title: Cross-cultural perception of six commercial olive oils: A study with Spanish and US consumers.
abstract: A cross-cultural study was conducted with Spanish and US consumers to gain an insight into the preferred characteristics of olive oils in both countries. Six commercial olive oils (four samples from Spain and two samples from the US) were analyzed by a highly trained panel (descriptive analysis) and also by two consumers' groups (100 consumers from Spain and 100 from the US). Demographic, acceptability, and Just-About-Right data were collected to study the preferences of both groups, and the relationships with descriptive data were explored to determine the drivers of like/dislike. The Spanish extra virgin olive oils and the imported US extra virgin olive oil were characterized by having bitter, pungent, and more green notes, and were preferred by the Spanish consumers. The US consumers liked the bland Spanish refined olive oil, and the Californian olive oil that was characterized by fruity, floral, and sweet notes. The results showed that the Spanish consumers were more aware about olive oil quality in general than their US counterparts, maybe because of a higher usage of the product in Spain. The present study provides essential data which might help producers in designing and promoting olive oils matching US consumers' requirements, an emerging market for this Mediterranean product.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, The Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA lvazquezara@uvigo.es.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Araújo
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, The Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, The Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, The Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: Grupo Calidad y Seguridad Alimentaria, Departamento de Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Carbonell-Barrachina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003116:Color; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils
keywords: Olive oil; Spain; US; consumer acceptance; descriptive analysis