Overall liking and sensory profiling of boiled Amaranthus leaves using the check-all-that-apply question

Abstract

The study investigated consumers’ overall liking and sensory profiling of 13 boiled Amaranthus genotypes by using the Check-all-that-apply question. Fifty consumers ranked their preference on a nine-point hedonic scale to determine overall liking of boiled samples. Additionally, 100 consumers completed a CATA question, which contained 19 descriptive terms related to Amaranthus leaves. Significant differences were found in the frequency in which consumers used 11 out of the 19 terms. Correspondence analysis, explaining 68.1% variance, illustrated differences in sensory characteristics between genotypes. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three consumer segments, indicating the heterogeneous acceptance of samples. External mapping of the samples’ configuration identified regions of maximum liking. Sensory characteristics of Amaranthus leaves varied between genotypes and species, with no relationship between specific species and their sensory properties. The information obtained can be recommended to farmers to be incorporated into breeding programmes.