Evaluation of the influence of the sensory characteristics and nutritional knowledge in the acceptance of mate tea

Abstract In the business field, marketing strategies focused on nutritional issues have been the main competitive advantage. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the sensory characteristics and nutritional knowledge on the acceptance of mate tea, in order to identify consumer behaviour in relation to this type of information. Toasted mate tea was used, purchased in bulk at the local shops and prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions, as described on the package. Thirty consumers were recruited for the affective acceptance test. Recruitment was via a questionnaire including questions about the profile of the consumers, consumption habits and willingness to participate in the survey. The sensory acceptance evaluations were carried out in two sessions (blind test and with information) using a nine point hedonic scale to evaluate the attributes of colour, taste, aroma and overall impression. Regarding the profile of the judges, 67% were female, 50% reported consuming mate tea rarely and 37% reported reading the nutritional information on the label. There were significant differences for the attributes of colour and flavour between the blind and informed sessions. It was concluded that the mate tea was well accepted by the participants and that nutritional knowledge positively influenced0 acceptance of the drink.