CONSUMER PREFERENCE OF VANILLA ICE CREAM

Consumers have a variety of ice cream available for purchase through retail stores, including: standard commercial, specialty store, organic, and premium commercial options. This study used a sensory analysis to solicit responses from a group of adults to determine consumer preference and acceptance of four vanilla ice creams based on taste. Consumers preferred (i) organic ice cream to standard, commercial ice cream and (ii) specialty store ice cream to standard, commercial ice cream. Additionally, consumers could identify (i) the organic ice cream when compared to the standard, commercial ice cream and (ii) the premium, commercial ice cream had more overrun than the standard, commercial ice cream. Despite the preference for organic ice cream, it was unable to be determined if consumers were willing to pay a higher price for perceived higher quality organic ice cream. This research was unable to determine if organic ice creams offer additional nutritional benefits as compared to non-organic ice cream, but nutritional analysis was performed, and further research is warranted