Consumption and liking of a fat modified product during short trial periods

The effects of short term, product trial and switching among products of va rying fat contents (cream cheese) on the amount of product consumed and lik ing scores throughout two short (7-day) trial periods were investigated. On e hundred and twenty respondents participated in a study that included thre e tests at a central location and two in-home testing periods of 1 week, du ring which respondents consumed one of three types of cream cheese (full-fa t, reduced-fat, and fat-free). Results suggest that trial consumption over time can impact the amount eaten and liking, which might result in longer t erm use of fat-modified products. Groups introduced gradually to reduced fa t content showed no change in liking scores over time. However, a contrast effect between liked and disliked samples suggested that when consumers mov ed from full-fat cream cheese directly to fat-free cream cheese, the fat-fr ee product did not meet quality and taste expectations. Over the 2 weeks of testing, product consumption did not change for acceptable products but de creased for the less acceptable products. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.