CONSUMER PERCEPTION REGARDING THE SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL AND REGIONAL PRODUCTS. CASE STUDY.

In the present study, we propose to analyze the consumer's perception regarding the sensory characteristics of traditional products. The research was carried out in May 2022 as part of the Traditional Products Raffle that takes place weekly in Bd. Marasti no. 61 Bucharest, and assumed the comparison of the sensory characteristics of four types of cheeses, namely: cheese in fir bark, smoked cheese, cheese with cumin and curd with dill. The tasting was done by 83 people, and the appreciation of sensory properties was measured with the help of non-parametric tests that allowed us to determine consumer preferences regarding traditional dairy products. By using the hedonic test and the scalar method, the data were processed statistically, and based on the obtained results, conclusions were formulated that highlighted the fact that the most appreciated traditional product from the category of those tested was "Smoked cheese" (with 7.06 points), followed by "Cheese with cumin" (6.98 points), "Cheese in fir bark" (6.94 points) and "Curd with dill" (6.71 points). The purpose of the research was to highlight the role that the appreciation of the sensory characteristics of food products has in the valorization of traditional or regional products, but also the application of innovation in obtaining new products that contribute to the development of the local economy and to the increase of income in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]