CONSUMERS' CREAMINESS CONCEPT PERCEPTION: A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY IN THREE SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

Creaminess is a complex sensory attribute that is critical for consumer liking in a wide range of products. For this reason, it is crucial to understand consumers' expectations when trying a creamy product. The aim of the present work was to study consumers' creaminess perception in three different Spanish-speaking countries. Between 107 and 120 consumers were recruited from Argentina, Spain and Uruguay. Participants were asked to provide a definition of creaminess and to list all the creamy products they knew and all the sensations they perceived when consuming a creamy product. Results from the present work suggest that consumers' perception of creaminess seems to be mainly related to tactile and kinesthetic sensations such as smoothness, viscosity, melting and softness. Differences were found between the outcomes from consumers in the three countries, which indicate that even within the same language, cultural differences exist in consumers' understanding of the term "creaminess." PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Results from the present work could contribute to a greater knowledge of consumers' creaminess perception and particularly about the textural attributes and sensations that consumers expect to find when they try creamy products. Understanding what consumers expect from a creamy product and what expectations are raised when thinking of creaminess, could assure that consumers' expectations are fulfilled, increasing the success of new products, including salty food items as soups or vegetable purees. Moreover, results could also be useful when selecting key instrumental or sensory measurements to predict consumers' perceived creaminess.