Consumer testing groups

Vicki Barwick obtained a first degree in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham. She then joined the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (which became LGC in 1996) as an analyst in the Consumer Safety Group. Vicki was involved with a number of projects to assess the safety of consumer products, including developing test methods for the identification of colourants in cosmetics and the quantitation of phthalate plasticizers in child-care items. 

ORGANOLEPTIC. A term widely used to describe consumer testing procedures for food products, perfumes, wines, and the like in which samples of various products, flavors, etc. are submitted to groups or panels. Such tests are a valuable aid in determining the acceptance of tlie products and thns may be viewed as a marketing technique, They also serve psychological purposes and are an important means of e valuating the subjective aspects of taste, odor, color, and related factors, The physical and chemical characteristics of foods are stimuli for the eye, ear, skin, nose, and mouth, whose receptors initiate impulses that travel to the brain, where perception occurs. 

Calculate the PER based on weight gained by test group in grams divided by the total amount of protein consumed (unit bi.2). Total protein is calculated based upon measurement of total nitrogen in the diet. 

The group of people at the client company who are involved in the decision on which of the several (often very many) fragrances submitted for a product launch or relaunch should be finally adopted is even more varied. It may include the purchasing department, development chemists, evaluation panels attached to the development laboratories, marketing, in-house evaluation panels, the market researchers who design and interpret consumer tests, even top management—or, as the rumor often goes, the president s wife or secretary. 

The diets used in these initial studies on the effect of consuming buttermilk on serum cholesterol were not standardized, and involved a small number of individuals. Hussi et al. (1981) fed a large group of healthy volunteers with either 2.7 L/day of skim milk or 2 L/day of buttermilk or a control diet for three weeks. All diets were standardized for macronutrient and energy level, and all volunteers consumed the control diet for 3 weeks prior to the study. No significant differences were found in the serum lipid or lipoprotein profiles between the control and test groups. 

The final and most important component of the evaluation of laundry detergents is the consumer test. A select group of consumers is provided with a product and instructed to use it with their normal laundry loads. Their feedback on various aspects of cleaning and product aesthetics is collected and analyzed. These data play a significant role in any decision regarding the composition of the liquid laundry detergent. 

Opinion and market research had started with in-street polls about two centuries ago, and a century later continued with advertising testing and consumer focus groups (e.g. Dichter, 1947). Also, diary studies appeared in the 1940s. Today, these older techniques are still in use, such as in-street recruitment for lab tastings. It seans that old and modem techniques coexist and coevolve. 

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