Riyanti ISASKAR, Dwidjono Hadi DARWANTO, Lestari Rahayu WALUYATI, Irham IRHAM / Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business Vol 8 No 3 (2021) 1303–1314 1303 1303 Print ISSN: 2288-4637 / Online ISSN 2288-4645 doi:10.13106/jafeb.2021.vol8.no3.1303 The Effects of Sensory Attributes of Food on Consumer Preference Riyanti ISASKAR 1 , Dwidjono Hadi DARWANTO 2 , Lestari Rahayu WALUYATI 3 , Irham IRHAM 4 Received: September 21, 2020 Revised: February 01, 2021 Accepted: February 16, 2021 Abstract The purpose of this study is to compare preferences of consumers between food items made from modified cassava flour and plain flour using sensory tests. This study is a qualitative research with an experimental approach and four food items, namely streamed brownies, cookies, fried mushrooms, and seasoning flour have been used for the study. Each of these food items are made from modified cassava flour and plain flour. Panelists wore blindfolds and tasted the food items except the seasoning flour. Based on the data analysis, the panelists have different preferences towards the four food items. The result of the paired Wilcoxon test showed that there is not any different preference in terms of taste of steamed brownies made from mocaf or plain flour, while there is a significant difference in terms of color, aroma, texture, and appearance between the steamed brownies made from mocaf and plain flour. Consumers decide to buy products made from mocaf because these products use local flour and are gluten-free. This article describes the customer’s preference based on sensory analysis between products made from mocaf and ones made from plain flour. The result can be used as the basis for developing food items made from local flour and alternative food for customers allergic to gluten. Keywords: Consumers Preferences, Gluten, Modified Cassava Flour, Sensory, Wheat Flour JEL Classification Code: D11, D18, L67, P46 for example, quality, price, packaging, and promotion, can influence customer’s preference towards goods and services. Each consumer has his or her preference for a product and this can be evaluated using sensory evaluation. Sensory test has been conducted for a long time to evaluate the quality of food, water and everything else human beings consumed and used (Meilgaard et al., 1999). Sensory evaluation is conducted in various business sectors, including product development and quality control. Carbonell-Barrachina (2007) mentioned that large companies conduct sensory evaluation every day in several divisions, for instance, quality control, research and development, and marketing. Middle-scale companies use sensory evaluation as one of the modern instruments to improve efficiency and generate higher income. A small company does not have either personal structure or qualification to conduct sensory test, but this company is interested in this test, Carbonell-Barrachina (2007) explained. To maintain product quality, knowledge of raw materials and technology for sensory attributes can develop an organized system from characteristics of product quality (Vazquez-Araujo et al., 2008). The sensory expert is responsible for providing sufficient information about the products and its customers. Between 75 to 90 percent of products, particularly food and beverages, fail in their first year (Kemp & Hort, 2015). Knowledge of sensory, 1 First Author and Corresponding Author. Lecturer, Brawijaya University, Indonesia [Postal Address: Veteran Street, Lowokwaru, Malang City, East Java, 65145, Indonesia] Email: riyanti.ub.fp@gmail.com 2 Lecturer, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia [Postal Address: Bulaksumur, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia] Email: dwidjonodarwanto@gmail.com 3 Lecturer, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia [Postal Address: Bulaksumur, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia] Email: waluyatilestari@gmail.com 4 Lecturer, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia [Postal Address: Bulaksumur, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia] Email: irhamirham.ugm@gmail.com © Copyright: The Author(s) This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1. Introduction To understand customer’s buying decision is a pivotal element in marketing. In the agricultural industry, information on customer’s preferences is needed to develop a product that matches customer’s expectations. Various attributes,