Response of potential consumers of Coalho cheese marinated in red wine: A technology being tested to improve the acceptance of goat products

Goat cheeses may not be well accepted by consumers due to the retention of flavor and aroma characteristic of goat's milk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory response of consumers to goat cheese marinated in red wine, based on the perception of the stimulus through sensory images. A link to the form was made available for 48 h on an online platform, recruiting 100 responses from untrained cheese consumers, over 18 years old. The form was divided into four stages: perceptions about red wine consumption (i), impact of marination time on the emotional response to the goat product (ii), sensory acceptability and characterization of the target audience (iii), and consumption intention (iv). Cheeses subjected to prolonged marination were associated with significantly more negative descriptors, such as “contempt/exasperation”, “very tired” and “silent/speechless”. These emotions can be attributed to extremely dark coloration and food neophobia. It is still a challenge for this marinated goat product to achieve better acceptability by consumers, who prefer cheeses with traditional colors.