Sensory, cognitive perception, and consumer liking of Mexican Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka): an online survey with pictures comparing consumer types and sale contexts

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the sensory and cognitive perception of different types of consumers and contexts of sale of Mexican Persian lime using digital images and an online survey. A questionnaire in Google® Forms was responded by 293 Mexican consumers grouped into housewives, conventional consumers, and lime producers who evaluated images of Mexican Persian lime in different sale contexts: farm; producer's house; local market; supermarket and sale at packing facilities Mexican Persian lime. Sensory attributes elicited by digital images were evaluated, and emotions and memories were collected using the check-all-that-apply technique. The results showed that the producers used less sensory attributes for the characterisation of the Persian lime images. Persian lime images evoked more positive emotions (free, loving, calm, adventurous, nostalgic, happy, joyful, interested, active, satisfied, and warm), positive memories (traditional food, family, nature, climate, and birthplace), and few negative emotions and memories (worried, pain, and poverty). The liking of the three groups of consumers was oriented to the contexts of sale of Mexican Persian lime in the farm and supermarket.