Which factors influence consumer´s choice of rootvegetables and cabbages - and what affect you?

Aim

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of consumer phenotype and preferences on intake of root vegetables and cab-bages.

Consumer information will provide knowledge on im-provement of vegetable acceptance, health pro-motion, and increase ve-getable consumption.

Following information will be collected:

Taste and acceptance

Bitterness in vegetables is a sensory deterrent for vegetable preference, ac-ceptance, and consumpti-

Tove Kjær Beck, PhD student Aarhus University, Department of Food Science, Aarslev, Denmark.

on, since many consumers dislike bitter and strong tasting vegetables and prefer milder and swe-eter ones (Drewnowski et al., 2000). Some vegetab-les have a bitter taste due to the contents of phyto-chemicals. By changing growing conditions it is possible to change the concentration of these components in vegetab-les. However, reducing the content of these compo-nents to a minimum is a challenge, since several

studies demonstrate a cor-relation between high die-tary intake of phytochemi-cals and a reduced risk of lifestyle diseases (Bazzano et al., 2002).

In the effort to ensure high consumer acceptance and consumption of vege-tables, knowledge about consumer preferences and segmentations e.g. pheno-type segments is essential. Consumer preferences for bitter and strong tasting vegetables differ due to

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differences in inherited ta-ste abilities / perception.

A high sensitivity towards bitterness will most likely re-sult in low consumer prefe-rences for bitter and strong tasting vegetables. Further-more, factors such as price, availability, age, gender, cultural, and sociological aspects will influence the intake of these vegetables.

Project

The PhD project is part of a collaborative FØSU pro-ject “Maximising the taste and health value of plant food products – impact on vegetable consumption, consumer preferences and human health factors (MAXVEG)” (1.1.2010 – 1.4.2014).

References:

Bazzano, L. A. et al. (2002). Am. J. of Clin. Nutr., 76, 93-99.Drewnowski, A., et al. (2000). Bitter taste, phy-tonutrients, and the con-sumer: a review. Am. J. of Clin. Nutr., 72, 1424-1435.Pictures: http://saesonfor-godsmag.dk/

Selectedvegetables for

this project

Carrot

Parsnip Parsley root

Beetroot

Celeriac

White cabbage

Kale

Brussels sprouts

Cauliflower

• Bitter taste status of the individual consumer due to genetics and health state

• Vegetable consumption rate

• Liking of various vege-tables

• Additional consumer data e.g., consumer atti-tude and age

Broccoli

PosterJun2011rootVegetable.indd 1 01-06-2011 15:23:37