Accepted Manuscript

Consumers' perception of beef burgers with different healthy attributes

Mayra Monteiro Viana , Vivian L. Silva , Marco A. Trindade

PII: S0023-6438(14)00278-3
DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2014.05.009
Reference: YFSTL 3909

To appear in: LWT - Food Science and Technology

Received Date: 2 February 2014

Revised Date: 13 April 2014
Accepted Date: 2 May 2014

Please cite this article as: Viana, M.M., Silva, V.L, Trindade, M.A, Consumers' perception of beef
burgers with different healthy attributes, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2014), doi: 10.1016/
j.lwt.2014.05.009.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
1 Consumers' perception of beef burgers with different healthy attributes

3 Mayra Monteiro Viana, Vivian L Silva, Marco A Trindade

4 Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Brazil.

5 Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, 225 - Campus da USP – CEP: 13635-900 -

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6 Pirassununga/SP, Brazil.

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8 Corresponding author: Mayra Monteiro Viana

9 Email: mayra.viana@usp.br

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10

11 1. Introduction

12
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13 The increase in consumer interest in healthy products has created a potential

14 market for meat products with healthy attributes, such as those with reduced sodium or
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15 reduced fat (Resurreccion, 2004). Additionally, there is growing interest in the

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16 development of meat products with new health attributes (Decker & Park, 2010; Weiss,
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17 Gibis, Schuh, & Salminen, 2010), such as providing natural antioxidants (Karre, Lopez,

18 & Getty, 2013; Zhang, Xiao, Samaraweera, Lee, & Ahn, 2010) or dietary fiber
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19 (Martínez, Miranda, Franco, Cepeda, & Vázquez, 2011).

20 Although this market is promising, it is important to understand consumers’

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21 perceptions of and attitudes toward new products to achieve appropriate product

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22 positioning (Carrillo, Varela, Salvador, & Fiszman, 2011; Furst, Connors, Bisogni,

23 Sobal, & Falk, 1996). To better understand consumer choice, some authors have

24 endorsed the use of indirect research methods. The evaluation of individuals’ behavior

25 regarding food may provide insight into factors that influence consumer choices

26 (Garber, Hyatt, & Starr, 2003).

27 In general, a favorable attitude towards a product can mean that the consumer

28 has a greater propensity to purchase it. In this context, projective techniques can

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Abstract

Although the demand for healthy foods has increased, the desire for convenience

prevails. Thus, there is an opportunity to popularize convenient yet healthy food.

Despite efforts investigating the technical feasibility of achieving healthy attributes in

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meat products, few studies have addressed consumer perceptions regarding these

products. Projective techniques have been used to better understand consumer

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attitudes towards foods and beverages. For these reasons, the objective of this study

was to evaluate the suitability of the projective technique of word association to obtain

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inferences about consumer perceptions regarding four types of frozen burgers:

traditional, reduced-sodium, reduced-fat and with antioxidants. The projective

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technique of word association was employed with cluster analysis based on an
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attitudinal questionnaire. Fifty-six consumers participated. Healthiness, Good Flavor,

Quality/Flavor Apprehension and Fat/Calories were the most mentioned categories and
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therefore deserve the industry's attention. Different types of burgers revealed distinct
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associations, suggesting that marketing efforts could consider these particular

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attributes. Consumers with different attitudes towards health might have different

perceptions of these meat products, which could be further explored. In general, all
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products considered in this study merit further investigation in quantitative and

qualitative consumer studies, and the projective technique of word association

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deserves to be increasingly used.

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29 provide an understanding of consumers’ thoughts and feelings (Steinman, 2009). This

30 approach reveals the deep values and needs of individuals (van Kleef, van Trijp, &

31 Luning, 2005).

32 Projective techniques have proven to be powerful tools for rapidly obtaining

33 information and are sometimes used as an alternative to focus groups. Valuable

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34 insights can be obtained and, even when applied to a small sample size, may direct

35 further studies that better represent the population. Word association is one such

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36 technique that has contributed relevant information about consumers’ behavior (Gaston

37 Ares, Barreiro, Deliza, Gimenez, & Gambaro, 2010; Gaston Ares & Deliza, 2010;

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38 Guerrero et al., 2010; Mitterer-Daltoé, Carrillo, Queiroz, Fiszman, & Varela, 2013;

39 Piqueras-Fiszman, Velasco, Salgado-Montejo, & Spence, 2013; Vidal, Ares, &

40 Giménez, 2013).
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41 In general, projective techniques are still being incorporated into the sensory

42 analysis of food products, and few studies performed in Brazil have been published in
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43 relevant journals. In this regard, the aim of this study was to preliminarily evaluate the
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44 suitability of the projective technique of word association to obtain inferences about

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45 consumers’ perceptions regarding frozen burgers with healthy attributes, preceding

46 more in-depth research. More specifically, we sought to classify consumers according

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47 to their attitudes towards health and obtain insights on the perceptions of consumers

48 towards different types of burgers (traditional, reduced-sodium, reduced-fat and with

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49 antioxidants).
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50

51 2. Materials and methods

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53 The study was divided in four main parts: (1) overview of the study and

54 consumer sample; (2) description of the stimuli used; (3) task undertaken by

55 consumers; and (4) data analysis.

56

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57 2.1. Overview of the study and consumer sample

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59 The study was conducted at a sensory evaluation laboratory located at an

60 university in Brazil. Participants were invited by email and recruited from the university

61 community. The intention was to gain insight into how consumers address different

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62 healthy attributes in burgers, so the sample was not planned to represent an actual

63 market population but rather to provide valuable qualitative inferences. For this reason,

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64 the participants were eligible to complete the tasks only if they had eaten frozen food

65 that was bought for home consumption in the previous three months or if they had

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66 eaten any type of burger, inside or outside the home, also in the previous three

67 months.

68
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Fifty-six people participated in the study, of whom 78.6% were females and
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69 21.4% were males. Regarding socio-economic characteristics, 80.4% of the

70 respondents were aged 18-25 years. Only six subjects were aged between 26 and 35
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71 years, comprising 10.7% of the sample. There were five participants from 46 to 55
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72 years old, representing 8.9% of the total. The level of education also did not display
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73 much variability. Most participants (60.7%) had incomplete higher education, 33.7%

74 had complete higher education, and 5.4% had completed high school as the highest
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75 level of education. Table 1 summarizes information on the sample.

76
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77 2.2. Description of the stimuli used

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79 The stimuli used in this study were images of frozen burgers with different

80 information regarding the product. The frozen burger is widely known and consumed in

81 Brazil and worldwide. The types of frozen burgers considered in this study were:

82 traditional (stimulus A), reduced-sodium (stimulus B), reduced-fat (stimulus C), and

83 with antioxidants (stimulus D).

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84 In total, four sets of four cards were used as stimuli, each card with identical

85 images of a frozen burger but with different specifications regarding the type of burger

86 and also with different encodings. The cards were printed with colored ink and wrapped

87 with self-adhesive paper. The stimuli used are shown in Figure 1.

88

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89 2.3. Task undertaken by consumers

90

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91 The participants were instructed and directed to individual booths in the sensory

92 analysis laboratory to perform the task, where the stimuli were already positioned. The

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93 researchers paid attention to the randomization of the cards (stimuli), which was

94 previously established and guaranteed.

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Each consumer received a questionnaire with instructions and answer spaces.
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96 The cards with the types of burgers were evaluated from left to right by responding to

97 each one with associations, thoughts or feelings that came to mind on the
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98 questionnaire. Then, the consumers were asked to indicate the degree of agreement
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99 with respect to a series of statements that comprised the attitudinal questionnaire. The
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100 statements were selected and adapted from two studies that aimed to identify

101 consumer perceptions of food with healthy attributes (Gastón Ares, Giménez, &
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102 Gámbaro, 2008; Menezes, Deliza, Chan, & Guinard, 2011). These mentioned studies

103 used attitudinal questionnaires regarding health and nutrition, food neophobia and
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104 functional products.

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105 The consumers were asked to mark the degree of agreement with each of the

106 10 statements on a nine-point scale, ranging from one (strongly disagree) to nine

107 (strongly agree). These responses would form the basis for identification of different

108 groups of consumers considering their attitudes. Table 2 shows the sentences that

109 composed the attitudinal questionnaire and the topics addressed in each sentence

110 (these divisions were not presented to the participants).

111

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112 2.4. Data analysis

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114 2.4.1. Cluster analysis

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116 After tabulating and coding the data, a cluster analysis was performed. The

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117 hierarchical clustering was conducted to identify possible groups of consumers with

118 internally similar behavior and externally different behavior based on the attitudinal

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119 questionnaire. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using Ward’s method and

120 applying the squared Euclidean Distance as the distance or similarity measure. In this

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121 method, which is the most commonly used, cluster members are obtained by

122 calculating the total sum of squared deviations from the mean of a cluster. The analysis

123 was performed in the XLSTAT 2013 program.

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124

125 2.4.2. Word association

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126
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127 The word association test was analyzed in a qualitative way as a projective
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128 technique. All associations provided by the participants were considered, and the

129 analysis began by searching for the most recurrent terms.

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130 For each stimulus (type of burger) shown to the consumers, the participant was

131 asked to provide four words or terms. By transcribing the data collected, 547
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132 associations were identified.

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133 The categorization was performed so that terms with similar meanings were

134 grouped in the same category. A category was considered for further analysis if its

135 terms were cited by more than 5% of the respondents. The associations were then

136 grouped into a total of 19 final categories. The frequencies at which each category was

137 mentioned for each type of burger were obtained.

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139 3. Results and discussion

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140

141 3.1. Cluster analysis

142

143 The use of cluster analysis was performed because in consumer studies that

144 focus on a niche market, it is important to consider the consumer profile. In this study,

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145 the hierarchical clustering based on the attitudinal questionnaire (feeding, personal

146 interest in health and products with healthy attributes) allowed the identification of three

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147 groups of consumers. Each of these groups comprised consumers who provided

148 similar degrees of agreement to the statements of the attitudinal questionnaire. The

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149 dendrogram obtained is presented in Figure 2.

150 Cluster 1 contained the greatest number of consumers (43% of total), Cluster 2

151
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contained the lowest number (23%), and Cluster 3 comprised an intermediate
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152 percentage of consumers (34%).

153 It was possible to identify, through the degree of agreement with each sentence,
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154 the group that was most prone to be interested in healthy attributes. Table 3 shows the
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155 degree of agreement of the clusters with the sentences that composed the attitudinal
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156 questionnaire.

157 The interpretation of the Table 3 allows some general inferences. Cluster 1
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158 provided the highest means (degree of agreement) for some sentences from the

159 attitudinal questionnaire. Thus, this group was slightly more likely to be interested in
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160 foods with healthy attributes.

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161 Cluster 2 showed a tendency to provide lower degrees of agreement in some

162 sentences classified as related to a personal interest in health. Thus, this group of

163 consumers could be considered as the least prone, among the three, to be interested

164 in foods with healthy attributes.

165 Regarding Cluster 3, based on the values assigned to the sentences, it was

166 found that this group of consumers could be considered moderately prone to interest in

167 foods with healthy attributes based on some sentences and were more likely to be

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168 interested in attributes that contributed to weight loss.

169 A study conducted in Uruguay also identified differences in the patterns of

170 preference according to consumer profiles. Thus, healthier products should be

171 marketed to specific groups of people and not aim to please the entire consumer

172 market (Gaston Ares & Gambaro, 2007).

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173 In a Brazilian study of exotic fruit juices, it was found that attitudinal issues

174 influenced the sensory acceptability of products, reinforcing the need to target

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175 particular consumers when developing products with healthy attributes (Vidigal, Minim,

176 Carvalho, Milagres, & Goncalves, 2011).

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177

178 3.2. Word Association

179
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180 Rather than being regarded as conclusive, the following results of the word

181 association test for frozen burgers should be interpreted as an invitation to conduct
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182 further studies. In this study, a total of 19 categories were identified from words elicited
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183 from consumers. Table 4 shows these categories as well as examples of individual
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184 associations and frequencies of mention in total and by type of burger.

185 The Healthiness category showed the highest frequency of mention, which is
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186 explained by the fact that three of the four stimuli (types of burgers) were products with

187 healthy attributes. The traditional burger had virtually no associations in this category,
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188 as expected. However, it was found that healthiness was important to the consumers,
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189 having positive associations. This observation supports the opportunity to develop

190 meat products with these attributes for the market. The information contained on

191 packages should be displayed in such a way to contribute to healthier choices

192 (Lappalainen, Kearney, & Gibney, 1998).

193 The second most mentioned category was Good Flavor. These associations

194 were related mainly to the traditional burger, and the other types were slightly less

195 associated with terms such as "delicious" and "tasty". The third category corresponded

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196 to Quality/Flavor Apprehension. Consumers suggested that some types of burgers with

197 healthy attributes could lose this desirable food characteristic.

198 From a sensory point of view, the consumer preference for meat was influenced

199 by appearance, tenderness, flavor and juiciness. Although these factors are recurrent,

200 consumers have also displayed increasing health concerns (Resurreccion, 2004).

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201 The fourth most cited category, Fat/Calories, was primarily associated with the

202 traditional burger. It was expected that this association would be reduced in the burger

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203 with reduced fat, but surprisingly, the term was also relatively in frequent for the other

204 products with healthy attributes. The decrease in mentions of this term for the reduced-

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205 sodium and antioxidant burgers thus contributed to lowering this predominantly

206 negative association with the Fat/Calorie category.

207
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This analysis suggests that different types of burgers induced different
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208 associations. Furthermore, the key associations observed for each stimulus were

209 evaluated. Table 5 shows the frequencies of mention of the categories by each
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210 consumer group (clusters based on attitude).

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211 The traditional burger was predominantly associated with the category Good
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212 Flavor. This type of product was perceived as tasty by the three clusters, but Cluster 2

213 accounted for a higher percentage of association. The second most recurrent category
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214 for the traditional burger was Fat/Calories. Consumers in Clusters 1 and 3 provided

215 more references in this category. The Method of Consumption and Indifference were
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216 the third and fourth categories most frequently cited for the traditional burger.
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217 The reduced-sodium burger was associated predominantly with terms referring

218 to Healthiness. The three groups of consumers divided based on attitude provided

219 considerable frequency of mention in this category. The second category most cited in

220 association with the reduced-sodium burger was Quality/Flavor Apprehension. Suitable

221 for Hypertensive was the third most recurring category for the burger with reduced

222 sodium. This is therefore an interesting appeal to be considered by advertising

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223 professionals for products with this healthy attribute. This association was mainly

224 provided by consumers in Clusters 1 and 2.

225 The consumers considered the burger with reduced fat as healthy (Healthiness

226 category). This was observed in all three clusters and is consistent with expectations.

227 The second most frequent category for the reduced fat burger was Favorable to diet.

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228 This association was mainly observed for this type of burger and not for products with

229 the other healthy claims. Thus, this attribute should be communicated to consumers

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230 when placing this product on the market. The third most recurrent category for the

231 reduced-fat burger was Quality/Flavor Apprehension. Still, fourthly, Interest/Curiosity to

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232 Taste was identified.

233 The burger with antioxidants was predominantly perceived as healthy

234
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(Healthiness category) relative to other associations, even in the absence of
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235 information regarding the nature of antioxidants supposedly present. The second most

236 recurrent category for the burger with antioxidants was Interest/Curiosity to Taste.
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237 There was a higher frequency for this association among the consumers in Cluster 2.
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238 Quality/Flavor Apprehension was the third most cited category among Cluster 2.
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239 Advertising for this type of burger could be based not only on healthiness but also on

240 the "novelty" factor, as an interest and curiosity was observed even among those
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241 consumers who, in the attitudinal questionnaire, were less likely to be interested in food

242 with healthy attributes.

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243 It is important to emphasize that the traditional burger, considered in this study,
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244 was not intrinsically viewed as healthy by the consumers. Thus, the development and

245 commercialization of functionally or nutritionally improved meat products could be more

246 challenging compared to the commercialization of products that conventionally have a

247 healthier image (Hathwar, Rai, Modi, & Narayan, 2012).

248

249 4. Conclusions

250

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251 The word association test is suggested to be a powerful technique for sensory

252 analysis and marketing research. Improving the awareness of this method was one of

253 the motivations of this study. The projective technique of word association was

254 considered a relevant methodology for this investigation.

255 Additionally, this empirical study provides relevant qualitative insights. Our

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256 results revealed the perceptions of consumers towards burgers with healthy attributes,

257 although the small sample size does not allow the generalization of the results.

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258 Healthiness, Good Flavor, Quality/Flavor Apprehension and Fat/Calories were the four

259 categories most frequently mentioned by the consumers. Thus, these attributes can be

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260 considered to deserve more attention in the development of new products and in the

261 advertising and publicizing of these products.

262
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Different types of burgers inspired distinct associations, as revealed by
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263 analyzing the most recurrent categories, suggesting that efforts to develop and

264 promote products should consider these characteristics in consumer perceptions.

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265 Additionally, consumers with different attitudes towards health may have different
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266 perceptions of several of the healthy attributes selected, which can be additionally
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267 explored. All burger types considered here merit further quantitative and qualitative

268 studies to understand the perceptions of consumers towards burgers with healthy
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269 attributes.

270 The present study encourages the increased use of the powerful projective
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271 technique of word association in food products. The results particularly invite those in
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272 the areas of R&D and marketing to take greater care when positioning and launching a

273 frozen burger with healthy attributes. Additionally, this study supports the conduction of

274 further quantitative studies on the subject using a statistically representative sample.

275

276 5. References

277

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313 Karre, L., Lopez, K., & Getty, K. J. K. (2013). Natural antioxidants in meat and poultry

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333 solutions: A case study involving jam jars. Food Quality and Preference, 28(1),

334 328-338. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.10.006

335 Resurreccion, A. V. A. (2004). Sensory aspects of consumer choices for meat and

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338 Steinman, R. (2009). Projective Techniques in Consumer Research. (5), 37-45.

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359

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Table 1. Socio-economic characteristics of the sample.

Cluster ClusterCluster
1 2 3 χ2
Age 6.5
18-25 years 66.70% 100.00% 84.20%
26-35 years 16.70% 0.00% 10.50%

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36-45 years 16.70% 0.00% 5.30%
Sex 6.7
Female 83.30% 61.50% 84.20%

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Male 16.70% 38.50% 15.80%
Education 11.9*

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High school 4.20% 15.40% 0.00%
Incomplete
Graduation 45.80% 84.60% 63.20%
Graduation 50.00% 0.00% 36.80%

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Income group (monthly minimum wages) 9.2
1 0.00% 7.70% 5,30%
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2-3 20.80% 7.70% 26,30%
4-5 25.00% 30.80% 21,10%
6-10 33.30% 23.10% 36.80%
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11-15 16.70% 23.10% 10.50%

Over 15 4.20% 0.00% 0.00%
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Uninformed 0.00% 7.70% 0.00%

*There is difference at the 5% significance level
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Table 2. Statements used in attitudinal questionnaire separated by topic.

Topic Statement Statement for evaluation

number a
Feeding 1 I am afraid to consume a food that I have
never tasted before b
Feeding 2 I eat almost anything
Personal interest in health 3 I always follow a healthy and balanced diet
Personal interest in health 4 For me, a low-fat diet is important
Personal interest in health 5 For me, a low-sodium diet is important

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Personal interest in health 9 I would consume a healthier food even if I
did not like it as much
Personal interest in health 10 I am interested in losing weight

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Foods with healthy 6 The consumption of antioxidants can
attributes reduce the risk of some diseases
Foods with healthy 7 I trust information regarding the health

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attributes effects provided by food
Foods with healthy 8 I believe that functional foods fulfill their
attributes promises
a
The phrase number preceding each sentence indicates the order in which it appeared

U
to consumers.
b
Sentences with a negative effect on attitude had the 9-point scale reversed for data
AN
analysis.

Table 3. Degree of agreement of the clusters with the sentences that composed
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the attitudinal questionnaire.

D

Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

Sentence 1 6.1Aa 7.2Aa 5.8Ba
TE

Sentence 2 6.5Aa 5.8Aba 5.6Ba

Sentence 3 5.9Aa 2.8CDb 4.8Ba

EP

Sentence 4 7.2Aa 4.3BCDb 5.5Bb

Sentence 5 7.4Aa 3.4BCDc 5.2Bb

C

Sentence 6 7.9Aa 5.1ABCb 4.9Bb

AC

Sentence 7 6.5Aa 4.8ABCb 4.6Bb

Sentence 8 6.4Aa 5.6ABa 5.4Ba

Sentence 9 6.6Aa 3.8BCDb 4.9Bb

Sentence 10 6.0Ab 2.0Dc 8.0Aa

Means followed by the same lowercase letter in arrow and uppercase letter in a column
do not differ significantly at 5% of significance by the Tukey test (after ANOVA). The
factors were assessed using a 9-point scale, where 0 = strongly disagree and 9 =
strongly agree.
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Table 4. Results of word association, examples of individual associations and

frequencies of the mentioned categories.

Category Individual associations Total A a Bb Cc Dd

1) Healthiness Health, Healthy 85 1 29 32 23
2) Good Flavor Delicious, Tasty 58 38 9 5 6
3) Quality/Flavor Apprehension Will it have the same
41 2 15 16 8
taste?

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4) Fat/Calorie High-fat, Caloric 28 21 4 1 2
5) Favorable to Diet Not as fattening, Diet 25 0 0 24 1
6) Appearance Good looking, Beautiful 23 6 5 5 7

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7) Interest/Curiosity to Taste Attractive, Interesting 22 0 4 8 10
8) Ingredient Meat, Additive 20 5 6 4 5
9) Good Quality Good, Good quality 19 2 7 5 5

SC
10) Method of Consumption Snack, Roasted 17 12 2 2 1
11) Suitable for Hypertensive Hypertension, Pressure 16 0 16 0 0
12) Indifference Common, Normal 14 9 2 2 1

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13) Shelflife Lasts longer, Shelflife 8 0 0 0 8
14) Concern about the Price More expensive, Higher
8 0 4 1 3
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price
15) Mistrust/Doubt Would take a look at the
7 0 1 0 6
label, Distrust
16) Different Different 6 0 2 0 4
M

17) Youth Anti-aging, Beauty 5 0 0 0 5

18) Functionality Functional 4 0 1 0 3
19) Importance Important 4 0 1 2 1
D

a
Traditional Burger
TE

b
Reduced-sodium burger
c
Reduced-fat burger
c
Burger with antioxidants
C EP
AC
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Table 5. Results of word association with frequencies of the mentioned categories by

type of burger and by cluster.

Traditional Reduced-sodium
burger burger Reduced-fat burger Burger with antioxidants
Categories C1 C2 C3 C1 C2 C3 C1 C2 C3 C1 C2 C3
1) Healthiness 0 0 1 11 7 11 12 8 12 10 5 7
2) Good Flavor
15 10 12 3 2 3 2 2 1 3 1 2
3) Quality/Flavor

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Apprehension 0 2 0 2 6 7 6 4 6 3 3 2
4) Fat/Calorie
9 3 8 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0
5) Favorable to
Diet 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 6 6 0 0 1

RI
6) Appearance
2 2 2 1 1 3 1 1 2 2 2 2
7)
Interest/Curiosit
y to Taste 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 2 2 3 5 2

SC
8) Ingredient
3 0 1 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0
9) Good Quality
1 0 1 3 1 1 3 1 0 4 0 0
10) Method of
Consumption 4 5 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

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11) Suitable for
Hypertensive 0 0 0 8 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
12) Indifference
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2 2 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
13) Shelflife
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0
14) Concern
about the Price 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 0
15)
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Mistrust/Doubt 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
16) Different
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
17) Youth
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0
D

18) Functionality
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
19) Importance
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
TE

*C = Cluster
C EP
AC
 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

PT
RI
U SC
AN
M
D

Figure 1. Stimuli used in the projective technique of word association.

TE
C EP
AC

Figure 2. Dendrogram derived from cluster analysis.

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Highlights

• Consumers’ perceptions of burgers with different healthy attributes were studied.

• The projective technique was used to obtain insight into consumers’ perceptions.

• The categories Healthiness and Good Flavor were mentioned, deserving further

attention.

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• Different types of frozen burgers revealed distinct associations.

• Consumers with different attitudes towards health had different perceptions.

RI
U SC
AN
M
D
TE
C EP
AC