Rosires Deliza

Consumer attitude towards information on non conventional technology

Abstract The increasing demand for healthy and nutritious products as a consequence of consumers being better educated and more demanding, contributes to a continuous need for new products, and a more differentiated food product assortment. Many consumers are choosing foods closer to those ‘in natura’. This scenario contributes to the development of emerging technologies which may lead to the availability of products with better sensory and nutritional quality. However, the concern about the acceptance of such products becomes an important factor during their developments. This study aimed at evaluating the consumer attitude towards the information presented on the label about the technology used for the fruit juice processing — high pressure — by Brazilian consumers. Focus group sessions were conducted with students and housewives to obtain information about consumers’ awareness, attitudes, opinions, behaviours, and concerns toward processed foods and beverages, and to provide strategies that could aid in marketing products. A protocol delineating the sequence of question to be asked in each focus group was designed beforehand and applied to each group. Discussions were conducted with two groups each of students and of housewives. Pineapple juice labels were created by varying the nutritional, sensory, and technological information about the product were used to motivate the discussion. Although the participants in this study were very different in terms of age and level of education, most of their perceptions about the pineapple juices were similar. The students and the housewives considered the information about the technology an important factor during the product evaluation, however, the employed ladies who worked at the administrative side of a food research institution asked for more explanation about the technology in order to show the benefits it could provide to consumers.

Non conventional technologies and impact on consumer behavior.

Abstract Consumers are becoming more conscious about the potentially negative impact of food processing on human health and the environment. In particular, there is increased public concern about the application of emerging technologies such as genetic modification to food production, particularly with respect to consumer perceptions of potential for negative impact of genetically modified organisms on ecology. However, less is understood about consumer acceptance of potentially controversial technologies where such technological innovation replaces traditional manufacturing methods, which themselves have the potential for environmental harm. In the present study, consumer acceptance of a genetically modified product was examined. In this research, the process of genetic modification had the potential for reducing the environmental impact caused by the alternative, traditional method of production. The analysis took account of the effects of other factors such as reduced price and brand in consumer decision making, as well as the provision of information about manufacturing process. The product investigated was vegetable oil. One hundred and sixty five consumers evaluated the relative importance of different combinations of manufacturing process (traditional process, versus genetic modification) as well as the commercial brand (familiar versus unknown), price (low v ersus high) and label image (sunflower versus an image of a green globe indicating environmental friendliness), on purchase intentions. The data were analysed using conjoint and cluster analyses. Three clusters of consumers were identified. The first cluster (11% of the sample) based the purchase intention decisions on the label the image. The second one (25% of the sample) preferred environmentally friendly oil, highly priced and branded as Mazola. The third cluster (19% of the sample) considered mainly information about manufacturing process as of importance to their decision about purchases. In particular, these consumers preferred products associated with information about “environmentally friendly processing methods”. The results are compared with a similar sample of British respondents, and the implications of cross-cultural differences discussed.

Effect of enzymatic treatment and filtration on sensory characteristics and physical stability of soymilk

Abstract Several hydrolytic enzymes––Celluclast 1.5L, Pectinex ultra sp, Rohalases (SEP, F, 7069 e 7118)––and filtration with different pore size tissues––20; 30; 85; 100 μm––were independently studied, regarding their effect on the sensory quality of whole soymilk. The whole soymilk process included the following operations: dehulling, boiling, draining, grinding, homogenisation, enzymatic treatment or filtration, and heat treatment. The treatment with Celluclast 1.5L or filtration using a 20-μm tissue resulted in a considerable reduction of the particle size suspended in the soymilk. Such reduction originated products with low levels of sensory attribute of chalkiness and higher physical stability, in comparison to the control submitted to either one or two homogenisations. The enzymatically treated soymilk resulted in a higher global impression of flavour than the filtered product and the products submitted to one and two homogenisations, respectively.

Cheese. What is its contribution to the sodium intake of Brazilians

The heightened intake of sodium from processed foods is of great public health concern throughout the world. This study evaluated the sodium contents of cheeses available in Brazil and the contribution of cheese to the daily intake of this micronutrient. The labels of 156 commercial samples of various types of Brazilian cheese (Minas, Prato, mozarella, and requeijão cheese, as well as padrão cheese) were evaluated with respect to the reported sodium content. A high variability in the sodium contents of cheeses within each category was observed, although no significant difference was observed in the sodium content present in one serving (30 g) of cheese versus that present in 100 g of product (p > 0.05). With the exception of Minas cheese, more than 70% of the other cheeses examined in this study could be classified as high-sodium cheeses, with sodium contents exceeding 400 mg Na/100 g of product. These results suggest that cheese manufacturers need to reformulate their products and that public health authorities need to take additional measures to curb sodium intake from cheese consumption, including demand-specific labeling and implementing educational campaigns to inform the public about the dangers associated with high sodium intake.

Comparison of rapid sensory characterization methodologies for the development of functional yogurts

Functional food development is a long, complex, expensive and risky process. Methodologies that provide reliable information about the sensory characteristics of the developed products in short time frames can speed up the product development process and contribute to the success of the developed products in the marketplace. In this context, the aim of the present work was to compare three rapid methodologies for sensory characterization with descriptive analysis during the development of low-fat functional yogurts, enriched with probiotics and prebiotics. Eight low-fat probiotic yogurts enriched with a prebiotic ingredient were formulated following a 23 full factorial design with the following factors: sugar concentration, prebiotic ingredient and stabilizer concentration. A panel of 9 trained assessors evaluated samples using descriptive analysis. Besides, the yogurts were evaluated by 3 groups of 81 consumers using three rapid methodologies: check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions, projective mapping and polarized sensory positioning. The three rapid methodologies provided similar information on the main differences among samples. However, several differences can be highlighted. Sample configurations from CATA questions were the most similar to those provided by descriptive analysis, whereas projective mapping provided the least similar configurations. The three methodologies also differed in their ability to detect differences among samples due to formulation variables and the stability of sample configurations.

Seleção de genótipos de milho mais promissores para o consumo in natura

Six genotypes belonging to the UENF sweet corn improvement program: H43IN, P43, C43, 43IN, HDC and Uenf506-8 were evaluated aiming at identifying those with better agronomic characteristics and preferred for the consumption of corn on the cob. This investigation was conducted from September 2003 to January 2004, following a randomized complete block design, with four replications and two locations. The following agronomic traits were evaluated: yield with straw (PrCP), productivity without straw (PrSP), percentage of commercial ears (EC), length of ears without straw (CESP), diameter of ears without straw (OF) and ears yielding (R). Besides, the consumer preference for the products in relation to the flavor, sweetness, and softness was investigated. The results have shown that one of the most suitable genotype for the corn on the cob consumption considering the agronomic characteristics was the common hybrid Uenf506-8. However, by looking at preference results it was verified that the referred hybrid did not reach adequate acceptance by consumers due to its softness and sweetness. The hybrids H43IN and HDC were considered more suitable for the green corn consumption.

Product Packaging and Branding

The packaging and labelling of a food or beverage play an important role in its selection because it is the major source of information for consumers, permitting them to make better choices in the marketplace (McCullough and Best 1980; van Trijp and Steenkamp 1998). Three aspects are important and maybe distinguished in labelling: its potential as a marketing tool, its relevance from an industry viewpoint, and its potential benefits to the consumer (Verbeke and Viaene 1999). Previous studies have demonstrated that the design and content of a food label and its associated packaging may affect the perceived quality, intention to purchase, and liking (Tom et al. 1987; Thogersen 1994; van Dam and van Trijp 1994).

The Brazilian consumer's understanding and perceptions of organic vegetables: a Focus Group approach

Focus Group is a tool which generates, through interview sessions with a small number of participants, preliminary data to be used in subsequent quantitative stages. Many consumer studies use qualitative research with the aim of obtaining information and opinions on a specific product or situation. The objective of the present study was to obtain knowledge on the opinion, understanding and perception of the Brazilian consumer with respect to vegetables, focusing on organic products, using Focus Group Sessions. Four Focus Group Sessions were held with men and women in different environments, following a previously elaborated interview guide. In this study, it was observed that the consumers demonstrated being interested in having a healthy diet, based on fruit, vegetables and natural products. However, only a few declared consuming organic foods. Some participants did not know what the term organic meant, and most of them think that organic products are still very expensive, are not easily available in the supermarkets, do not have a good appearance, mainly in terms of size and packaging, and their certification is not always trustworthy. Almost all participants stated that they read package labels and among the items most observed were best-before date, nutritional information, production system and price. This study has identified important vegetable attributes perceived by the consumer, favouring the planning of a subsequent quantitative research. The results suggest that more information on the benefits of organic agriculture has to be passed on to consumers in order to contribute to a higher consumption of such products.

Desidratação por imersão-impregnação e secagem por convecção de goiaba

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as caracteristicas fisico-quimicas e sensoriais de goiabas in natura e submetidas a desidratacao por imersao-impregnacao e a secagem complementar por conveccao, alem de avaliar a estabilidade da cor das goiabas secadas apos 30, 60 e 90 dias de armazenamento sob refrigeracao. Amostras de goiaba foram imersas em solucoes de sacarose a 0,4 e 0,5 g mL-1, sacarose a 0,3 g mL-1 + sucralose a 0,2 g L-1, acucar invertido a 41% (p/p) e acucar invertido sem diluicao. Foram avaliados solidos soluveis totais, acidez titulavel, pH, cor, aroma, aparencia, sabor e textura. O teor de solidos soluveis totais das amostras aumentou linearmente em funcao do tempo de imersao, sem efeito significativo do tipo de acucar empregado no preparo da solucao. A preservacao do teor de acido citrico foi mais pronunciada em solucoes menos concentradas de sacarose. Amostras secadas nao submetidas a desidratacao osmotica exibiram maior alteracao de cor do que aquelas previamente desidratadas. Solucoes de sacarose sao mais eficazes na estabilidade da cor do que as de acucar invertido. As goiabas submetidas a desidratacao por imersao-impregnacao tiveram boa aceitacao sensorial, e aquelas secadas apenas por conveccao nao foram aceitas pelos provadores.

The Effect of Extrinsic Product Attributes of Pineapple Juice on Consumer Intention to Purchase

This study aimed to investigate the extent to which consumer information concerning several attributes of the pineapple juice packaging, including the manufacturing process, influenced the consumer intention to purchase. It is suggested that high-pressure technology retains nutrients as vitamins and keeps sensory attributes closer to those of fresh foods. These advantages meet the increasing consumer demand for healthy products and a more differentiated food assortment. However, the benefits provided by these products are not always communicated to consumers. Although information about the technology (high-pressure) had been positively considered by consumers when fruit juice consumption was taken into account, fewer studies have focused on this aspect. The effect of 5 attributes of the package (information on manufacturing process, product definition, production information, price, and brand name) on the pineapple juice consumer intention to purchase was investigated by 96 fruit juice consumers. Information about technology (high-pressure) positively contributed to the consumer pineapple juice intention to purchase and showed to be essential when it is applied on pineapple juice production, being a useful approach when adequately communicated to consumers.