Explaining Consumer Intentions for Foods with Antioxidant Properties: Predictors of Choice and Purchase Barriers

Simply red? The effects of distinct colours and sustainable production methods on the consumers' preferences for healthier sweet peppers

The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly assess the value of colours in consumers' preferences for sweet peppers, and the association with more sustainable methods of production in the consumers' minds. Furthermore, this study provides novel insights into the influence of colours on the willingness to pay (WTP) for vegetables. It explores the interplay between colours, food attributes, and socio-demographic characteristics among consumers, marking the first attempt to examine this relationship comprehensively. A discrete choice experiment, based on consumers' preferences for sweet pepper attributes (price, colour, and production method), was implemented and a Seemingly Unrelated Regression model was then applied to evaluate the willingness to pay for different colours. The study has revealed that different colours provide consumers with different utilities and WTP in the choices of potential healthier foods. In addition, gender, age, education and number of family components play a role in affecting consumers' WTP of food linked to colour. Finally, it was found that consumers' knowledge for certain pepper colours with different antioxidant contents is interrelated. This study introduces several novelties, in particular a positive correlation between interest in antioxidants and colours was found, suggesting that interest in healthy food properties might move consumers towards a specific sensory choice.

Green Coffee Extract Microencapsulated: Physicochemical Characteristics, Stability, Bioaccessibility, and Sensory Acceptability through Dairy Beverage Consumption

This study aimed to investigate the effect of spray drying (SD) and freeze-drying (FD) on the microencapsulation of green coffee extracts by using polydextrose (PD) and inulin (IN) as encapsulating agents and their physicochemical, bioactive compounds' stability, phenolic compounds' bioaccessibility after digestion, and sensory effects in unfermented dairy beverages. The extract encapsulated with IN by FD had lower moisture content, water activity, and hygroscopicity, while particles encapsulated by SD exhibited a spherical shape and the structure of the FD products was irregular. No difference was observed in phenolic compounds' bioaccessibility. Dairy beverages with added encapsulated extracts had higher total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Microencapsulation allowed a controlled release of the bioactive compounds with an increase in the content of caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and trigonelline during storage. The dairy beverage with added extract encapsulated with IN by FD had the highest scores of acceptability regarding the overall impression and purchase intent.

Consumption of Sprouts and Perceptions of Their Health Properties in a Region of Northwestern Mexico

There is a lack of information about consumer understanding of functional foods. Sprouts provide beneficial compounds that can help counteract chronic noncommunicable diseases. The population of a region in Northwestern Mexico has a high prevalence of chronic degenerative disease, and there is a need to promote strategies to increase the consumption of foods that provide health benefits, including sprouts. However, there is a lack of information regarding the sale, consumption and perception of sprouts’ healthy properties. A computer-assisted web-based survey (CAWI) was developed and distributed through social media to understand consumer knowledge of these foods’ health effects and their consumption. The survey of people with diverse sociodemographic profiles indicated a 1–3 times per week consumption and they knew the health benefits of consuming sprouts. A total of 82% of respondents were conscious that sprout consumption could prevent chronic diseases, which may be related to education level (χ²: 0.001, p < 0.05). In order to expand on our findings, it is important to investigate the communication strategies used by sprout manufacturers, dieticians, nutritionists and health professionals about the health benefits of sprout products to promote their consumption.

An Epidemiological Study Report on the Antioxidant and Phenolic Content of Selected Mediterranean Functional Foods, Their Consumption Association with the Body Mass Index, and Consumers Purchasing Behavior in a Sample of Healthy Greek Adults

Functional food consumption is shown to have a positive effect on anthropometric parameters and human health promotion. In addition, consumers seem to be more interested in food choices, that may have a positive effect on their health. The current study aimed to identify the antioxidant and phenolic content of naturally functional foods from the Mediterranean diet and to investigate consumer behavior towards their consumption in terms of their weight control, as well as their purchasing behavior and knowledge of functional foods. For this purpose, blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, grapefruit, red peppers, almonds and mountain tea were analyzed for their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, using the Folin-Ciocalteau and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assays, respectively. Furthermore, nine hundred forty-nine healthy Greek adults participated in an epidemiological study, by completing a validated food frequency questionnaire, for the consumption of the above investigated functional foods. Five hundred and fifty participants also completed an online questionnaire investigating factors that consumers evaluate when purchasing functional foods. Study results showed that the analyzed functional foods were high in antioxidants and phenolic compounds, especially the mountain tea. The increased consumption of cranberries, pomegranate, grapefruit, red peppers and mountain tea was significantly correlated with a decreased Body Mass Index, suggesting a possible positive role, in weight control. Participants seemed to be aware of the beneficial role of these specific investigated Mediterranean functional foods to human health. They evaluated the price, taste and nutritional value, as critical factors to buy these food products. A combination of factors seems to lead them to purchase and consume these functional foods. Future epidemiological and clinical studies should be conducted in order to further evaluate consumer preferences and bioactivity mechanisms related to Mediterranean functional food consumption.