Quantification of the degree of preference for different tissue products based on a hand-felt tissue test panel, TAPPI Journal May 2023

Application: The test method developed in this study can also be applied to other related industries that involve human perceptions or feelings. Based on the specific quality item, product adjustment and optimization could be carried out so that the products could gain the preference of specific consumer groups.

Author: Chao-Ben Gwo, Tser-Ying Teng, Ching-Ho Chang, Shih-Sheng Chen, and Yuan-Shing Perng

ABSTRACT: In this study, we successfully established a quantification model to determine the preference (PF) for different tissue products based on the results of a hand-felt tissue testing panel. The panel ascertained that products designed with four-ply tissues provided higher total tensile strength (TTS) and hand-felt surface softness (HSS) than did those of the three-ply, two-ply, and single-ply products.When practically tested with a tissue softness analyzer (TSA), the four-ply tissue product had a softness (TSA-HF) advantage; however, in human panel tests, more than half of the participants could not be sure of the hand-felt bulk softness (HBS) of the four-ply tissue product. This was mainly because when using the four-ply tissue, the hand-held test pad gave an overall perception distinctly different from those of the hand-held two- or three-ply products, which also differed from the flattened state of test pieces used in the instrumental softness tests. Users could distinctly feel that a product was safer (better TTS) and more comfortable (higher hand-held surface softness). Thus, the four-ply tissue product was accorded a higher preference.