Unlike the case in Mediterranean countries, where olive oil consumption is driven by habit or tradition, in a population where olive oil consumption rates are considerably low, it appears reasonable to suppose that the initial decision to buy a fairly expensive product—as is the case with olive oil in the Uruguayan market—may result from an individual’s overall interest in health-related issues and/or their acquaintance with relevant nutritional properties of the particular product—in this case, olive oil. Consumer subjective and objective knowledge, interest in health-related issues, and demographic variables were studied for their potential relationship (explanatory capacity) with olive oil consumption frequency, using a sample of 256 inhabitants of Montevideo (Uruguay). Several of the studied variables were found to relate to olive oil consumption, such as subjective and objective knowledge, age, education level, marital status, and interest in health-related issues. Subjective knowledge was found to have the highest explanatory capacity. An increase in subjective knowledge is therefore expected to lead to an increase in consumption frequency among regular olive oil consumers, while it may also encourage less frequent or non-consumers to purchase olive oil and become acquainted with the product.

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SUMMARY:Five virgin olive oil samples were evaluated by 122 consumers for their color acceptability and expected quality on 9-point structured scales. A description of the attributes expected in the different oils was obtained from the responding consumers by means of a check-all-that-apply questionnaire consisting of a list of 17 possible virgin olive oil attributes. Hierarchical cluster analysis led to the identification of two consumer clusters with distinct behavior. Whereas one consumer cluster attributed higher quality to those oils that were greener in color, which they described as tasty, rich-flavored, strong-tasting, herb-flavored and expensive, consumers in the other cluster assumed that greener olive oils were of a poorer quality, as they described them as strange-tasting, strong-tasting, herb-tasting and defective. Despite the contrasting perception of a virgin olive oil's green color, the respondents, irrespective of cluster, presumed that the virgin olive oil that was the yellowest in color was of poor quality and cheap, also assuming that it had a milder taste than the other oils. KEYWORDS:Color; Consumer; Olive oil; Sensory evaluation RESUMEN: Influencia del color en la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen percibida por consumidores de un país con olivicultura emergente. 122 consumidores evaluaron el color de 5 muestras de aceite de oliva virgen, midiendo su aceptabilidad y la calidad esperada por medio de una escala estructurada de 9 puntos y describiéndolas por medio de preguntas "marque todo lo que corresponde" que consiste en una lista de 17 términos posibles para atributos de aceites de oliva extra vírgenes. Mediante un análisis de conglomerados jerárquico se identificó a dos grupos de consumidores Los consumidores de ambos grupos consideraron que los aceites más amarillos eran de baja calidad, describiéndolos como baratos y de gusto suave. Un grupo de consumidores asignó puntuaciones de calidad alta a todos los aceites con colores verdes, describiéndolos como sabrosos, aromáticos, con gusto fuerte, con sabor a hierba y caros. El otro grupo de consumidores consideró que los aceites de color verde más intenso eran también de baja calidad, describiéndolos como con sabor extraño, con gusto fuerte, con sabor a hierba y defectuosos. Este estudio demuestra que en los países con olivicultura emergente pero con poca tradición de consumo de aceite de oliva, los consumidores aún no tienen preferencias comerciales claras sobre el color de este producto, aunque coinciden en rechazar y considerar como de baja calidad a los aceites de oliva amarillos posiblemente por asociarlos con los aceites de semillas que habitualmente se encuentran en el mercado. PALABRAS CLAVE: Aceite de oliva; Color; Consumidores; Evaluación sensorialCitation/Cómo citar este artículo: Gámbaro A, Raggio L, Ellis AC, Amarillo M. Virgin olive oil color and perceived quality among consumers in emerging olive-growing countries. Grasas Aceites 65 (2): e023. doi: http://dx.doi.

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The Word Association technique was used to analyze the perception of 120 Uruguayan consumers concerning the different types of chocolate. Similarly, it was estimated how healthy consumers perceived dark, white and milk chocolate to be. As a generic product, chocolate was associated with good taste, positive feelings, sweetness, feelings of warmth and calories/energy. White, dark and milk chocolate were significantly associated with other concepts (creaminess, bitterness, intense taste, etc.). A cluster analysis was performed on the scores regarding the perceived healthiness as reported by the consumers. 3 clusters were identified: Cluster 1 did not perceive any of the three types of chocolate to be very healthy, Cluster 2 considered dark chocolate to be very healthy but white chocolate to be less healthy and Cluster 3 perceived the three types of chocolate as very healthy. The Word Association technique enabled us to identify the differences between the associations made by each cluster.

Since the year 2002, the Uruguayan oil-producing sector has been growing at a steady peace, utilizing over 10,000 seeded hectares across the country. The aim of this study was to characterise both the chemical and sensory properties of the extra virgin olive oil variety known as Arbequina through two consecutive harvests. The work was carried out using olives with three different ripening indices; the oil was extracted using an Abencor system. The moisture of the olive, yield extraction, and yield on both a dry and wet basis were determined. The obtained oils were characterized by determining the free acidity, main antioxidant compounds (polyphenols and tocopherols), composition of fatty acids, and sensory profiles. Olive moisture was over 57%, which led to production of pomaces characterized as “difficult pastes”, explaining the low yield obtained. The harvest year and ripening index affected different parameters such as Abencor yield and, on a dry basis, the free acidity, polyphenolic content, oleic acid, and linoleic acid contents and fruity, bitter, and pungent intensities. To determine the best time of harvest, it is important to consider the balance between yield (which is significantly greater in olives with a ripening index above 3) and oil quality, as a higher ripening index decreases positive sensory attributes such as pungency and bitterness intensities.

A sample of 99 habitual consumers sensory-evaluated 2 extra virgin and 2 ordinary olive oils in terms of overall liking and willingness to purchase based on 9-point structured scales and responded to a check-all-that-apply question comprising a list of 18 positive and negative attributes. In the second session, the same consumers evaluated the same oils also based on their respective commercial specifications and sensory profiles previously prepared by a panel of 9 trained tasters. Two consumer clusters with contrasting behavior were identified. Whereas 52% of respondents gave high overall liking scores to the extra virgin oils and scores below commercially acceptable limits to those of ordinary virgin quality, 48% gave low overall liking scores to the extra virgin oils and high overall liking scores to those oils that were defective. Consumers of neither cluster were influenced by the information made available in Session 2. Although a slight majority of consumers described the oils consistently with the sensory profiles available from the tasting panel, an alarmingly large number of respondents described the two extra virgin oils in terms of defective, bad-tasting, strange-tasting, poor quality and rancid, and those oils that were defective in terms of good quality, tasty, sweet, aromatic, mild-flavored, delicious and fresh. These results highlight the need for the implementation of relevant consumer sensitization programs in emerging olive-producing countries like Uruguay, where virgin olive oils of varied quality are locally available.

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