Relationship Between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices for the Consumption of Spirulina-Enriched Fruit and Vegetable Juices: Structural Equation Modelling and Consumers' Preference Evaluation Approach.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The presented study aimed to understand the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as consumers' preferences for the consumption of Spirulina-enriched fruit and vegetable juices. Methods: A survey about the consumers' attitudes towards consumption of algae in general and especially Spirulina was conducted to better understand the target groups and marketing strategies for this novel non-alcoholic beverage product. Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) model in combination with structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to test the hypothesised relationships between the variables. Additionally, consumers' preference test was done using a seven-point hedonic scale and ranking of the six juice samples: plain sour cherry juice (SC1), sour cherry juice with 0.8% (SC2) and 1.6% (SC3) of blue Spirulina powder; plain tomato juice (T1), tomato juice with 0.8% (T2) and 1.6% (T3) of blue Spirulina powder. Results: The SEM results showed that there is a limited direct impact of knowledge on social motivation, while personal behaviour strongly predicts social motivation. Namely, perceived nutritional value and health benefits were shown to be the main factors for consumers' willingness to drink Spirulina-enriched juice. Conclusions: The result of the consumer preference evaluation exposed that the juices containing sour cherry and Spirulina achieved better sensory acceptance and ranking than those containing tomato, pointing out the importance of the product matrix for achieving consumer acceptance.