Virtual reality environments on the sensory acceptability and emotional responses of no- and full-sugar chocolate

Abstract

Eating is a multimodal sensory experience affected contextual situations. A limitation with traditional consumer testing is that isolated booth environments lack ecological validity and consumer's engagement in forming perceptions. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging method to simulate different environmental contexts. The acceptability and emotional responses of full- and no-sugar chocolate determined in sensory booths and under two VR environments (headsets) were evaluated. Untrained participants (N = 50) tasted two chocolates (FS = full-sugar and NS = no-sugar, maltitol) under three environments: (1) traditional-booths, (2) positive-VR [aesthetically open-field forest], and (3) negative-V..