Consumer Liking of Fruit Juices with Different Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) Concentrations

摘要

Overall liking, flavor, and perceived healthiness of one newly developed fruit juice with high acai content {40% acai) and 5 commercially available fruit juices with lower (4% to 20%) acai concentrations were evaluated by consumers in Belgium. General trends for the overall sample were examined by means of analysis of variance, whereas individual consumer preferences were evaluated using internal preference mapping and hierarchical cluster analysis. The relative contribution of flavor and perceived health benefits as predictors of consumers' overall liking of the 6 acai-based fruit juices was estimated through linear regression analysis. The results showed a negative relationship between the juices' overall liking and their acai concentrations. Although the vast majority of consumers preferred the juices having a low acai content (4% to 5% acai), a small consumer segment liked the juice with 40% acai. Flavor or taste experience superseded consumers' perceived health benefits as the primary determinant of the fruit juices' overall liking. The impact of perceived health benefits on the overall liking of the acai juices decreased with higher taste dissatisfaction.