Consumer perception and acceptance of calorie- reduced dairy products

122 Pages·2010·1.48 MB·English

Consumer perception and acceptance of calorie-
reduced dairy products

Forbrukeroppfatninger og –aksept av kaloriredusert meieriprodukter

Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) Thesis

Susanne Bølling Johansen

Dept. of Chemistry, Biology and Food Science
Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Ås 2010

Thesis number 2010: 03
ISSN 1503-1667
ISBN 978-82-575-0915-6
The fool doth think he is wise,
but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
“As You Like It”, Act 5, Scene 1

Consumer perception and acceptance of calorie-reduced dairy products
PhD Thesis 2010 © Susanne Bølling Johansen
ISBN-nr.: 978-82-575-0915-6
ISSN-nr.: 1503-1667
Printed by CopyCat avd. Ski, Jernbaneveien 2, 1400 Ski, Norway
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Table of contents

Acknowledgements..............................................................................................v
Abstract.............................................................................................................vii
Sammendrag (Norwegian abstract)...................................................................viii
List of papers......................................................................................................ix
Introduction.........................................................................................................1
1 Background..............................................................................................1
2 Aims of the study.....................................................................................3
3 Theory and approach...............................................................................5
3.1 Factors affecting consumer response...........................................................5
3.1.1 The stimulus.................................................................................5
3.1.2 The consumer perception.............................................................9
3.1.2.1 Reference basis...................................................................10
3.1.2.2 Expectations......................................................................12
3.2 Methodology......................................................................................13
3.2.1 Analytical methodology (trained assessors).................................13
3.2.1.1 Descriptive profiling...........................................................13
3.2.2 Affective methodology (consumers)...........................................14
3.2.2.1 Preference tests..................................................................14
3.2.2.2 Acceptance tests.................................................................15
3.2.3 Data analysis..............................................................................16
4 Main results and discussion....................................................................19
5 Challenges and future perspectives.........................................................21
References..........................................................................................................23
Abstracts of papers.............................................................................................31
Paper I-IV

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Acknowledgements

This thesis was written at Nofima Mat in Ås under the supervision of Adjunct
Associate Professor Margrethe Hersleth (principal supervisor, Nofima Mat and
UMB), Principal Research Scientist Tormod Næs (co-supervisor, Nofima Mat)
and Professor Judith Narvhus (co-supervisor, UMB). The work was conducted in
the period of 2005-2009 as part of a user managed innovation project financed by
the Research Council of Norway through Grant number 167928/I10 and
conducted in collaboration with TINE BA.

The motivation for this thesis is based on my interest in sensory science and the
desire of studying and understanding the world of food. The thesis has given me
the opportunity to develop my skills by including understanding of the final link
in the chain of food consumption, thus the consumer. All papers in the thesis
address important questions and problems, which have been raised as the work
progressed and new discoveries were made, relating to different aspects in the
understanding of consumption of calorie-reduced dairy products.

First of all, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all of my supervisors Dr.
Margrethe Hersleth, Dr. Tormod Næs and Dr. Judith Narvhus. My deepest
thanks go to Dr. Margrethe Hersleth for her highly encouraging supervision,
valuable advice and daily talks. Dr. Tormod Næs is especially thanked for his
experienced supervision, helpful comments and always positive attitude and spirit.

My gratitude goes out to all my past and present colleagues. The people at the
Sensory Science Group in Copenhagen who started my journey into Sensory
Science, my fellow colleagues at “Toppetasjen” with whom I enjoyed many a
happy moment and helpful scientific discussions, and my fellow Ph.D. students at
Nofima Mat with whom I shard memorable social events. Dr. Øydis Ueland and
Dr. Marit Rødbotten are especially thanked for their valuable comments. Thanks
to Per Lea for answering my statistical questions. Thanks to Dr. Ulrike Böcker
with whom I have had many discussions and joy about being a foreigner in
Norway and to the “old lunch gang” Britt Signe Granli, Josefine Skaret, Asgeir
Nikolai Nilsen and my office neighbour for years Dr. Oliver Tomic for making
my work day even more fun.

Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends in Denmark for their care,
support and understanding during long periods without visiting. In particular my
mother and sister for their unconditional love and acceptance of my situation and
its necessary sacrifices have given me peace of mind to finish the thesis. My
gratitude also goes to my fiancé Jakob for letting me undertake this project,
although it halfway into the completion meant living apart in different countries.
Love and thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Ås, January 2010,
Susanne Bølling Johansen
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vi
Abstract

This thesis is a part of the research project ‘‘Low energy products and consumer
preferences”, financed by the Research Council of Norway (NFR) through Grant
167928/I10. The thesis is based on three experiments. Consumers’ motivation for
choice, and their healthiness perception of calorie-reduced dairy products, were
examined in a cross-cultural study. Based on two experiments different consumer
groups’ sensory acceptances were modelled, as well as the effect of providing
additional nutritional information on these acceptances. The selected products
throughout the project were calorie-reduced yoghurt and cheese. Results of all
experiments and resulting articles are briefly stated below.

One experiment investigated young consumers’ motivation for choice, and their
healthiness perception of calorie-reduced yoghurt and cheese. The experiment
was performed as a cross-cultural study in three countries: Denmark, Norway and
US. The main findings in this study may be summarised as follows:

• Overall, young consumers’ main motives for choosing calorie-reduced
yoghurt and cheese were: low in fat content, keeps one healthy and tastes
good.
• Generally, calorie-reduced yoghurt and cheese were perceived as relatively
healthy compared to other foods.
• Minor cross-cultural differences were found in motives for choice and
perceived healthiness of the products. However, the similarities between
the countries were evident.

Two experiments investigated consumers’ sensory acceptances of calorie-reduced
yoghurt and cheese, respectively and the effect of giving nutritional information
about the tested product on these acceptances. The most important findings from
these experiments are:

• The sensory properties were essential for acceptance of calorie-reduced
yoghurt and low-fat cheese.
• A greater diversity in sensory acceptance among the consumers was
observed for low-fat cheese than for calorie-reduced yoghurt.
• Sweetness had a major effect on acceptance of calorie-reduced yoghurt.
• Nutritional information was shown to influence acceptance, and the effect
seemed to be dependent on type of product and the sensory attributes
that were important for acceptance.
• Nutritional information generally increased acceptance of calorie-reduced
yoghurt, while it decreased acceptance of low-fat cheese. Similar effects of
information were not observed for the yoghurt and cheese with the
highest hedonic ratings.
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Sammendrag (Norwegian abstract)

Denne avhandlingen er en del av forskningsprosjektet ”Lavenergiprodukter med
utgangspunkt i forbrukerpreferanser”, finansiert av Norges forskningsråd (NFR)
gjennom 167928/I10. Avhandlingen er basert på tre forsøk. Forbrukeres
motivasjon for valg og deres helseoppfatning av kalorireduserte meieriprodukter,
ble undersøkt i en tverrkulturell studie. Basert på to eksperimenter ble ulike
forbrukergruppers sensoriske aksept modellert, samt effekten av å gi ytterligere
ernæringsinformasjon på denne aksepten. De utvalgte produktene i prosjektet var
kaloriredusert yoghurt og ost. Resultatene av alle eksperimenter og de derav
følgende artiklene er kort angitt nedenfor.

Ett eksperiment undersøkte unge forbrukernes motivasjon for valg, og deres
helseoppfatning av kaloriredusert yoghurt og ost. Eksperimentet ble utført som en
tverrkulturell studie i tre land: Danmark, Norge og USA. Hovedfunnene in denne
studie kan oppsummeres som følger:

• Generelt var unge forbrukeres viktigste motiver for å velge kaloriredusert
yoghurt og ost: lavt fettinnhold, at det holder en sunn og smaker godt.
• Generelt ble kaloriredusert yoghurt og ost oppfattet som relativt sunt i
forhold til andre matvarer.
• Mindre tverrkulturelle forskjeller ble funnet i motiver for valg og
helseoppfattningen av produktene. Imidlertid var det klare likheter
mellom landene.

To eksperimenter undersøkte forbrukernes sensoriske aksept av henholdsvis
kaloriredusert yoghurt og ost, og effekten av å gi ernæringsinformasjon om de
testede produktene på denne aksepten. De viktigste funnene fra disse
eksperimentene er:

• De sensoriske egenskaper var avgjørende for aksept av kaloriredusert
yoghurt og lavfett ost.
• Et større mangfold i sensorisk aksept blant forbrukerne ble observert for
lavfett ost enn for kaloriredusert yoghurt.
• Søthet hadde en stor effekt på aksept av kaloriredusert yoghurt.
• Ernæringsinformasjon ble vist å påvirke aksept, og effekten synes å være
avhengig av type produkt og sensoriske egenskaper som var viktige for
aksepten
• Generelt økte ernæringsinformasjonen aksepten av kaloriredusert yoghurt,
mens den reduserte aksepten av lavfett ost. Lignende effekter av
informasjon ble ikke observert for yoghurten og osten med høyest
hedonisk bedømmelse.

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List of papers

I. Johansen, S.B., Næs, T., and Hersleth, M. (2010). Motivation for choice
and healthiness perception of calorie-reduced dairy products - a cross-
cultural study. Accepted with revisions at Appetite.

II. Johansen, S.B., Hersleth, M. and Næs, T. (2010). A new approach to
product set selection and segmentation in preference mapping. Food
Quality and Preference, 21(2), 188-196.

III. Johansen, S.B., Næs, T., Øyaas, J. and Hersleth, M. (2010). Acceptance of
calorie-reduced yoghurt: Effects of sensory characteristics and product
information. Food Quality and Preference, 21(1), 13-21.

IV. Johansen, S.B., Hersleth, M., Narvhus, J., Øyaas, J. and Næs, T. (2010).
Effects of information about fat percentage on acceptance of low-fat
cheese. Manuscript.
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