Acceptance of a new product based on yerba mate and olive leaf

Abstract

The olive industry is constantly growing in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It generates a number of waste products, including the Olea europaea L leaf, commonly known as olive leaf. This work presents an invention composed of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis ST Hil.) and Olea europaea L leaves, two raw materials capable of offering benefits to human health, according to the literature. The objective was to develop a new product from the combination of yerba mate and leaves of Olea europaea L. Sensory analysis tests were carried out with 100 mate consumer evaluators, in order to investigate the acceptability of the product, the purchase intention, and sensations when tasting the product. Furthermore, a test was carried out to find out the consumer's perception of an ideal mate, through the CATA (check-all-that-apply) test. The product achieved 82% acceptability and 82.4% purchase intention. The sensations most noted by the evaluators during the sensory analysis were good appearance, pleasant flavor, and watery flavor. The incorporation of Olea europaea L leaves into yerba mate can create a new product that can be placed on the market.