Comparison of descriptive sensory methods CATA and QDA for the characterization of honey

Abstract

Argentina is one of the world’s largest producers of honey. In the country, there is a great variety of honeys due to the geographical diversity that it presents. To stand out in the market, it is useful for beekeepers to know the sensory attributes that describe their honey. The Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) method, with the participation of selected and trained evaluators, is the standard method used to carry out this description. Check all that apply (CATA) is another method of sensory analysis, where the perception of consumers about a product is evaluated. In this work, 30 consumers and 8 trained assessors analysed five honey samples, using CATA and QDA, respectively. The comparison of the results obtained allowed us to conclude that CATA method provides less qualitative information than QDA method, although it allows to obtain an adequate approximation. It is appropriate to use one method or the other, depending on the objective pursued.