title: Influence of gender, age and motives underlying food choice on perceived healthiness and willingness to try functional foods.
abstract: The aims of the present study were to study the effect of different carriers and enrichments on the perceived healthiness and willingness to try functional foods; and to evaluate the effect of age, gender and motives underlying food choice. Participants had to evaluate different functional food concepts and had to answer a food choice questionnaire. Results showed that carrier products had the largest effect on consumers' perception of healthiness and willingness to try of the evaluated functional foods concepts. The highest positive relative utilities were achieved when the enrichment was a functional ingredient inherent in the product. Furthermore, gender, age and motives underlying food choice affected the preference patterns for the evaluated functional foods concepts, but it depended on the carrier and enrichment considered, suggesting that functional foods might not be accepted by all the consumers and that they could be tailored for certain groups.
authors.affiliation: Sección Evaluación Sensorial, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, Facultad de Química, Avda. Gral. Flores 2124, CP 11800 Montevideo, Uruguay. gares@fq.edu.uy
authors.forename: Gastón
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ares
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gámbaro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005524:Food Technology; D005527:Food, Fortified; D058870:Food, Organic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires