The Effects of Food Color on Perceived Flavor: A Factorial Investigation in India

ABSTRACT

We extend research testing the effects of food color on flavor to a new cultural setting—India. We test color’s effect at three levels: flavor identification, perception, and preference. One hundred twenty-two graduate students at an Indian business school enrolling students from all parts of India were assigned the task of tasting and evaluating an orange-flavored carbonated water. Color at two levels (purple and orange) and label information at two levels (told orange flavor, told grape) were manipulated in a full factorial, between-subjects design. Results confirm that food color affects the consumer’s ability to correctly identify flavor as well as to form distinct flavor profiles and preferences. Food color dominates other flavor information including labeling and taste, though the strength of the effect is less pronounced in this setting. Strategic alternatives for the effective deployment of food color for promotional purposes are recommended.

KEYWORDS:

• Food color
• flavor
• taste test
• consumer choice
• culture
• India

Acknowledgments

We wish to gratefully acknowledge the generous assistance of Robert Aitken with the stimulus development portion of this research; Sailesh Agrawal, Sambhar Jain, Omkumar Krishnan, Shivan Merhotra, A. R. Mishra, and Varun Singh with survey administration; and the editor and anonymous reviewers. Authors are listed alphabetically. Each contributed equally.