PROFILE, KNOWLEDGE, CONSUMPTION AND PREFERENCE OF CONSUMERS IN RELATION TO CHEESES, PRATO CHEESE AND PROBIOTICS

• Autor(a) principal: Juscinele Calsavara, Juscinele Francisca Vieira Calsavara
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Camila Horta Gaudereto Rodrigues, Fabiana de Oliveira Martins, André Narvaes da Rocha Campos, Antônio Fernandes de Carvalho, Maurilio Lopes Martins, Bruno Ricardo de Castro Leite Júnior
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Interfaces Científicas. Saúde e Ambiente (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.set.edu.br/saude/article/view/11581

The consumption of probiotic foods is booming and cheeses is promising for carrying them. The objective was to apply an online questionnaire to identify the profile of the respondents, the knowledge, consumption and preference in relation to cheeses, Prato cheese and probiotics. An online questionnaire was applied to 531 participants and the results were expressed in percentages. To demonstrate the respondents’ perception about the reasons for probiotic consumption, a cloud of words was constructed. It was found that 74% of the respondents were aged between 18 and 50 years, and 60.8% were women and that 77% had a graduation. In addition, 99.4% consumed cheese and 55.5% said they consumed it at least once a day. Prato cheese was known by 98.0%, however, 46% rarely consumed it, with origination, flavor and price being the most important factors at the time of purchase. The knowledge about probiotics was 84.9%, and that 78.7% knew about their benefits and 64.9% used them. Gut health was the most evident factor in the cloud of words. About the offering of probiotic cheese in the market, 92.8% said it was interesting and 83% were curious to consume it, and the younger people and from Minas Gerais more receptive to these products. Female biological individuals (45.4%) showed greater interest in probiotic Prato cheese and 70% of respondents would pay between 5 and 10% more in this cheese. Therefore, the development of probiotic cheeses represents innovation once they are scarce in Brazil and this study showed consumer interest in them.   Keywords: Functional food. Consumer study. Dairy. Product of animal origin.