When can Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method serve as an alternative to descriptive profiling? A multi-case evaluation across food products

The increasing need for efficient sensory evaluation methods in product development and reformulation has led to the growing use of rapid approaches such as check-all-that-apply (CATA). However, the extent to which CATA can substitute descriptive sensory profiling remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the substitutability of CATA for descriptive profiling across multiple food products and evaluation contexts. The study was based on four independent case studies (tomatoes, apples, insect-based cocoa balls, and meat loaf) assessed using combinations of descriptive profiling, CATA, and, where applicable, liking tests. The comparison was conducted within a structured framework including discriminatory power, relative product positioning, information content, and relation to liking. The results showed that CATA's performance was strongly context-dependent. In simpler systems with pronounced sensory differences, CATA supported the identification of dominant contrasts and reproduced the main perceptual patterns observed in descriptive profiling. In contrast, for more complex products or when differences were subtle, multidimensional, or intensity-driven, CATA showed limited discriminatory capacity and reduced resolution. Overall, CATA was able to identify salient sensory attributes and supported rapid product screening but did not consistently reproduce the level of detail obtained by descriptive profiling. The findings highlight that CATA should be applied as a context-dependent method rather than a universal substitute, with its suitability depending on product complexity, panel characteristics, and research objectives.