A milk coffee flavor lexicon developed based on the perceptions of Japanese consumers and its application to check-all-that-apply questions

A flavor lexicon of milk coffee was developed based on the perceptions of Japanese consumers. To collect an exhaustive set of sensory terms for milk coffee, sixty types of samples were prepared. The samples were presented to 203 untrained panelists, and 456 sensory terms were collected. Following qualitative and quantitative screening, 53 terms were selected. The validity of the 53 terms was confirmed by check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions for six samples. The results indicated that the frequency of use of 42 terms was significantly different for the samples, and all terms were used at least once. In addition, the configuration of the six samples in the correspondence analysis of the CATA results was similar to that for a quantitative descriptive analysis conducted on the same samples. The developed flavor lexicon and its application to CATA will provide a new means for evaluating milk coffee from the perspective of Japanese consumers.