Does consumer knowledge of sorghum impact their liking? Investigating consumers preferences on sorghum biscuits using JAR (Just-About-Right) scale

Abstract

Sorghum has been widely cultivated around the world. The plant has a high survival rate to be grown in barren land and is reported to be positively correlated with health benefits, in particular for being gluten-free. Recently, sorghum application in food products has increased significantly. This study aims to investigate consumer acceptance of sorghum biscuits and to evaluate whether consumer knowledge related to sorghum will influence their preferences. The preferences of 132 adult consumers were recorded for the different substitutions of sorghum to wheat (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of sorghum substitution). Sensory attributes of sweet and bitter aroma, sweetness, bitterness, texture, and grittiness were recorded using the JAR (Just-About-Right) scale while consumer knowledge regarding sorghum and gluten-free product was recorded using an online questionnaire. The result indicated that consumer knowledge did not influence their liking on sorghum biscuits, and they have limited knowledge concerning sorghum and gluten-free products. The liking was significantly influenced by the sensory attributes of biscuits. Texture quality such as hardness and grittiness showed to significantly reduce liking while sweet aroma, sweetness, and soft texture showed to promote liking. This study could be used as a preliminary study to develop gluten-free products using sorghum.