Bioeconomy and the production of novel food products from agro-industrial wastes and residues under the context of food neophobia

Advances in bioeconomy lead to exploitation of wastes for the production of high added-value products. Sometimes, these products face consumer resistance due to a phenomenon known as "neophobia." The aim of this study was the investigation of consumer acceptance/rejection of a novel food product and the segmentation of consumers according to their "food neophobia tendency." A "functional" novel yogurt derived from halloumi whey was chosen as a hypothetical scenario. Data was collected through a survey in typical urban areas in Greece and Cyprus. Statistical analysis revealed three types of "food neophobia tendency" in each study area. Regarding the acceptability of the novel yogurt, consumers are driven by their curiosity about the taste of the novel yogurt, while the main factor of rejection was found in the absence of a health issue.Paraskevi Tsimitri and Anastasios Michailidis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece), Efstratios Loizou (Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research, Institute (IUNG-PIB), Poland, Technological Education Institute of Western Macedonia, Greece), Fani Th Mantzouridou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece), Konstantinos Gkatzionis (University of Birmingham, UK, University of the Aegean, Greece), Ediriisa Mugampoza (Kyambogo University)Includes bibliographical reference

Novel Foods and Neophobia: Evidence from Greece, Cyprus, and Uganda

The exploitation of agri-food industrial by-products to produce novel foods is a promising strategy in the framework of policies promoting the bioeconomy and circular economy. Within this context, this study aims to examine the effect of food neophobia and food technology neophobia in the acceptance of a novel food by consumers (through an EU research project: Sybawhey). As a case study, a functional yogurt-like product was developed by synergistic processing of halloumi cheese whey, enriched with banana by-products. The present study contributes to the literature by examining consumers’ perceptions for such a novel food, identifying the profile of potential final users and classifying them according to their “neophobic tendency”. A comparative approach among groups from Greece, Cyprus and Uganda was adopted to explore whether respondents have a different attitude towards this novel yogurt. Results suggest that there is a potential for increasing consumption of novel foods derived by agri-food industrial by-products, but more information about the importance of using by-products are required to enhance consumers’ acceptance of this novel food. Such results may be useful to policy makers, aiming to promote strategies towards the effective reuse of food outputs leading to the manufacture of sustainable novel foods

Exploring the Potential of Halloumi Second Cheese Whey for the Production of Lactic Acid Cultures for the Dairy Industry

Production of halloumi cheese in Cyprus has increased rapidly over the last decade since the popularity of the cheese is growing. This results in excess production of whey streams that pose serious environmental concerns and are difficult to manage. In our study, the poorly investigated second cheese whey (SCW) generated after the extraction of anari, a by-product of halloumi cheese manufacture, was examined for dairy industry lactic acid bacteria (LAB) culture production. The LAB studied were all initially isolated from SCW. These LAB were molecularly identified and characterized in an attempt to explore their potential use as starter cultures for the dairy industry. A total of 11 Gram-positive and catalase-negative isolates were identified, belonging to four different species/subspecies: Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. jakobsenii, Lactobacillus leichmannii and Lactobacillus crispatus. Lactose/galactose utilization tests demonstrated species-specific differences in galactose and lactose catabolism. Interestingly, culturing the selected isolates in SCW supplemented with skimmed milk (30% total solids) improved their freeze-drying tolerance (75–91% survival rate depending on the species). Moreover, isolates in vacuum-packed powders maintained viability and metabolic activity over 3-month storage at 4 °C