Comparison of Rapid Descriptive Sensory Methods Applied to Consumers in the Evaluation of Muffins

Sensory evaluation is essential to understand consumer perception. This study compared three descriptive methods (Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), Flash Profile, and Pivot Profile) to characterize muffins formulated with alternative flours (purple corn and amaranth) in comparison to a wheat-based control. Six formulations (T0–T5) were evaluated: CATA and Pivot Profile were applied with 100 consumers, while Flash Profile was conducted with 15 panelists. Multivariate statistical analyses were used: correspondence analysis for CATA and Pivot, and Generalized Procrustes Analysis for Flash Profile. All three methods showed high discriminative power: CATA explained 94.36% of the variance, identifying three main groups; Flash Profile explained 63.88%, highlighting differences in texture and aroma; and Pivot Profile explained 81.10%, revealing complex interactions among sensory attributes. Sample T1 (100% purple corn) showed a distinctive sensory profile (bitter and dry), while samples T2 to T5 presented intermediate characteristics. The RV coefficient confirmed significant congruence between the methods. CATA effectively identified relevant sensory differences, Pivot Profile generated descriptors in relation to a control sample, and Flash Profile enabled exploratory analysis. The choice of method depends on the study objective, with each approach offering complementary sensory information.