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Guiné RPF, Florença SG, Costa CA, Correia PMR, Cruz-Lopes L, Esteves B, Ferreira M, Fragata A, Cardoso AP, Campos S, Anjos O, Bartkiene E, Djekic I, Matran IM, Čulin J, Klava D, Chuck-Hernández C, Korzeniowska M, Boustani NM, Papageorgiou M, Gutiérrez BP, Černelič-Bizjak M, Damarli E, Ferreira V. Edible Insects: Perceptions of Marketing, Economic, and Social Aspects among Citizens of Different Countries. Foods 2023; 12:4229. [PMID: 38231666 DOI: 10.3390/foods12234229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Because edible insects (EI) have been, in recent years, recommended as a nutritious animal protein food with enormous environmental advantages over other sources of animal protein for human consumption, studies aimed at investigating the consumer perspective have become more prominent. Hence, this study intended to examine the perceptions of participants from different countries about the commercialization and economic and social impacts of edible insects. The study was made using a questionnaire survey, and data were collected in Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The final number of received answers was 7222 participants. For the treatment of the results, different statistical techniques were used: factor analysis, internal reliability by Cronbach's alpha, cluster analysis, ANOVA to test differences between groups, and Chi-square tests. The results obtained confirmed the validity of the scale, constituted by 12 out of the 14 items initially considered, distributed by 4 factors: the first related to the economic impact of EIs, the second related to the motivation for consumption of EIs, the third related to the places of purchase of EIs, and the fourth corresponding to a question presented to the participants as a false statement. A cluster analysis allowed identifying three clusters, with significant differences between them according to all the sociodemographic variables tested. Also, it was found that the participants expressed an exceptionally high level of agreement with aspects such as the difficulty in finding EIs on sale, knowledge acting as a strong motivator for EI consumption, and the role of personalities and influencers in increasing the will to consume EIs. Finally, practically all sociodemographic variables were found to be significantly associated with perceptions (country, sex, education, living environment, and income), but not age. In conclusion, the perceptions about EI commercialization were investigated and revealed differences among samples originating from different countries. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were found to be strongly associated with their perceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel P F Guiné
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Sofia G Florença
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Cristina A Costa
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Paula M R Correia
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Luísa Cruz-Lopes
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Bruno Esteves
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Manuela Ferreira
- Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Anabela Fragata
- CIDEI-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Ana P Cardoso
- CIDEI-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Sofia Campos
- CIDEI-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Ofélia Anjos
- CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Elena Bartkiene
- Department of Food Safety and Quality, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Ilija Djekic
- Department of Food Safety and Quality Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Irina M Matran
- Department of Community Nutrition and Food Safety, GEP University MPhScTch of Targu Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania
| | - Jelena Čulin
- Maritime Department, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, Croatia
| | - Dace Klava
- Faculty of Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV 3001 Jelgava, Latvia
| | | | - Malgorzata Korzeniowska
- Faculty of Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Nada M Boustani
- Faculty of Business and Administration, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1104 2020, Lebanon
| | - Maria Papageorgiou
- Department of Food Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Maša Černelič-Bizjak
- Department of Nutritional Counseling-Dietetics, Faculty of Health Science, University of Primorska, 6320 Izola, Slovenia
| | - Emel Damarli
- Research and Development Center, Altıparmak Food Coop., Çekmeköy, 34782 İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Vanessa Ferreira
- Department of Nutrition, School of Nursing, UFMG-Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil
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Poeta E, Liboà A, Mistrali S, Núñez-Carmona E, Sberveglieri V. Nanotechnology and E-Sensing for Food Chain Quality and Safety. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:8429. [PMID: 37896524 PMCID: PMC10610592 DOI: 10.3390/s23208429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, it is well known that sensors have an enormous impact on our life, using streams of data to make life-changing decisions. Every single aspect of our day is monitored via thousands of sensors, and the benefits we can obtain are enormous. With the increasing demand for food quality, food safety has become one of the main focuses of our society. However, fresh foods are subject to spoilage due to the action of microorganisms, enzymes, and oxidation during storage. Nanotechnology can be applied in the food industry to support packaged products and extend their shelf life. Chemical composition and sensory attributes are quality markers which require innovative assessment methods, as existing ones are rather difficult to implement, labour-intensive, and expensive. E-sensing devices, such as vision systems, electronic noses, and electronic tongues, overcome many of these drawbacks. Nanotechnology holds great promise to provide benefits not just within food products but also around food products. In fact, nanotechnology introduces new chances for innovation in the food industry at immense speed. This review describes the food application fields of nanotechnologies; in particular, metal oxide sensors (MOS) will be presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Poeta
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via J.F. Kennedy, 17/i, 42124 Reggio Emilia, RE, Italy
| | - Aris Liboà
- Department of Chemistry, Life Science and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 11/a, 43124 Parma, PR, Italy;
| | - Simone Mistrali
- Nano Sensor System srl (NASYS), Via Alfonso Catalani, 9, 42124 Reggio Emilia, RE, Italy;
| | - Estefanía Núñez-Carmona
- National Research Council, Institute of Bioscience and Bioresources (CNR-IBBR), Via J.F. Kennedy, 17/i, 42124 Reggio Emilia, RE, Italy;
| | - Veronica Sberveglieri
- Nano Sensor System srl (NASYS), Via Alfonso Catalani, 9, 42124 Reggio Emilia, RE, Italy;
- National Research Council, Institute of Bioscience and Bioresources (CNR-IBBR), Via J.F. Kennedy, 17/i, 42124 Reggio Emilia, RE, Italy;
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