Consumers’ Behavior towards Table Olives

Abstract

Table olives are among the nutritious and functional foods with respect to high contents of monounsaturated fatty acids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. World raw olive production is around 1.3-1.8 million tons per year, and about 10% of these olives are processed into table olives. Food quality focuses on customer needs and expectations and is an important means of competition on the market due to the high competition pressure and saturation of the market Consumers' preferences and willingness to pay more for specific foods' attributes, meaning high quality-foods, is a complex decision-making process. A powerful tool to understand the quality of foods and customer behaviors is consumer preference surveys, since cultural practices, sensory properties (color, taste, texture), package and socioeconomic status strongly influence the popularity of any food product. Hence, by understanding consumer preferences direct prediction and increase of consumption is possible based on the degree of happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, or utility that olives provide. 

A Review on Adventitious Lactic Acid Bacteria from Table Olives

“…With countless types of olives available on the market, consumer preference serves as a competitive advantage; nevertheless, scarce studies have focused on consumers’ behavior—in terms of needs and expectations when buying table olives. It is easy to understand how sensory properties, such as color, appearance, odor, taste, texture, saltiness, hardness, and crispness, can significantly influence consumers’ choices; however, cultural practices, packaging, and socioeconomic status (among others) also play a role—more subjective by nature and, thus, more difficult to anticipate [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. In any case, consumers are more prone to purchase table olives processed according to regional methods; for instance, green Spanish-style olives are the most popular amongst Spanish consumers, while naturally black ripe olives in brine or salt-dried olives are predominant in Greek markets, and Californian-style black olives are mostly sought in the USA [ 13 ].…”

Determination of Bacterial Community Structure of Table Olive via Metagenomic Approach in Şarköy

“…The fact that table olives contain several bioactive substances with possible functional capabilities places them among the foods that are most healthpromoting. [1,2] Olive fruit is a drupe with a bitter substance called oleuropein, a low concentration of sugar (2.6-6.0 %), and a high oil content (12 %-30 %), though these values might vary depending on the maturation level and the type of olive. Due to these traits, olives cannot be eaten right away after being harvested.…”

“…Table olives (Olea europaea) are one of the most well‐liked and nutritious fermented fruits and vegetables in the world, having a significant socioeconomic influence. The fact that table olives contain several bioactive substances with possible functional capabilities places them among the foods that are most health‐promoting [1,2] . Olive fruit is a drupe with a bitter substance called oleuropein, a low concentration of sugar (2.6–6.0 %), and a high oil content (12 %–30 %), though these values might vary depending on the maturation level and the type of olive.…”