Sensory, Consumer Preference, and Willingness to Pay Analyses Comparing Predominantly Angus and Santa Gertrudis‐Influenced Beef

Understanding consumers’ preferences for fruit quality attributes is key to informing breeding efforts, meeting consumer preferences, and promoting increased market demand. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of fruit quality traits and hedonic sensory evaluation on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a selection of fresh northern and southern highbush blueberry cultivars. The WTP was elicited by using a double-bounded contingent valuation conducted in conjunction with a consumer sensory test. Two types of models were estimated using either sensory evaluations (i.e., consumer preference and consumer intensity) or instrumental measurement data (i.e., measures of soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugars, acids, and firmness) as explanatory variables to model WTP. Results using sensory evaluations indicated that flavor liking, flavor intensity, and sweetness intensity are key factors that influence consumers’ acceptance and WTP for blueberries. A regression analysis using instrumental measurements indicated that measures related to sweetness and acidity traits are important factors that determine WTP. Higher WTP was associated with higher total sugar content across different levels of total organic acid. The WTP increases with organic acid content, because this is needed for enhanced flavor; however, WTP declines at high concentrations of organic acid. Except for extreme values of firmness, the WTP increased as measures of fruit firmness increased, indicating a consumer preference for firmer blueberries. Overall, the results provided new insights into the relationships between consumer preference and WTP and fruit quality benchmarks to select for improved quality.

Consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for beef based on color and price discounts

Previous research mainly focuses on the impact of locality information/labels on consumer preference as a credence attribute that is not observable even after purchasing the products. We hypothesize that locality information on food may also influence consumer perception of the three types of attributes of food products: search (i.e., color, size, freshness, and shape), experience (i.e., flavor and texture), and other credence attributes (i.e., nutritional value). We conduct an experiment with a total of 100 participants. We combine the consumer sensory analysis with the CVM to determine the impact of locality information on consumers' perception of strawberry search, experience, and credence attributes, and how these three types of attributes affect consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) at different consumption stages. Results show that providing locality information affects the sensory attributes of color perceived by consumers. Color, size, and freshness have a significant impact on consumers' WTP before consumers taste the strawberries, while flavor and texture exhibit an influential impact on consumers' WTP after tasting. Locality information is not a significant factor in determining consumers' WTP before and after they taste the strawberries. However, for some consumers, it significantly affects their WTP if locality is perceived to be associated with improved nutritional quality and food safety comparing to people who perceive local food to be fresher.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine French consumer perceptions and preferences for fresh fruit from different countries. French consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for citrus fruit and the factors affecting WTP are also determined. Design/methodology/approach – An online consumer survey was conducted in France to collect data on consumer perceptions and preferences for fresh fruits from different countries. The contingent valuation method is used to estimate consumer WTP for fresh citrus fruit. A double hurdle model is used to determine the factors that have substantial impact on consumer preferences. Findings – Results show that fresh fruit from China was perceived as the lowest quality, the least safe, and the cheapest among the fruit from various countries. French consumers had the highest stated WTP for fresh fruit from France, followed by fruit from Spain. In addition, consumer WTP for country of origin varies by type of fruit. Research limitations/implications – The contingent valuation method does not require consumers to purchase the product being evaluated, which may overestimate consumer stated WTP. Practical implications – More domestically produced fresh fruit may be provided to satisfy consumer demand for fruit produced in their own countries. As second in consumer stated WTP, Spain should take advantage of the lower price high quality perceptions of their fresh fruit to gain a larger market share in France. Lower rated countries, such as China, Brazil, and Israel, need to improve consumer perception of the fruit from their countries to gain a better position in the fresh fruit market of France. Originality/value – This is the first paper to present French consumer perception of fresh fruit and WTP for citrus fruit from different countries.

The impact of participant characteristics and product sensory attributes on willingness to pay (WTP) for a nutraceutical‐rich juice blend (75% Concord grapes + 12% pomegranate + 13% black cherry) was measured using sensory evaluations and a nonhypothetical Becker–DeGroot–Marschak mechanism. Participants (n = 228) were placed into four treatment groups: Info (received a potential health statement), Taste (evaluated the sensory attributes of the juice blend), InfoTaste (evaluated the sensory attributes of the juice blend and received the potential health statement) and Control (neither tasted nor received the potential health statement about the juice blend). Participants evaluated overall liking and just‐about‐right (JAR) attributes and completed incentivized risk and time preference survey tasks. The participants' average WTP for the nutraceutical‐rich juice blend was $3.45 per bottle. Risk preference did not affect WTP, but the time preference coefficient (−8.87) indicated that higher time discount rates (lower future orientation) were associated with lower WTP within the Info group. WTP increased by $0.25 for every unit increase in sweetness, $0.20 per every unit decrease in black cherry flavor and $0.29 per every unit decrease in bitterness toward JAR. Consumer questionnaires with additional measures of consumer attitudes (e.g. future orientation) could better identify target markets. Moreover, penalty analysis which calculates the cost of attributes not being JAR in monetary units could benefit product optimization.Practical ApplicationsPotential exists to use innovative methods from other fields to increase the breadth of sensory‐oriented research. Using nonhypothetical willingness‐to‐pay mechanisms in parallel with sensory evaluation allows the identification of consumer characteristics, attitudinal factors (including risk and time preferences) and product sensory attributes that affect consumers' willingness to pay for products. Due to consumer trade‐offs between health and taste, understanding consumer characteristics and attitudes that drive purchase behavior is essential for health‐oriented product categories. Furthermore, understanding the cost (in terms of consumers' willingness to pay) of specific sensory attributes not being “optimal” may provide more concrete direction to product formulators because willingness to pay is less abstract than more common measures such as overall liking.

What role do attitudes, information and taste play in consumer preferences and willingness to pay for domestic alternatives to exotic superfoods?

Economic values and evaluation of breeding schemes for non-market traits with applications to an endangered pig breed

Abstract. In Chinese Simmental-cross steers, carcass and meat quality traits are investigated by identifying SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) in the RNF34 and RNF128 genes. Statistical analysis showed that for 3′ UTR-588 G>A, a SNP of RNF34 was significantly associated with kidney weight, testis weight, and tare weight (P<0.05), and for I1-2380C>T, a SNP of RNF128 was significantly related to forepaw weight, dressed weight, carcass brisket depth, carcass depth, and hind leg length (P<0.05). This study highlights the importance of polymorphism, suggesting that RNF34 and RNF128 polymorphisms could be important genetic factors that affect carcass and meat quality in beef cattle. Therefore, in beef cattle production and breeding, these SNPs might be valuable marker in future marker-assisted selection programs to determine meat quality traits. However, validation in a larger sample size of the Simmental-cross steers is necessary to verify these findings across a broader population. Background: This research aims to explore the potential influence of really interesting new gene (RING) finger protein (RNF34) 3′ UTR-588G>A and RING finger protein (RNF128) I1-2380C>T polymorphisms associated with carcass and meat quality traits in Chinese Simmental-cross steers. Methods: Restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing is employed to detect genotypes of RNF34 3′ UTR-588 G>A and RNF128 I1-2380C>T in Chinese Simmental-cross steers. Then, the association of novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the 3′ UTR region of RNF34 and the intron regions of the RNF128 gene is analyzed to determine the meat quality traits of the animals. Results: This study revealed a significant association between RNF34 3′ UTR-588 G>A and kidney weight, testis weight, and tare weight (P<0.05). Furthermore, the RNF128 I1-2380C>T variant exhibited a significant link to multiple carcass measurements, indicating its potential association with forepaw weight, dressed weight, carcass depth, hind leg length, and carcass brisket depth (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of genetic factors that link the variations in RNF34 and RNF128 and their influence on carcass and meat quality in beef cattle. Thus, these variants might be novel valuable markers for meat quality traits in future marker-assisted selection programs in beef cattle breeding and production.

Gaining insights into consumer perceptions of newly developed food products is essential for enhancing their success in the marketplace, as it allows for refining products to align with evolving consumer preferences and aids in the formulation of effective marketing and pricing strategies. This study examines consumer insights for four newly developed, convenient, and healthy U.S. farm-raised catfish products using sensory evaluations and consumer willingness to pay (WTP) elicited through Vickrey’s second-price experimental auction. Using Elastic Net (EN) regularized regression, we identified key sensory and demographic attributes affecting consumer preference and WTP. Results indicate that consumers favor these catfish products over similar market options, with taste emerging as the most significant sensory attribute driving WTP, followed by texture and smell. Additionally, demographic factors such as age, education, gender, and race significantly impacted WTP. We also evaluated the suitability of the organoleptic attributes for each product, providing recommendations for improvement where needed. This research supports product reformulation and marketing strategies and offers valuable insights for future seafood product development initiatives.

PurposeThe study estimates the willingness to pay for organic oranges and identifies its influencing factors among consumers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThe study used survey data from 413 households in the Mekong Delta from March 2022 to July 2022. The choice experiment (CE) and contingent valuation method (CVM) were employed to analyze consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). STATA 17 software was used to analyze research data in the logit model and mixed logit model.FindingsThe research results from the CVM approach show that a number of demographic characteristics have a direct impact on WTP, such as education, educational attainment, family size, the presence of children and the elderly in the household, food safety and environmental awareness. The CE model shows product attributes that influence consumers’ WTP, such as country of origin, traceability, quality grade, organic certification, ecolabel and organic content. Both approaches show that price is the main barrier to organic orange consumption.Research limitations/implicationsThe study surveyed four large cities in four provinces representing the Mekong Delta region.Practical implicationsOur study helps administrators have a deeper insight into consumer preferences and behavior, specifically the factors that affect consumers' WTP, an important indicator of demand for the success of manufacturers and marketers in developing as well as improving marketing strategies. Knowledge of a product’s WTP on behalf of (potential) customers plays an important role in many areas of marketing management, such as pricing decisions or new product development.Social implicationsFurthermore, this understanding will inform policymakers about the future of agricultural markets in Vietnam and help them better prepare for the making of sustainable agricultural policies. Develop organic agriculture to both protect human health, protect the living environment and protect the soil from degradation, ensuring sustainable agricultural production. This is also one of the measures to help people stay away from diseases to limit the social burden.Originality/valueThe study confirms that both CVM and CE models can be used to estimate WTP. However, CVM fits the overall WTP estimate, while CE is more appropriate when estimating WTP for individual scenarios through combining attributes with different levels.

This research is conducted in considering that large number of misshapen horticultural commodities that are not considered by consumers due to the shape and/or other characteristics inherent in horticultural products in vegetable and fruit commodities, such as suboptimal physical conditions, different sizes, and unattractive colors that affect consumer preferences in buying them, although the nutritional content is not different from physically perfect products. The purpose of this study are to 1) analyze consumer preferences for suboptimal agricultural products, 2) analyze consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for suboptimal products. Further, conditional logit analysis is used to analyze consumer preferences using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) approach, while Marginal Willingness to Pay or MWTP method is used to analyze consumer willingness. The result, the consumer preference on papaya commodities was based on optimal performance, no message framing, available in traditional markets and the amount of purchase exceeded one kilogram. Tha for cucumber, consumers preferred to buy it by considering optimal performance, without message framing, and available in traditional markets. The WTP value on papaya and cucumber indicates that the average WTP value for suboptimal products was lower than the optimal products. The WTP value for the optimal papaya was higher than the suboptimal papaya. For cucumber, the WTP value for the optimal cucumber was higher than the suboptimal product. We suggest producers should set the price cheaper for suboptimal products to compete in the market and reduce the amount of waste.

In this study, we estimate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for ready meals preserved using microwave assisted pasteurization systems (MAPS)-a novel pasteurization technology, compared to frozen, ready meals. We conducted a laboratory multi-round experimental auction for two samples of ready meal jambalaya in which appearance and sensory evaluation along with extrinsic information was sequentially disclosed to panelists. Our results suggest that when participants tasted the meals and formed an opinion from the meal itself, the liking of appearance and sensory attributes were the most impactful factors for participants' WTP regardless of other available extrinsic (name of the preservation technology and environmental impacts of each technology) attributes. The words "microwave" and "pasteurization" did not negatively impact the WTP. The order in which intrinsic and extrinsic attributes were evaluated and presented did not impact absolute WTP values, but the order did impact the weight of each attribute type on the WTP. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The sensory perceptions had a larger effect than the name of the preservation technology and environmental impacts on the willingness to pay (WTP) for ready meals. The order of presented information to panelists did not impact absolute values of WTP. The words "microwave" and "pasteurization" did not have a negative effect on WTP.

Aim of study: This research explores consumers’ acceptance and sensory evaluation, and measures the willingness to pay (WTP) for the most important attributes of a locally grown fresh potato variety. Area of study: Aragon, Spain. Material and methods: Data were collected from two experiments. Experiment 1 (shopping stage) explored the product positioning and reveals consumers’ acceptance using three measurements: visual appearance rating, purchase intent, and WTP. Experiment 2 (consumption stage) corresponds to a sensory ranking task (e.g., taste, smell, texture) conducted at home once the local potato was fried. Main results: Consumers positively valued the visual appearance and were willing to purchase the local potato. The higher the ratings of visual appearance, the higher the consumers’ intention to purchase the product. Women and participants who purchased food from supermarkets were more likely to buy the local potato. Conversely, consumers over 55 years old and those who belong to a lower level of household monthly income were willing to pay less for the local potato. After tasting, the participants’ rating of the product remained unchanged; however, there was a negative rating of the odor once the local potato was fried. Research highlights: Potato producers and vendors should consider that consumers associate the local origin label with observable (e.g., appearance of color, shape) and unobservable (e.g., taste, smell, texture) attributes. Therefore, in addition to promoting the local origin and the benefits of purchasing and consuming local food, further consideration should be given to featuring physical quality aspects such as the sensory properties of the food that are important to consumers.

In recent decades, consumer trust in the food sector has declined because of several scandals that have affected the agro‐food industry. To recover their business reputation and trust, agro‐food companies are increasingly implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their production processes. CSR involves the whole supply chain, and several studies on CSR in the agro‐food industry have investigated consumer preferences regarding social responsibility either as a whole or in a small number of dimensions. This study, which is based on a sample of 204 Italian university students, measures consumer preferences and the willingness to pay (WTP) for eight dimensions of CSR. The respondents' WTP was evaluated in a nonhypothetical setting by using the incentive‐compatible Becker–DeGroot–Marschak method. Individual human values were also detected to investigate the determinants influencing the participants' WTP. The results revealed a positive effect of social responsibility on the participants' WTP, with personal values playing a central role.

Biochar is a co-product of advanced biofuels production from feedstocks including food, agricultural, wood wastes, or dedicated energy crops. Markets for soil amendments using biochar are emerging, but little is known about consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for these products or the depth of the products’ market potential for this product. This research provides WTP estimates for potting mix amended with 25% biochar, conditioned on consumer demographics and attitudes about product information labeling. Data were collected with an online survey of 577 Tennessee home gardeners. WTP was elicited through a referendum contingent valuation. Consumer WTP for an 8.81 L bag of 25% biochar potting mix is $8.52; a premium of $3.53 over conventional potting mix. Demographics and attitudes toward biofuels and the environment influence WTP. Biochar amounts demanded are projected for the study area’s potential market. Optimal prices, profits, and market shares are estimated across different marginal costs of producing biochar potting mix.