Are (All) Consumers Averse to Bitter Taste?

The current study combined hedonic liking with non-hypothetical experimental auctions to measure consumer preferences for bitter tasting food and identify individual socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics that influence bitter aversion. Furthermore, the research analyzed whether consume...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Riccardo Vecchio, Carla Cavallo, Gianni Cicia, Teresa Del Giudice
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
Series:Nutrients
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/2/323
Description
Summary:The current study combined hedonic liking with non-hypothetical experimental auctions to measure consumer preferences for bitter tasting food and identify individual socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics that influence bitter aversion. Furthermore, the research analyzed whether consumer preferences for bitter food were influenced by sensory and health-related information. Findings reveal that respondents (<i>N</i> = 205) are not averse to bitter taste; while, socio-demographic traits influence bitter acceptance, as higher education level and gender (female) positively affect preferences, together with specific individual characteristics as high compensatory health beliefs. Moreover, results prove that participants positively respond to health-related information, whereas information on bitterness-taste generates lower preferences.
ISSN:2072-6643