scope:

This International Standard describes approaches for measuring, within a controlled area, the degree to which consumers like or relatively like products.

It uses tests based on collecting consumers' responses to questions, generally on paper or via a keyboard or a touch screen. Tests of a behavioural nature (such as recording quantities consumed ad libitum by the consumers) do not fall within the scope of this International Standard.

The hedonic tests dealt with in this International Standard, can be used as a contribution to the following:

- comparing a product with competitor products;

- optimizing a product so that it obtains a high hedonic rating or is liked by a large number of consumers;

- helping to define a range of products to correspond to a particular consumer target population;

- helping to define a best-before date;

- assessing the impact of a product formulation change on the pleasure given by the product;

- studying the impact of sensory characteristics of a product on degree to which it is liked, independently of the product's extrinsic characteristics, such as brand, price, or advertising;

- studying the effect of a commercial or presentation variable, such as packaging.

The methods are effective for determining

- whether or not, a perceptible preference exists (difference in degree of liking), or

- whether or not, no perceptible preference (paired similarity test) exists.