Estimation of the relative contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic cues to the purchase intent of honey -

Abstract

Honey is commonly consumed in its unprocessed state as a food item or used as an additive for food and beverage thus providing significant nutritional properties. Both its large scale worldwide production and its pivotal role in the market reflect its significant economic importance in the food market. Further, honey displays a very wide sensory spectrum with a continuum of colors ranging from colorless to black, textures varying from the very thin to the very thick and very complex odor and taste attributes. Since consumers’ food choice is molded by the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the food, combining market research methods with sensory testing allows the development of reliable predictors of food choice crucial for the success of products on the market. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of the intrinsic and extrinsic cues on the purchase intent of honey with a primary focus on determining the effect of taste on the buying decisions of honey consumers. Sixteen honey samples were used with 11 collected from the different honey producing areas in Lebanon and 5 imported samples procured from supermarkets in Beirut. The sensory attributes of the samples were mapped by Descriptive Sensory Profiling by 10 panelists. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were utilized to reduce the sensory space of the 16 samples to 4 samples covering the sensory attributes of the original samples. A focus group was conducted with 8 regular honey consumers who were asked about the factors that affect their purchase and the importance of these factors. The information from the focus group was used to identify the drivers for honey consumption and their levels. Using Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE), the 4 samples were combined with the color-type of honey, country of origin and price to generate 36 product profiles which were assessed by 200 consumers. The participants in the study were presented with 12 choice sets each comprising 4 product profiles of honey with 10 choic