PERCEPTIONS OF STARCHY FOOD DISHES - APPLICATION OF THE REPERTORY GRID METHOD

The Repertory Grid Method (RGM) was applied to obtain an understanding of the characteristics used by U.K. consumers in discriminating among st different common starchy food dishes, including potatoes, rice and pasta. Twenty-nine subjects generated a large number of constructs, re lating to perceived nutrition, health, physiological effect, sensory, and use attributes of these products. Coupling of RGM with Generalized Procrustes Analysis produced detailed qualitative and quantitative in formation describing common and individual characteristics of particul ar dishes. The results indicate that starchy foods are in general seen as ''filling'', but specific products are clearly discriminated along two dimensions, predominantly relating to nutritional value (''health y'', ''fatty'', ''fattening'') and sensory/functional characteristics (''versatile'', ''bland'', ''boring'', ''a meal in itself''). Along wi th further analysis of the sensory descriptors, these results indicate the utility and efficiency of RGM for clarifying consumer views of br oad food categories, while identifying the potential acceptability of particular starchy foods in fulfilling current dietary goals. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.