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J. PRESCOTT, University of Otago, Sensory Science Research Centre, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

With many large food companies now acting on a global scale, plus the increasing receptiveness of many new markets, particularly in Asia, to Western foods, there is a need to ensure that sensory science addresses the special challenges inherent in product development or selection for culturally distinct markets. These include:

(1) Defining the important parameters for product success in a particular market. Sensory studies should not only assess the relative importance of sensory characteristics in influencing overall acceptability of foods, since these may differ between cultures, but also recognize that preferences are influenced by both sensory and non-sensory factors, including familiarity, expectations, and attitudes. To this end, we are studying expectations regarding dairy products in Asian markets, the degree of receptiveness to novel foods, and the underlying motives for food selection.

(2) Assessing appropriate parameters for products in advance of product development. Evaluating the suitability of current products for export may only be appropriate for products types that are already in that market. If the aim is to develop products for a specific export market, then there is a need to develop sensory techniques that can be used to guide product development. One approach may be to assess the "flavour principles" for particular foods by assessing appropriateness or expectations for sensory characteristics.

(3) Utilizing sensory techniques that are not influenced by cultural differences in language or conceptual framework. Discrepancies between Australian and Japanese panels in assessing complex sensory qualities such as fruitiness and creaminess raises the issue of whether another culture perceives or conceptualizes sensory qualities equivalently. Since ratings of overall liking are least likely to present such interpretation problems, these can be utilized either in techniques such as Preference Mapping, in which a domestic panel can define the sensory parameters, or in factorial designs in which sensory qualities can be independently manipulated. Both approaches are illustrated by a study of the factors influencing liking for lamb by Japanese consumers.