains and to identify which of these elements have a significant effect. An experiment was designed, in which 88 consumers have been offered identical extra virgin olive oil in different packaging, during an olive oil tasting session. The experimental subjects have been asked to fill out a questionnaire. The results, obtained using the PLS technique, indicate that the effect of the packaging attributes on the perceived quality of the olive oil is approximately 14%. Three types of attributes of great importance have been identified: those related to aesthetics (expensive packaging, visual appeal) that are similar to general bottled products; the related functionality of the packaging (the tendency of spillages and difficulty in gripping the packaging) and the related hygiene (maintaining a clean appearance) that are more specific of this kind of product.

Keywords:

Experimental design, olive oil tasting, packaging attributes, perceived quality, aesthetics, functionality and hygienic dimensions

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 102-105

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