Does this fruit look appetizing? Psychometric modeling of fruit consumption preferences

Consumers’ sensory evaluation of fruits to determine the expected quality is a frequent practice. However, consumers’ assessment of fruit quality is an ambiguous concept. This research aimed to determine the preferred fruit image when consumers decide that it is ready to eat, or it is too old. This within-subjects experimental design was conducted through an online survey using four fruits: avocado, banana, lulo, and guava. The questionnaire used a two-alternative forced-choice method: From a pair of fruit images, participants chose which one they preferred to eat, and which was too old. The results showed that participants do not always agree on the fruit image they find to be ready to eat, whereas the results for assessing an old fruit mimic the fruit maturity condition. Thus, food quality standards should use sensory evaluations that assess ideas that matter to the consumer. The value of this research is to provide a methodological approach to evaluate the consumers’ expectations, which will be helpful within agricultural processes and the distribution chain.