전반적으로 모든 소비자 군에서 카레덮밥을 가장 선호 하였으나 불고기덮밥은 20대 남자 소비자가, 해물덮밥의 경우 30대 여자 소비자가 선호하는 것으로 나타나 소비자 군에 따라 수용도의 차이를 보였다. 특히 곤약잡채와 해물 덮밥에 대한 소비자 평가는 연령에 따라 상이한 것으로 분석되었다. 9점 기호척도와 BWS의 결과가 유사하였으나 BWS의 경우 시료간의 선호도 차이를 더 확연히 나타냈다. 주관식 응답 설문 기법은 정량화하기는 어려우나 구체적인 개선 방안을 제시하기도 하여 의사 결정의 자료로 사용하기 보다는 제품의 개선 시 개선 방향에 대한 참고 자료로 유용할 것이라 판단된다.
A taste-testing method that accurately measures consumer-acceptance is critical during the course of the product development stage. Although various types of consumer-acceptance tests are available, the testing protocol appropriate for measuring the acceptance of ready-to-eat-meals (REM) has not yet been verified. In this study, various hedonic taste-testing methods (9-point hedonic scaling, best-worst scaling, open ended response) were compared for their efficiency and power in identifying the preferred REM menu of consumers. Forty-four consumers evaluated the acceptance of five types of REM menu samples consisting of a wide variety of flavors. Consumers initially used the 9-point hedonic rating method to choose the best and the worst sample among the 5 meals tested. Finally, consumers were asked to fill out open-ended comments where they could freely describe their liking and disliking of each sample. The results showed that the REM menu acceptance measured by the 9-point hedonic method that rated best-worst scaling exhibited a similar preference pattern. The open-ended response method could not provide a quantifiable acceptance data but was able to provide supplementary information regarding the limitations of the samples and therefore, provide a general idea of the direction of improvement during the product development.
