The effect of pungency perception and personality traits on consumer's preferences from various regions of Türkiye for cig kofte, a traditional Turkish food

The aim of this study was to test whether personality traits influenced liking and choice of pungent foods such as cig kofte for Turkish population. In addition, we explored the role of demographic variables (gender and regions of Türkiye) and various concentration of capsaicin in cig kofte on the relation between personality traits and the frequency of annual cig kofte intake and liking of a spicy meal. Data of 316 participants from different region of Türkiye (47% women and 53% men) were examined. Participants were categorized for demographics, region, and personality traits (sensitivity seeking (AISS), sensitivity to reward (SR) and sensitivity to punishment (SP). They tasted cig kofte including various concentrations of capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide; 50, 75, 100, and 150 μM) and then evaluated liking and perceived intensity in it. A significant positive correlation was found between the liking of a spicy meal and frequency of annual cig kofte intake. Although a significant negative correlation was observed between the liking of a spicy meal and each concentration of capsaicin in cig kofte, no correlation was seen between the frequency of annual cig kofte intake and each concentration of capsaicin. In addition, the liking of a spicy meal was only associated with a personality trait, AISS, but the frequency of annual cig kofte intake was related to personality traits, AISS and SR. Besides, the relations between the frequency of annual cig kofte intake, liking of a spicy meal, personality traits (AISS, SR, and SP) and various concentration of capsaicin were influenced by both gender and region. Finally, no clear relationship was observed between liking and perceived intensity in cig kofte.