A variety of ‘Eomuk’ products is available in Korean market. The aims of this study were 1) to identify characteristics affecting consumer acceptability of Eomuk products, and 2) to determine consumers’ attitude and context regarding Eomuk. One hundred consumers evaluated seven commercial products using hedonic, intensity, and Just- About-Right (JAR) scale for sensory attributes and described/selected their product perception and consumption experience. For hedonic and intensity data, the numeric data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s correlation analyses. For JAR data, the selected frequencies were used for a contingency table to calculate the percentage ratio of each scale. And using both acceptability and JAR results, Spearman’s correlation and penalty analysis were also conducted. The overall acceptability was correlated with the liking of most attributes, but it was highly correlated with fish flavor and umami in one particular product. The intensity evaluation of consumers might slightly be ambiguous for Eomuk products. However, by using JAR scale and its penalty analysis, significant attributes for consumers’ liking could be determined. Korean consumers might recognize fishy attribute as a flavor component of Eomuk because liking tended to decrease when the intensities that corresponding with JAR scale (much) too strong or (much) too weak. Consumers noticed the brand value/authenticity for ‘Busan Eomuk’, however they did not recognize what products were originally manufactured in Busan.

Keywords: Eomuk, acceptability, JAR scale, fishy, brand awareness