The Study of Consumer Behaviour in the Honey Market with Emphasizing Quality and Nutritional Value

Abstract

The paper presents an interdisciplinary study involving consumer research complemented by analytical research. The research aim is to identify the mineral content of 5 different types of monofloral honey produced in Slovakia as well as the behaviour of Slovak honey consumers (n=600), but mainly their preferences and awareness of honey quality and its nutritional value. The results showed that honey produced by Slovak beekeepers contained trace and major minerals such as K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Al, Fe, Ba, Sr, Li, Zn. The highest mineral content was identified in honeydew honey and linden honey while the lowest content was in acacia honey and rapeseed honey. Consumer research revealed that most consumers were not able to list nutritional values or specific minerals which are found in honey. The antibacterial activity was indicated by the majority of respondents as the most frequent positive effect of honey. The most preferred monofloral honey was honeydew honey followed by acacia honey and linden honey.