Color and Marbling as Predictors of Meat Quality Perception of Argentinian Consumers.

María Laura Testa,Begoña Panea,Gabriela Grigioni,Enrique Pavan

doi:10.3390/foods10071465

Abstract

In Argentina, color and intramuscular fat are the main attributes of raw beef quality; however, it is necessary to clarify how consumers use them, in order to establish different marketing strategies. Consumer preferences are affected by multiple factors. Thus, the objective of the present study was to identify the Argentinian consumer’s choice behavior regarding beef color and fat content. An online survey was carried out in Argentina. It inquired about socio-demographic characteristics, purchase and consumption habits and beliefs, showing pictures related to color, marbling and the amount of fat. Choice behavior was evaluated by asking why consumers chose a particular picture out of the ones shown. Several Kruskal–Wallis tests evaluated the different hypotheses. Three different decision trees using the CHAID analysis method were created. Multifactorial analysis was carried out for clustering consumers. Regarding consumer beliefs, 90% of the respondents agreed with the sentence, “The two main characteristics defining beef quality at purchase time are meat color and marbling”. Socio-demographic characteristics affected purchase habits and beliefs; they also affected perceptions about meat color and marbling. It was possible to build three consumer groups for future marketing strategies: “hedonic” focused on a pleasing sensory experience, “appearance” prioritized the visual aspects, and the “health-conscious” consumers were interested in their healthy nutrition.

Highlights

With a total livestock population of 53.9 million cattle, Argentina produces more than 3 million tons of meat per year, and it was the fourth-largest producer of beef meat in 2018 [1]
The present study shows that socio-demographic characteristics influence purchase habits and beliefs, in addition to their effects on the perception of color and marbling
In order to generate a beef marketing strategy in Argentina, it was possible to group the population into three market groups, named “health-conscious”, “hedonic” and “appearance”

Summary

Introduction

With a total livestock population of 53.9 million cattle, Argentina produces more than 3 million tons of meat per year, and it was the fourth-largest producer of beef meat in 2018 [1]. According to a survey carried out by the Argentinian Beef Promotion Institute [3], color, tenderness and intramuscular fat are the main beef quality attributes It remains unclear whether consumers perceive and use these intrinsic attributes in different ways, especially since, in recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware of the relationship between food and health. The beef production system changed during the last two decades, due to a dramatic expansion in crop-growing areas, driven by increasing grain prices This might have produced a change in consumer perception [6], as the traditional beef production system of Argentina, previously based on pasturing only, is complemented by a feedlot finishing period (2–3 months), which produces meat with greater fat content

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion