文章基本信息

标题：Conceptualization of Rice with Low Glycaemic Index: Perspectives from the Major European Consumers
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作者：Diva Cabral ; Susana Caldas Fonseca ; Ana Pinto Moura 等
期刊名称：Foods
电子版ISSN：2304-8158
出版年度：2022
卷号：11
期号：14
DOI：10.3390/foods11142172
语种：English
出版社：MDPI Publishing
摘要：Rice and cereal consumption has become a concern for consumers due to usually high glycaemic indexes (GI), which is a critical issue for a balanced and healthy diet. Therefore, the development of new products with low GI is an important target of the industry, particularly in countries with high consumption. This study assesses consumers’ perceptions about “rice” and “rice with low GI” and evaluates the effect of consumers’ rice consumption profiles through the application of a free word association technique in a structured self-administered electronic questionnaire with 256 Portuguese consumers (the European market with the highest per capita consumption of rice by far). The frequency of rice consumption was evaluated, and the consumption profile was determined through a hierarchical cluster analysis, with 9% identified as daily consumers. The response words were categorized by the triangulation technique, and the association between the word categories and dimensions, sociodemographic characteristics, and consumption profile were determined. Respondents most frequently associated “rice” with rice dishes, its sensory attributes, and nutrition, highlighting the satisfaction of nutritional and hedonic needs. Consumers revealed positive expectations in relation to the functionality of “rice with low GI”. The consumers’ rice consumption profiles, sex, age, and educational levels influenced their perception towards “rice“ and “rice with low GI”. This study provides important insights for the industry to develop a consumer-oriented, low GI rice product.
关键词：consumers’ perceptions;consumption;free word association;glycaemic index;Portugal;rice