Beef quality model: portuguese consumer's perception

Doutoramento em Engenharia Agronómica - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe aim of this work was to investigate how consumers perceive product quality and what are the main factors that influence this process regarding beef in Portugal. With this goal in mind, new theoretical and methodological guidelines for the analysis were introduced. An integrative approach to consumers’ quality perception process has been applied, studying how Portuguese consumers perceive beef quality in a real-life purchase environment, at the point of purchase, as well as upon beef consumption, and it’s implications for future purchase intention. Branding has been found to be an important factor in consumers’ perception of beef quality and is used both for inference of intrinsic cues and quality expectations. Animal production method has been found to influence consumers’ quality experience of beef, where beef from traditionally raised animals is perceived as of better quality. These consumers’ quality perceptions were found to be dependent upon the previous product-related experience. The insights from this research show potential pathways for consumer-led product development in the beef sector. In a broader context, this thesis may serve to sensitize researchers for the need and interest of studies on consumers’ product quality perception proces

The hybrid enigma: The importance of self-construal for the effectiveness of communication messages promoting sustainable behaviour

Transition towards more sustainable diets is imminent and marketers are looking for guidance on type of the advertising appeal that could effectively persuade consumers to buy products that could support this transition, such as hybrid products. While prior research has investigated the value of self-interest/-transcendent goal appeals and independent/interdependent self-construal, only a small number of studies have investigated these factors in combination. Therefore, we conducted a representative cross-national study involving almost 2000 consumers from Denmark, Spain, and the UK, to experimentally investigate the effect of self-interest (health) vs. self-transcendent goal (environment) and independent vs. interdependent self-construal on consumers’ attitudes. The results showed that perceived product quality mediates the effect of goals on consumers’ product attitudes, such that messages focused on the environment are more effective when interdependent self-construal is activated, while messages leveraging on health are more effective when independent self-construal is activated. This research suggests that advertising efforts and communication campaigns that rely on consumers’ goals should account for self-construal to induce higher levels of perceived product quality and efficiently boost consumers’ product attitudes and purchase behaviour

Beyond sugar : Exploring the influence of health and naturalness framing on attitudes towards products with sweet proteins in Europe

Amidst rising obesity rates in the EU and the significant public health impact of excessive sugar consumption, the debate on reducing sugar through reformulation with sweet proteins derived from precision fermentation gains prominence, presenting a viable alternative to traditional sugars and conventional sweeteners. We conducted two studies to investigate the effects of health (emphasizing sugar reduction) versus naturalness (highlighting sweet proteins as alternatives to artificial sweeteners) message framing on the acceptance of products reformulated with sweet proteins. Study 1 (N = 296, Denmark) evaluated the impact of health and naturalness message framing on attitudes towards such reformulations. Study 2, in a cross-cultural sample (N = 3,000 Denmark, Germany, and Poland), tested the mediating role of health perceptions and the moderating effects of BMI and guilt (Study 2a), as well as naturalness perceptions, sweetener use, and pleasure (Study 2b) on product attitudes. Results of Study 1 indicated that healthiness perceptions had a more persuasive influence than naturalness perceptions. The cross-cultural findings of Studies 2a and 2b revealed that BMI, sweetener usage frequency, anticipatory guilt, and pleasure can modulate these effects. These insights suggest that while both perceived healthiness and naturalness shape attitudes towards sweet protein-enriched products, the significance of health perceptions prevails, with anticipatory emotions of guilt enhancing this influence, particularly when sweet proteins substitute added sugar. Such evidence holds substantial implications for strategies aimed at reducing sugar consumption and fostering the acceptance of products containing alternative sweeteners.© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Consumer acceptance of precision fermentation technology : A cross-cultural study

Technological advances in precision fermentation hold great potential for transformative changes in the agri-food system, addressing crucial environmental and food security challenges. However, the successful adoption of this technology hinges on consumer acceptance, which plays a pivotal role in determining its market success. To shed light on consumer acceptance of precision fermentation technology, three studies were conducted. Study 1 found that adopting natural (vs. sustainable) framing positively influenced acceptance (N = 308). Study 2 revealed that the information supporting use of representative heuristic can effectively enhance technology acceptance (N = 300). Furthermore, Study 3 proposed and tested the technology acceptance model in a cross-cultural setting (N = 3032), indicating that when prompting similarity to traditional fermentation positively influenced consumer perceptions. This further fosters higher levels of trust and perceived benefits, significantly impacting consumer acceptance and intention to purchase new products derived from precision fermentation technology. These insights emphasize the critical role of consumer acceptance© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

An application of wavelet analysis to meat consumption cycles

Articles in International JournalsThe existence or nonexistence of changes in meat consumption cycles is critical to meat industry. If the change is existent, there is a need to understand what motivates the change to identify the most appropriate response. Wavelet analysis is considered here as a promising technique that may lead to a better understanding of characteristic patterns and changes in the meat consumption cycles

Towards an increased plant protein intake: Rheological properties, sensory perception and consumer acceptability of lactic acid fermented, oat-based gels

In general, the interest in food that contains a reasonable amount of plant protein is steadily increasing. As a consequence, products with pleasant texture and taste ensuring a high consumer acceptance are needed. The aim of the present study was to develop and characterize structural differences and organoleptic impressions of lactic acid fermented, oat-based gels which could serve as plant protein enriched, non-dairy yoghurt alternatives. Oat protein concentrate, a by-product of cereal processing, was used as plant protein source. It was shown that total solids content had the highest impact on rheological properties. All samples were described as soft fluid gels and their structure was dominated by the heat-induced gelation of starch. Within this mixed food system of starch and protein, swollen starch granules, protein aggregates and residual small fat droplets were embedded in a rough macromolecular network of leached amylose. They acted as filler and increased the rigidity (G′) of the system. Native starch content determined the water holding capacity with an increase in water binding with increasing concentration. Overall, rheological characteristics were found to be strongly linked to the products’ textural attributes which, in turn, determined consumer acceptability. For the purpose of product development, overall liking was influenced by the quantifiable sensory attributes – sweet, moist, soft, and smooth. Purchase intention, however, was positively influenced by the extrinsic attribute information (on oat protein enrichment). These data, in combination with the impact of the identified ingredients on product structure, are a valuable tool to improve product properties, consumer perceptions and product acceptability. To conclude, lactic fermented, oat-based gels can serve as a plant-based yoghurt-alternative that combines nutritional benefits with good textural properties

Enabling sustainable plant-forward transition: European consumer attitudes and intention to buy hybrid products

Although recommendations for a transition towards more plant-forward diets have been proposed and despite consumers reporting willingness to reduce meat consumption, consumer behaviour is frequently less environmentally sustainable than recommended. This calls for simpler strategies that may lead to a more optimistic view on both supply and demand side by using less rigid and more flexible approaches, such as hybrid products, combining meat and plant-based ingredients. Against this milieu, present study examines for the first-time in a cross-cultural context (Denmark, Spain, UK) and on a large consumer sample (N = 2766), attitudes and intention to buy hybrid products, while taking into account consumers individual traits related to meat attachment, health consciousness and environmental self-identity. Results show that hybrid products could be a crucial driver for enabling a successful plant-forward transition, as the meat element in these products, together with consumers’ affinity and pleasure-seeking attitudes towards meat, would facilitate consumers’ acceptance of more sustainable alternatives. Indeed, our results show that sensory perceptions play a major role in mediating the effect of consumers’ attitudes on intention to buy hybrid products. Conversely, consumers’ environmental self-identity and health consciousness have minimal to no effect on consumers’ attitudes towards hybrid products. Thus, the results of our study support the value of strategies centring on bringing the best of two worlds: the pleasurable sensory characteristics of the meat realm, and the healthiness and sustainability benefits of the plant realm. In this sense, hybrid products could be an elegant initial approach adopted by practitioners and supported by policy makers to enable a more nuanced transition from fully meat-based to plant-forward diets

Are consumers beef quality perceptions in accordance with objective beef quality?

The consumer has the final word in food choice, which is determined by his perceived quality. Within a project coordinated by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine we tried to relate objective quality with the consumer quality evaluation. To do so, we have measured the expected and experienced quality of a sample of Portuguese consumers towards three types of beef (PDO, national and imported) at the shop, and compared this subjective evaluation with the beef objective quality. Results at the consumer level show that respondents perceived PDO beef to be of higher quality than the two other types of beef for different attributes and for overall quality at the shop location. In terms of objective quality results, the three types of beef showed highly similar physicochemical characteristics and there were no differences, on average, in terms of the aspects mostly considered by the consumers - tenderness, colour and fat content. Hence, it was not possible to show that physicochemical characteristics are good predictors of consumer preferences. However shear force revealed a positive asymmetry showing a higher probability to find a tender beef in PDO than in the other types of beef. This should constitute an area for further research.PDO beef, perceived quality, objective quality, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Q130,

A cross-cultural perspective on impact of health and nutrition claims, country-of-origin and eco-label on consumer choice of new aquaculture products

Over the last decade, an increasing number of new value-added aquaculture products made their way onto the European market, as a response to growing demand for healthier diet, and more sustainable and locally produced protein sources. The importance of these drivers of consumer choice for aquaculture products' acceptance paves the way for a relevant reorientation of the European aquaculture industry towards a more consumer-centred approach. This research uses discrete choice experiments to examine the effect of health and nutrition claims, country-of-origin (COO), and eco-labels on consumer choice of new aquaculture products in a cross-cultural context. Three products with different preserving methods have been chosen for the study: fresh (chilled), canned, and smoked product. Results indicate that COO label “produced in own country” together with ASC eco-label function better than the health and nutrition claims as driver of choice. Results further point to the existence of different segments of “nutrition conscious”, “ethnocentric”, “price conscious”, and “eco-conscious” consumers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”: How ethical beliefs influence consumer perceptions of “blue” aquaculture products?

Respecting ethical beliefs of consumers is an important precondition for food manufacturers in their attempt to improve their positioning in the European food market. Based on a cross-cultural survey of 2511 European participants, this research demonstrates how ethical beliefs affect consumer perceptions of “blue” (i.e. environmentally friendly) aquaculture products. The study further emphasises that the positive effect of ethical beliefs on purchase intention operates via an indirect route mediated by consumers’ trust in a product category. Consumer involvement has limited moderation effect on the above relationships. To expand its “blue” business, a key policy recommendation to aquaculture product manufacturers and policy makers is to urge stable and reliable standards of control in environmentally responsible aquaculture production so that consumers can rely on the information source and increase their trust in aquaculture products.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio