Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens
This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects (EI) or derived products among Portuguese consumers. This work consisted of a questionnaire survey, undertaken on a sample of 213 participants. For the treatment of data, basic descrip...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/4/709 |
| _version_ | 1797539875140927488 |
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| author | Sofia G. Florença Paula M. R. Correia Cristina A. Costa Raquel P. F. Guiné |
| author_facet | Sofia G. Florença Paula M. R. Correia Cristina A. Costa Raquel P. F. Guiné |
| author_sort | Sofia G. Florença |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects (EI) or derived products among Portuguese consumers. This work consisted of a questionnaire survey, undertaken on a sample of 213 participants. For the treatment of data, basic descriptive statistics were used, complemented with chi-square tests to assess some associations between categorical variables. Moreover, a tree classification analysis was carried out using a classification and regression tree (CRT) algorithm with cross-validation. The results indicated that people tend to have correct perceptions about the sustainability issues associated with the use of insects as alternative sources of protein; however, the level of knowledge and overall perception about their nutritive value is low. Regarding the consumption of EI, it was found that only a small part of the participants had already eaten them, doing it mostly abroad, by self-initiative, in a restaurant or at a party or event. Additionally, it was found that the reluctance to consume insects is higher if they are whole, but when they are transformed into ingredients used in food formulations, the level of acceptance increases. Furthermore, men have shown to have a better perception about EI, be more informed about sustainability, and have a higher level of acceptability when compared to women. As a final conclusion, it was observed that the Portuguese still show some resistance to adhere to the use of insects as replacements for meat products, but the market of insect based products can be a good alternative to overpass the neophobia associated with this type of food. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:52:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26f6630447dc4223a32bd8eb1bed95db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:52:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-26f6630447dc4223a32bd8eb1bed95db2023-11-21T12:12:01ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582021-03-0110470910.3390/foods10040709Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese CitizensSofia G. Florença0Paula M. R. Correia1Cristina A. Costa2Raquel P. F. Guiné3Faculty of Food and Nutrition Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalAgrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, PortugalAgrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, PortugalAgrarian School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, PortugalThis study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects (EI) or derived products among Portuguese consumers. This work consisted of a questionnaire survey, undertaken on a sample of 213 participants. For the treatment of data, basic descriptive statistics were used, complemented with chi-square tests to assess some associations between categorical variables. Moreover, a tree classification analysis was carried out using a classification and regression tree (CRT) algorithm with cross-validation. The results indicated that people tend to have correct perceptions about the sustainability issues associated with the use of insects as alternative sources of protein; however, the level of knowledge and overall perception about their nutritive value is low. Regarding the consumption of EI, it was found that only a small part of the participants had already eaten them, doing it mostly abroad, by self-initiative, in a restaurant or at a party or event. Additionally, it was found that the reluctance to consume insects is higher if they are whole, but when they are transformed into ingredients used in food formulations, the level of acceptance increases. Furthermore, men have shown to have a better perception about EI, be more informed about sustainability, and have a higher level of acceptability when compared to women. As a final conclusion, it was observed that the Portuguese still show some resistance to adhere to the use of insects as replacements for meat products, but the market of insect based products can be a good alternative to overpass the neophobia associated with this type of food.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/4/709edible insectssustainabilitynutritive valuetree classification analysisknowledgequestionnaire survey |
| spellingShingle | Sofia G. Florença Paula M. R. Correia Cristina A. Costa Raquel P. F. Guiné Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens Foods edible insects sustainability nutritive value tree classification analysis knowledge questionnaire survey |
| title | Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens |
| title_full | Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens |
| title_fullStr | Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens |
| title_full_unstemmed | Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens |
| title_short | Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens |
| title_sort | edible insects preliminary study about perceptions attitudes and knowledge on a sample of portuguese citizens |
| topic | edible insects sustainability nutritive value tree classification analysis knowledge questionnaire survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/4/709 |
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