Food acceptance : The role of consumer perception and attitudes

9 10 The process by which man accepts or rejects food is of a multi-dimensional 11 nature. In complex food matrices, it is not always easy to establish relationships 12 between the individual chemical stimuli concentration, physiological perception 13 and consumer reaction. Consumers' responses to food are not only based on 14 the sensory characteristics of the product and on their physiological status but 15 they are also related to other factors, such as previous information acquired 16 about the product, their past experience, and their attitudes and beliefs. This 17 paper discusses different methods to obtain information about consumer 18 perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and expectations.