Understanding consumer perception on ginger chocolates using rate-all-applied (RATA) method.

The high demand of cocoa-based products urges the development of cocoa and chocolate agro-industry in Indonesia. Moreover, the trend of functional food is an opportunity to explore the products, for example by adding flavonoid-rich herbs and spices such as ginger to chocolate. In product development, customer satisfaction is the key to success. This study attempts to characterize the sensory profile of milk chocolate bars with the addition of using the RATA based on consumer perceptions. The developed product (ginger milk chocolate) and four commercial products were used as the samples. There were, respectively, 22 sensory attributes of ginger milk chocolate evaluated by 142 consumers. The PCA and radar chart revealed that the sensory profile of the samples is quite various. Sample A (the developed product) had the most intense ginger, spicy and after taste flavor as well as the sandiness texture. Meanwhile, sample B were dominated by sour and bitter taste, sample C had more intense color and ginger aroma and sample D had dominant smoothness, fatty and melting behavior. Based on the preference mapping, sensory characteristic of ginger chocolate preferred by 60-80% consumers were flavor (ginger, spicy, milky, aftertaste, chocolate), aroma (ginger) and texture (smoothness, fatty, melting behavior, hardness, stickiness). From the findings, the direction of product development is focused on specific attributes that represent consumer preferences as the strategy to reach the target market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]