Consumer perception and use of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica): A cross-cultural study between Mexico and Brazil

Albuquerque, Juliana Gondim de; Aquino, Jailane de Souza; Albuquerque, Jaqueline Gondim de; Farias, Thaísa Gabriela Silva de; Escalona‐Buendía, Héctor B.; Bosquez-Molina, Elsa; Azoubel, Patrı́cia Moreira

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2018.08.036

Cited by 36 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Moreover, the proposal of unusual food (as functional pasta containing Opuntia) emphasizes the need to understand consumer preferences and their expectations as a starting point for production [58]. In this context, people's expectations are important factors of new product acceptance [59]. The findings showed a lot of interest among respondents in terms of health benefits, and the nutritional and environmental aspects of functional pasta should encourage acceptance and the consumption of this new functional food (i.e., factors relating to "functional pasta").…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opuntia ficus-indica as an Ingredient in New Functional Pasta: Consumer Preferences in Italy

Palmieri¹,

Suardi²,

Stefanoni³

et al. 2021

Foods

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Opuntia ficus-indica is a source of minerals and vitamins and has recently been used as ingredient to make a new functional variety of pasta. Italy was the first country in the world to produce pasta and is also the second largest producer of Opuntia in the world. According to an Italian sample, this study considers the main factors that could influence consumers when choosing functional pasta (featuring Opuntia) and characterizes distinct hypothetical consumer segments in terms of their food habits, pasta choices, and perceptions toward functional pasta featuring Opuntia. Data were collected using a web-based survey and with 328 respondents. Factor analysis (FA) with orthogonal rotation (varimax) was used to simplify the observed variables and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed with the FA results. Seven clusters were identified and the main results show that the level of education plays an important role in the perception of functional pasta. In fact, the perceptions of well-educated people differed from poorly-educated people. Moreover, the results showed significant respondent interest regarding health benefits and the nutritional and environmental aspects of functional pasta, which should encourage people’s acceptance and consumption of this new functional food. In addition, the respondent preferences reflect a value of experience towards the pasta, i.e., the belief of cooking typical Italian pasta. This means that Opuntia used for the production of functional pasta should maintain the organoleptic and physical properties of durum wheat-based pasta. In addition, respondent preferences for pasta featuring Opuntia could also be driven by its price.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opuntia ficus-indica as an Ingredient in New Functional Pasta: Consumer Preferences in Italy

Palmieri¹,

Suardi²,

Stefanoni³

et al. 2021

Foods

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“…The leaves or cladodes (Figure 1a) are ovoid or elongated racquet‐shaped, with 30–60 cm in length depending on the water and nutrients available (Ciriminna et al., 2019). In Africa, cladodes are exclusively used for animal feeding (De Albuquerque et al., 2019; Mounir et al., 2020); while in Japan, they are hydroponically cultivated for human consumption (Horibe, 2018), as a medicinal plant for diabetes and hypercholesterolemia (Santos‐Zea et al., 2011). Cladodes have areolas from where flowers, fruits, and thorns grow.…”

Section: Nopal: Morphological Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cladodes: Chemical and structural properties, biological activity, and polyphenols profile

Perucini-Avendaño¹,

Nicolás-García²,

Jiménez‐Martínez³

et al. 2021

Food Science & Nutrition

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The nopal cactus is an essential part of the Mexican diet and culture. The per capita consumption of young cladodes averages annually to 6.4 kg across the nation. In addition to contributing to the country's food culture, the nopal is considered a food with functional characteristics since, in addition to providing fiber, an important group of polyphenolic compounds is present, which has given cladodes to be considered a healthy food, for what they have been incorporated into the diet of Mexican people and many other countries worldwide. Research suggests that polyphenols from cladodes act as antioxidants and antidiabetics. This review studies the main phenolic components in cladodes and summarizes both conventional and novel methods to identify them.

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“…It must be remarked that the first group showed more awareness or knowledge about the healthy aspects that pulque consumption provides. This may be due to the fact that consumers identify health and functional characteristics of traditional Mexican foods (De Alburquerque et al, 2019). This characteristic could help the promotion of traditional foods; an example of this is amaranth grain, which is also a traditional Mexican food with the characteristics of functional foods that has moved from the local to the global market.…”

Section: Sociodemographic Characteristics Of the Sample And The Identmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying consumers’ profile and factors associated with the valorization of pulque: A traditional fermented beverage in Central Mexico

Rojas-Rivas

Cuffia

2020

Food sci. technol. int.

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The aims of this work were to (i) identify the consumers’ profile of pulque through their consumption frequency and their sensory perception of this beverage and (ii) identify the factors that contribute to the valorization of pulque among Mexican consumers. A survey was designed and conducted with 221 consumers in pulque-selling locations (pulquerías) in a place of Central Mexico. Consumers were characterized according to their consumption frequency. Factors associated with the valorization of pulque were identified through Binary Logistic Regression model. Two types of consumers were identified: Frequent Consumers and Not Frequent Consumers. Both groups were comprised mostly of men, including students with medium to high levels of education. However, the first group showed more traditional and conservative behavior patterns since there was a higher proportion of consumers with a low educational level ( p < 0.05) and they had more years of consumption, spend more time in the selling locations, and preferred “natural pulque.” The second group of consumers was comprised mostly ( p < 0.05) of women, including students with a high educational level who prefer “cured pulque.” In this sense, our results showed that gender and time spent in the pulquerías together with sensory, cultural, and functional characteristics associated with the beverage influence its valorization among consumers. These results can help both producers and marketers to classify segments of consumers according to their preferences and consumption patterns in order to revalorize the pulque market. Finally, it is necessary to highlight that young consumers with high educational level show interest in this beverage, since for years its consumption has been associated with low-income populations.

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Consumer perception and use of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica): A cross-cultural study between Mexico and Brazil

Cited by 36 publications

References 52 publications

Opuntia ficus-indica as an Ingredient in New Functional Pasta: Consumer Preferences in Italy

Opuntia ficus-indica as an Ingredient in New Functional Pasta: Consumer Preferences in Italy

Cladodes: Chemical and structural properties, biological activity, and polyphenols profile

Identifying consumers’ profile and factors associated with the valorization of pulque: A traditional fermented beverage in Central Mexico

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