This study aimed to determine effects of serving containers on the consumer acceptance of doenjang stew. Consumer acceptance testing was conducted on two doenjang paste samples (i.e., commercially produced and traditionally produced doenjang, respectively) used to prepare doenjang stew by following a standard recipe (N = 88). In this experiment, the main variables included serving containers of doenjang stews: ttukbaegi (an earthen pot), a melamine bowl, and a disposable plastic cup. Consumers preferred doenjang stew made of commercially produced doenjang over traditionally produced doenjang stew regardless of the serving container. When doenjang stew was served in a disposable plastic cup, significant decrease in liking was observed in comparison with doenjang stew served in other containers regardless of the type of doenjang. Increase in the overall liking of doenjang stews was observed when served in ttukbaegi (an earthen pot) at appearance-only evaluation condition. However, from results of taste evaluation, no difference in liking according to the serving container was observed. The change in the serving container affected product appearance evaluation, but not in taste evaluation. In other words, when tasting is involved, intrinsic factors such as taste or flavor have a greater influence on liking than extrinsic factors such as serving containers.

This study determined the ingredient and salinity variations in Doenjang stew sold near a college campus and determined its consumer acceptance with varying salinity levels. Doenjang stews from four restaurants near a college campus were collected around lunchtime for 3 days. The salinity and weight of each ingredient included in Doenjang stews were recorded. Consumer acceptance testing on the stews was also conducted (n=98). Overall, variations in Doenjang stew recipes, including salinity values and the weight of each ingredient, between and within restaurants were also observed (P< 0.05). The salinity of Doenjang stews collected from different restaurants ranged between 1.2% and 1.7%, higher than that recommended by the Korean government. Doenjang stew with a salinity of greater than 1.3% was most liked by consumers, whereas a salinity of 1.2% was least liked. At the same salinity value, a high stock amount of Doenjang stew was preferred to a greater extent than that with a high number of ingredients in Doenjang stew, suggesting that various ingredients included in the recipe do not necessarily increase consumer acceptance of stew.

Central location test (CLT) is a more widely employed method for testing consumer acceptance in comparison to home usage test (HUT). In this study, the influence of the testing environment on the consumer liking of doenjang stew was determined.Consumer acceptance testing of doenjang stew was conducted four times, with one CLT and three HUTs. For HUTs, samples were served in different containers: 50 ml of premade doenjang stew in a plastic 95-ml disposable cup, representing CLT conducted at home; 200 ml (one serving size) of premade doenjang stew in a 500-ml plastic disposable bowl, representing restaurant "take out," corresponded to the CLT condition performed at home; and doenjang stew meal kit including doenjang paste, vegetables, broth, and cooking recipe, representing meal-kit consumption scenario.Differences in product liking were observed according to the testing environment (p < .05). In case of appearance-related attributes (no tasting involved), consumers rated higher liking scores to doenjang stew evaluated under a meal-kit HUT situation (p < .05). When tasting was involved, consumers rated higher scores to stew samples under the CLT condition (p < .05). The salinity of doenjang stew was the same under all of the product testing environments, while the salty taste liking was rated the highest under the CLT situation (p < .05). Results of this study suggested that the testing environment affects the consumer acceptance testing results. Practical ApplicationsThis study reported that differences in liking attributes under different testing environments, in that the highest overall liking score was rated under CLT condition, while HUT presented as "meal-kit" received highest appearance-related liking scores.Based on the results, this study suggests the consumer acceptance testing of doenjang stew using the CLT rather than the HUT considering the time and economics.This study provided an appropriate method to test the consumer liking of doenjang stew-type food products, which can be utilized in future consumer-related research.