1
|
de Albuquerque JG, de Souza Aquino J, de Albuquerque JG, de Farias TGS, Escalona-Buendía HB, Bosquez-Molina E, Azoubel PM. Consumer perception and use of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica): A cross-cultural study between Mexico and Brazil. Food Res Int 2018; 124:101-108. [PMID: 31466628 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was, in a first moment, to observe the consumers' perception, qualitatively and quantitatively, with respect to nopal through a cross-cultural study among participants from Mexico (n = 200) and Brazil (n = 200), traditional and potential consumers, respectively. And, secondly, to use a Brazilian nopal cookie to complement the perception of the Brazilians regarding the nopal, evaluating their sensory acceptance and possible commercial potential in this country through the Check All That Apply (CATA) test. The cross-cultural study using the word association task has shown that although nopal is not part of the Brazilian food culture, people are willing to accept it as food because of its functional properties. This result, coupled with the positive acceptance of Mexican nopal cookies, confirmed the primary objective of working with products made from this unfamiliar vegetable in Brazil. In this context, the use of Brazilian nopal cladodes resulted in cookies with satisfactory sensory acceptance. This acceptance was similar to the one obtained by the Mexican commercial cookies. The affective and the CATA tests constitute a potential tool to evaluate and develop innovative products made with nopal, thus increasing their commercial potential. The results obtained provide support for a better utilization of this food, mainly in the arid and semi-arid regions, where this cactus is generally abundant, considering the social and cultural context to which the nopal is inserted in each country.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Gondim de Albuquerque
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departmento de Nutrição, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235 - Cidade Universitária, CEP 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Jailane de Souza Aquino
- Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Departmento de Nutrição, Cidade Universitária, s/n - Castelo Branco III, CEP 58051-085 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Gondim de Albuquerque
- Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Cidade Universitária, s/n - Castelo Branco III, CEP 58051-085 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Thaísa Gabriela Silva de Farias
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departmento de Nutrição, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235 - Cidade Universitária, CEP 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Héctor Bernardo Escalona-Buendía
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Departmento de Biotecnología, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, Col. Vicentina, C.P. 09340, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de Mexico, DF, Mexico
| | - Elsa Bosquez-Molina
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Departmento de Biotecnología, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, Col. Vicentina, C.P. 09340, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de Mexico, DF, Mexico
| | - Patrícia Moreira Azoubel
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235 - Cidade Universitária, CEP 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|