Projective mapping as a versatile sensory profiling tool: A review of recent studies on different food products

Abstract

Abstract Descriptive analyses or trained panels are one of the most extensively used methods in the sensory evaluation field; however, they can be expensive and time‐consuming. Therefore, researchers have begun to use rapid sensory analysis methods. One of these rapid methods is projective mapping (PM). PM asks the participants to place samples on a two‐dimensional space in a way that reflects their perception of the samples' differences and similarities. This review outlines the main characteristics of 195 studies published using the PM technique. The results reveal that the majority of PM studies asked consumers (61.5%) to evaluate different food products. Most of the studies utilized the Napping variation (60.3%) of the PM method, however, about a quarter of the studies that applied the Napping method did not adhere to the guidelines of the method (e.g., did not use a rectangular space for evaluation). Furthermore, most studies (71.6%) asked the participants to evaluate their holistic perception of the samples and used multiple factor analysis to analyze the results (85.1%). Overall, the review identified the importance of the PM method and how it has been applied to a wide variety of different food products. Future studies should use a larger number of samples and examine how the PM method can be used with older adults and children. Practical Applications Results of this review provide insight for different stakeholders in the sensory evaluation and food science fields. It will assist researchers in designing experiments using the projective mapping (PM) method, as well as provide information about the type of panelists, the different variations of PM and the statistical techniques being used by researchers. In addition, it identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the PM method.

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