A multi-county comparison of consumer acceptance and preferences towards crackers added with algae

To meet the growing global demand for food, healthy and sustainable alternative food products are needed [1]. Promising sustainable ingredients are algae since they can thrive in extreme conditions with few natural resources [2]. Algae also contain components that can be added to staples to improve their nutritional and health benefits [3-5]. However, their incorporation into food is often hindered by their unpleasant sensory characteristics such as off-flavors and unfamiliar color [6-7]. Therefore, this study explored the potential of incorporating different types of micro- and macroalgae in food products. Adults (n=321; mean age ± SD: 27.2 ± 11.0 years) from three European countries (Italy, Belgium, and Sweden) were asked to taste and assess overall liking of five crackers enriched with 5% (w/w) of different algae powders and one control cracker (no algae addition). Afterwards, the respondents performed a Check-All-That-Apply task, describing the crackers' appearance, flavor and texture. Data on socio-demographics, familiarity with algae, and general food behaviors were also collected. Findings revealed that respondents across all countries provided on average positive liking scores (range: 4.5 – 5.3 on a 7-point scale) towards all the algae enriched crackers, with Italian respondents providing significantly higher liking scores compared to Belgium and Sweden. Moreover, crackers enriched with Spirulina protein and Calcareum powders were comparable to the control sample and had the highest liking scores out of all the algae-enriched crackers. Principal Coordinate Analysis revealed that, for all countries, characteristics such as “toasted bread flavor”, “salty” and “crunchy” had positive impact on liking. For Belgium and Sweden rejection drivers were related to off-flavor, while for Italy to “hard texture” and “speckled appearance“. For Italy, “green color“ was a driver of acceptance. Hence, algae enrichment of bakery goods requires careful consideration of consumers' hedonic preferences to ensure successful integration. Moreover, the type of micro- or macroalgae species elicited differing consumer sensory perceptions.