**4. Conclusions**

Our findings showed that the acceptance/liking of different sensory characteristics of MAPS-processed jambalaya did not change significantly during storage at 2 ◦C as compared to a control (cooked and frozen jambalaya stored at −31 ◦C) over a 12-week storage period. Using a HUT to evaluate consumer acceptance of jambalaya and including partner participation, is a promising way of testing acceptance in a more realistic context. An on-line auction with a HUT sensory testing of jambalaya meals showed that consumers are willing to pay a price that is comparable to commercially available jambalaya meals. Both were ecologically valid measures of consumer acceptance and positively impacted the degree of acceptance of the RTE meals.

This study has utility and presents an innovative approach as compared to previously reported HUTs. The inclusion of a partner in the evaluation of a ready-to-eat meal processed with a novel technology, such as microwave-assisted pasteurization has not been previously reported. In addition, the evaluation was conducted during an extended period of time of 12 weeks. Most reported HUTs are conducted within a week and the exposure to the product being tested occurs one time or consecutive times within a short period of time (e.g., one week). In addition, the study incorporated the evaluation of a complimentary evaluation with a semi-trained panel that used a rapid method, rate-all-that-apply. These elements were combined with an online auction to determine consumers' willingness to pay for the meals.

As for the HUT results, it should be noted that this study had an observational/ exploratory approach, focused on a specific RTE meal. Because of the relatively restricted number of consumers that joined the study, future research should evaluate the effect of the inclusion of partner as an intentional/designated treatment and target a larger number of participants. A HUT and an SST (laboratory test or central location test) could be conducted simultaneously at a defined storage period and the results of both tests compared.

In addition, the inclusion of an analytical technique, like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and texture profile analysis (TPA), could be considered for future studies to describe specific chemical and physical changes in the meals. However, multicomponent meals are a complex/challenging food matrix to work with that is why sensory evaluation seems like a more effective methodology to characterize them during storage instead of analytical techniques.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, M.L.M., D.G., C.F.R. and R.K.G.; methodology, M.L.M., D.G., C.F.R. and R.K.G.; formal analysis, M.L.M.; investigation, M.L.M. and D.G.; data curation, M.L.M.; writing—original draft preparation, M.L.M. and C.F.R.; writing—review and editing, M.L.M., C.F.R., D.G., R.K.G. and J.T.; supervision, C.F.R. and R.K.G.; project administration, C.F.R. and R.K.G.; funding acquisition, J.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by the USDA AFRI Grant 2016-68003-24840. This work was partially supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project with Accession #1016366.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** The WSU Institutional Review Board approved this study for conducting tests with human subjects, under the title Consumer Preferences of Jambalaya IRB #16994.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

**Data Availability Statement:** The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The data are not publicly available due to privacy issues.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to acknowledge the panelists that joined the study, the staff and the students from Washington State University that collaborated in the preparation and processing of the jambalaya meals. Special thanks to Elizabeth Siler of the Department of English at Washington State University for her contribution in editing and reviewing the manuscript. Maria Laura Montero acknowledges doctoral fellowship support from the University of Costa Rica.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
