beverages

Article
Consumer’s Attitude Regarding Soluble Coffee
Enriched with Antioxidants
Marinês Paula Corso 1, *, Daneysa Lahis Kalschne 2,3 and Marta de Toledo Benassi 3
1 Departamento Acadêmico de Alimentos, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Avenida Brasil,
n. 4232, Medianeira 85884-000, Paraná, Brazil
2 Departamento Acadêmico de Química, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Avenida Brasil, n. 4232,
Medianeira 85884-000, Paraná, Brazil; [email protected]
3 Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Estadual
de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km380, Campus Universitário, Cx. Postal 6001,
Londrina 86051-980, Paraná, Brazil; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +55-45-3240-8000




Received: 20 August 2018; Accepted: 26 September 2018; Published: 1 October 2018


Abstract: Brazil is the second largest coffee consumer in the world. The development of new products
related to healthy eating is one of the demands to maintain this scenario. This research aimed to
investigate the role of socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral characteristics on the acceptance
of functional foods by coffee consumers. A questionnaire developed and applied in Belgium was
previously translated and validated for application with Brazilian consumers. The habits of coffee
consumption, knowledge and interest were investigated regarding functional soluble coffee enriched
with antioxidants. The self-administered study was performed with 270 consumers. Acceptance
was measured by two items: “Functional foods are all right for me as long as they taste good” and
“Functional foods are all right for me even if they taste worse than their conventional counterpart
foods”, obtaining a mean score of 4.03 and 2.79 (scale 1: totally disagree and 5: totally agree),
respectively. The acceptance of functional foods increased with age, schooling, income, belief in
the health benefits and knowledge about functional foods for both items. There was no significant
correlation between price and acceptance. With regards to a functional soluble coffee product, the
sensory quality was more determinant for its acceptance than price.

Keywords: consumer behavior; instant coffee; functional food; marketing research; sensory
quality; price

1. Introduction
Coffee consumption in Brazil was about 21.99 million bags of 60 Kg in 2017, with an increase
of 3.6% compared to 2016, corresponding to twice the average world growth. With this volume, the
country stands as the second largest consumer of coffee in the world [1,2]. Since 2013, the Associação
Brasileira da Indústria de Café (ABIC) and the Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento
(MAPA) have conducted surveys on coffee consumption trends. Recent data confirmed that coffee is
a consolidated product, maintaining a high and stable presence in 80% of Brazilian households, but
it is important to keep a continuous effort to maintain this consumer behavior. According to ABIC,
to stimulate the demand, it is necessary to increase investments in marketing, and in the differentiation
and innovation of coffee products. This could be done by highlighting the coffee attributes to create a
relationship between healthy living, well-being, energy, and pleasure that coffee consumption provides.
Nowadays consumers have more information about the types and qualities of coffee and declare that
they are looking for practicality, quality and diversity in coffee [2].

Beverages 2018, 4, 72; doi:10.3390/beverages4040072 www.mdpi.com/journal/beverages

Beverages 2018, 4, 72 2 of 11

In the process of innovation and development of new products, market research is one of the
most used tools for decision making due to its ability to express consumer behavior, wants or needs
and to make it possible to measure product acceptance [3]. Functional products are one of the priority
areas for innovation in the food industry [4,5]. In this context, one of the critical factors of success is
the acceptance of this concept by the consumer. Thus, Verbeke [6], based on an extensive literature
review, proposed socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral determinants that could affect the
acceptance of functional foods, and designed a multi-item questionnaire to study these parameters.
The questionnaire addresses the hypotheses that the acceptance of functional foods can be affected by
knowledge, the perception of the role of food for health, belief in the health benefit of functional foods,
and price perception, as well as the socio-demographic characteristics of the consumer. We highlight
the impact of the mentioned work, which has 317 citations in the ISI database, with 91 citations in the
last 5 years (Web of knowledge).
Studies to verify the behavior and attitudes of consumers regarding functional foods have been
carried out mainly in European countries [6–16], in North America [7,17,18], and in Asia [15,19].
In South America, some works have been developed in Uruguay [20–25]. In Brazil, which ranks fifth
in healthy food and beverage sales, and has a 98% growth in the health food market between 2009 and
2014 according to a study by Euromonitor International [26], there is just a few studies with this focus,
such as Melo, Teixeira and Zandonadi [27] and Cruz et al. [28].
Corso, Vignoli and Benassi [29] proposed an instant coffee product enriched with chlorogenic
acids (from green Coffea canephora beans) for the Brazilian market. Green coffee freeze dried extracts
were added to freeze dried extracts of C. arabica and C. canephora with two roast degrees. Overall, the
formulations were well accepted, and the enriched formulations based only on C. canephora (green
and roasted bean extracts) showed higher antioxidant potential. However, no product of this kind is
available in the Brazilian market so far.
The development and trade of functional food products are quite complex, expensive and risky.
Therefore, in addition to technological obstacles, the demands and attitudes of consumers towards a
given functional food should be studied [4], since its acceptance will depend on the target audience
and may be affected by cultural issues [7,15].
Thus, the present study aimed to investigate: (1) The role of socio-demographic, cognitive and
behavioral characteristics in the acceptance of functional foods by coffee consumers; (2) The habits
of coffee consumption, knowledge, and interest regarding functional soluble coffee enriched with
antioxidants. The study was conducted in the State of Paraná/Brazil, a traditional coffee producer
state, in which two of seven major soluble coffee industries in the country were located.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Participants
A transversal data collection was performed with 303 coffee consumers living in 34 cities in the
State of Paraná/Brazil (Supplementary material, Figure S1). All participants were coffee consumers
and were responsible for buying food for their homes. From this sample, 33 cases were excluded
based on the analysis of inconsistent responses (item 2.2) or on missing observations in one or more
of the variables of interest, thus generating a final sample of 270 consumers. Subjects were selected
through non-probabilistic sampling, in easily accessible locations (universities and municipal markets),
interviewed personally and informed that they would be asked to complete a self-administered
questionnaire, providing personal and opinion data. The study was authorized to collect data from
consumers by the Research Ethics Committee involving human beings from Universidade Estadual de
Londrina (Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Evaluation No 0143.0.268. 000-10).
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 3 of 11

2.2. Research Instrument-Questionnaire and Scales

The acceptance of functional foods by consumers was evaluated by studying the effect of four
factors: Knowledge, perception of the role of food in health, belief in the health benefit of functional
foods, and price perception, using a questionnaire prepared by Verbeke [6] and translated and validated
by Corso and Benassi [30] (Table 1). The research used a 5-point structured Likert-type scale; it was
anchored at the extremes and in the middle by the expressions (1) Totally not agree; (3) Neutral; and (5)
Fully agree. The exception was to statement three, referring to the knowledge factor of the instrument,
for which the expressions—(1) Low; (2) Medium; and (3) High—were used.
Two items in the questionnaire were the basis for determining acceptance of functional foods:
“Functional foods are all right for me as long as they taste good” (item 4) and, “Functional foods are
all right for me even if they taste worse than their conventional counterpart foods” (item 5) (Table 1).
Both consider flavor as a premise for food acceptance, as several studies report that consumers are
not willing to compromise sensory quality, even when it comes to functional foods [4,8,31,32]. In case
of a score less than 3 for item 4 but equal to or higher than 3 for item 5, the results were considered
inconsistent and were therefore withdrawn from the sample as suggested by Verbeke [6].
The “knowledge” factor was measured by taking into consideration three items (Table 1) showing
a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.73, calculated according to the literature [33]. The items were added
and the sum value used for bivariate data analysis as a continuous variable, with a range from 1
to 15. A similar approach was used for the three items evaluated for the “perception of the role of
food for health” factor (Cronbach alpha = 0.64). For the “belief in health benefits” factor, four items
were considered (Cronbach alpha = 0.67), with the sum value ranging from 1 to 20. Cronbach alpha
coefficients above 0.6 indicated internal consistency in the questionnaire and satisfactory reliability in
measurements for exploratory research [34].

Table 1. Items addressed in the instrument for assessing the impact of cognitive and attitudinal
determinants on the acceptance of functional foods.

Knowledge
1. “I know foods with specific health benefit impacts.”
2. “I know enriched foods.”
3. “How do you judge your knowledge about functional foods?”
Acceptance of Functional Foods
4. “Functional foods are all right for me as long as they taste good.”
5. “Functional foods are all right for me even if they taste worse than their conventional counterpart foods”
Perception of the role of food in health
6. “Food plays an important role in my health.”
7. “I feel I have control over my health.”
8. “I feel that my food is healthier now than it was five years ago.”
Belief in health benefits
9. “Functional foods have a beneficial impact on my health.”
10. “I perceive functional foods as part of a natural way of life.”
11. “Functional foods allow me to take control of my health.”
12. “The consumption of functional foods is a convenient way to get the recommended daily intake of
certain components, which I would never get from my conventional diet.”
Perception of price
13. “In my opinion, functional foods are very expensive considering their claimed health benefits.”

The concept of functional foods was defined in the questionnaire, using the statement suggested
by Verbeke [6]: “Functional foods are normal foods that claim health protection effects when consumed
in normal amounts (portions) by healthy people”. The socio-demographic characteristics and two
elements of knowledge (items 1 and 2, Table 1) were evaluated before providing this definition thus
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 4 of 11

without the help of the information. The remaining items (3 to 13, Table 1) were administered after
defining the concept of functional foods.
Questions addressing coffee consumption habits, knowledge about the health benefits of coffee
and antioxidants, and interest in functional soluble coffee were included in the research (Table 2).
Beverages 2018, 4, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 11
For these questions and for questions on socio-demographic data collection, multiple choice (question
1–3, Table
3, Table2),2),open-ended (question
open-ended (question 4–6,
4–6, Table
Table 2) and
2) and dichotomous
dichotomous (question
(question 7–10,
7–10, Table Tablewere
2) items 2) items
wereused.
used.

Table 2. Approaches
Table forfor
2. Approaches assessing
assessingthe
thedemand forsoluble
demand for solublecoffee
coffee enriched
enriched with
with antioxidants.
antioxidants.

Questions
Questions
1. Which type (s) of coffee do you usually consume?
1. Which type (s) of coffee do you usually consume?
2. How
2. How oftenoften doconsume
do you you consume soluble
soluble coffeecoffee (if consumed)?
(if consumed)?
3. When
3. When you consume
you consume soluble
soluble coffeecoffee (if consumed),
(if consumed), what what is your
is your average
average consumption
consumption (cups)?
(cups)?
4. Have
4. Have you heard
you ever ever heard
of theofbenefits
the benefits of coffee
of coffee ingestion?
ingestion? WhatWhat are they?
are they?
5. Have
5. Have you heard
you ever ever heard
of theofbenefits
the benefits of coffee
of coffee ingestion?
ingestion? WhatWhat are they?
are they?
6. Have you ever
6. Have you heard of theofbenefits
ever heard of antioxidants
the benefits of antioxidants ingestion? WhatWhat
ingestion? are they?
are they?
7. Would you consume
7. Would functional
you consume soluble
functional coffeecoffee
soluble (enriched with antioxidants)?
(enriched with antioxidants)?
8. Would you consume
8. Would functional
you consume soluble
functional coffee coffee
soluble if it theifsensory aspectsaspects
it the sensory (taste, aroma, appearance) were worse
(taste, aroma,
than appearance)
the conventional one?
were worse than the conventional one?
9. Would you consume a functional soluble coffee if it were more expensive than the conventional?
9. Would you consume a functional soluble coffee if it were more expensive than the
10. Do you know any type of soluble coffee marketed with a functional claim?
conventional?
10. Do you know any type of soluble coffee marketed with a functional claim?
2.3. Data Analysis
2.3. Data Analysis
The normal distribution of the data was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test. As a non-normal
The was
distribution normal distribution
observed, of the data
differences was verified
between by the
variables Shapiro-Wilk
were test. As
verified using a non-normal
the non-parametric
distribution was observed, differences between variables were verified using the non-parametric
Mann-Whitney U test at 5% probability level. The degree of association between variables was
Mann-Whitney U test at 5% probability level. The degree of association between variables was
measured using the Kendall’s tau coefficient (τ) at 5% probability levels. Statistical analyses were
measured using the Kendall's tau coefficient (τ) at 5% probability levels. Statistical analyses were
performed by Statistica 8.0 (Statsoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA).
performed by Statistica 8.0 (Statsoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA).
3. Results and Discussion
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Determinants of Functional Foods Acceptance
3.1. Determinants of Functional Foods Acceptance
The The
average
averagescore forfor
score acceptance
acceptanceof offunctional foodsobtained
functional foods obtainedbyby item
item 4 (“if
4 (“if theythey
tastetaste
good”)good”)
was, was,
as expected,
as expected,higher than
higher thanthat
thatobtained
obtained for for item
item 55(“if
(“ifthey
theytaste
taste worse
worse than
than their
their conventional
conventional
counterpart foods”
counterpart (4.03
foods” (4.03versus 2.79, pp << 0.05);
versus2.79, similarbehavior
0.05); similar behaviorwaswas observed
observed by Verbeke
by Verbeke [6,8]. [6,8].
Verbeke [8] reports that it is a strategically risky option to rely only on consumer
Verbeke [8] reports that it is a strategically risky option to rely only on consumer willingness willingness to to
compromise the taste of functional foods for health. Figure 1 shows the frequency distribution
compromise the taste of functional foods for health. Figure 1 shows the frequency distribution on the on the
Likert
Likert scalescale for these
for these twotwo items.
items.

120
Item 4 - "If they taste good"
Item 5 - "Even if they taste worse than
100 their conventional counterpart foods"
Number of observations

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5

Points on the likert scale

Figure 1. 1.Frequency
Figure Frequencydistribution
distribution on the
the Likert
Likertscale
scalefor
forthe
thefunctional
functional food
food acceptance
acceptance variable
variable (n = (n = 270).
270).
Beverages 2018,
Beverages 2018, 4,
4, 72
x FOR PEER REVIEW 55 of
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11

The socio-demographic characteristics of the group and the average acceptance score of
The socio-demographic
functional foods (items 4 andcharacteristics of the
5) as a function groupcharacteristics
of these and the averageareacceptance
shown in score of 2.
Figure functional
The fact
foods (items 4 and 5) as a function of these characteristics are shown in Figure 2. The
that the participants were responsible for purchasing food for their homes reflected on the inequality fact that the
participants were responsible
in gender distribution, for
since in purchasing
the food for their
surveys conducted withhomes
coffeereflected
consumers,on the inequality
women in mainly
are still gender
distribution,for
responsible since in the surveys
purchasing coffeeconducted with (85%)
for the house coffee and
consumers,
are the women
leading are still mainly
consumers responsible
of the product
for purchasing
(53%) [35]. coffee for the house (85%) and are the leading consumers of the product (53%) [35].
In the socio-demographic context, the group (Figure 2) shows a similar composition. As for the
age and education factors, it includes respondents from a wide age range and all educational levels
(Figure 2).

Figure 2. Socio-demographic
Socio-demographic characteristics
characteristics of
of the
the participants
participants (n == 270)
270) and
and their influence on the
acceptance offunctional
acceptance of functionalfoods
foodsonon a Likert
a Likert scale.
scale. Item
Item 4: they
4: “if “if they
tastetaste good”;
good”; Item
Item 5: 5: “iftaste
“if they theyworse
taste
worse thanconventional
than their their conventional counterpart
counterpart foods”.foods”.

Table 3 shows
Table 3 shows the correlations betweenbetween
the correlations socio-demographic, cognitive and
socio-demographic, attitudinal
cognitive anddeterminants
attitudinal
and acceptance of functional foods. Age, educational level, and income (number
determinants and acceptance of functional foods. Age, educational level, and income (number of minimal Brazilianof
wages)
minimalaffected
Brazilian thewages)
acceptance of functional
affected foodsof(Figure
the acceptance 2). An
functional foodsincrease
(Figurein 2).
theAn
mean acceptance
increase in the
measured
mean by item measured
acceptance 4 was observed with
by item the increase
4 was observedin with
educational level (τ
the increase 0.131, p < 0.05)
in =educational leveland (τ =income
0.131,
(τ = 0.130, p < 0.05) and by item 5, with the increase in age (τ = 0.144, p < 0.05) (Table
p < 0.05) and income (τ = 0.130, p < 0.05) and by item 5, with the increase in age (τ = 0.144, p < 0.05)3). It is possible
that an 3).
(Table increase in the educational
It is possible level and
that an increase in income contributes
the educational to aand
level health concern,
income and hence
contributes to aa greater
health
acceptance of functional foods especially if they are acceptable in terms of sensorial
concern, and hence a greater acceptance of functional foods especially if they are acceptable in terms characteristics.
of sensorial characteristics. However, the concern would need to be even greater, which may occur
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 6 of 11

However, the concern would need to be even greater, which may occur with increasing age, so that
one accepts the idea of functional even with sensory impairment. The consumers may share some
beliefs, however, this will mostly be shaped by the social and cultural influences of their environment.
The gender of the participants was not significantly associated with any of the acceptance
statements (p > 0.05) (Table 3). Urala and Lähteenmäki [9] also found no differences in attitudes
toward functional foods according to gender, while Verbeke [6] found positive correlations between
the acceptance of functional foods and gender (female) and age for Belgian consumers. Considering
that the group of males interviewed in our research was made up of participants older (40% over
30 years old) than the female group (28% over 30 years of age), the acceptance of each gender by groups
within the same age range was compared for item 5 (p > 0.05). The same behavior was observed for
both the female and male gender, respectively (18 to 29 years old: 2.68 vs. 2.63, 30 to 39 years old: 3.00
vs. 2.66 and 40 years or more: 3.14 vs. 3.54). These results confirmed that regardless of their gender,
older people with higher incomes and educational levels show a greater willingness to use functional
foods, emphasizing once again the importance of studying the target consumer.

Table 3. Matrix of correlation between the socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral determinants
and the acceptance of functional foods (n = 270).

Variables Gender 1 Age LE 2 Income K3 PRFH 4 BHB 5 PP 6 Item 4 7 Item 5 8

Gender 1 1.000 −0.092 * −0.028 −0.067 0.199 * 0.078 0.098 * −0.103 * −0.006 −0.008
Age −0.092 * 1.000 0.323 * 0.296 * 0.109 * 0.117 * 0.061 0.162 * 0.024 0.144 *
LE 2 −0.028 0.323 * 1.000 0.460 * 0.328 * 0.137 * 0.054 0.076 0.131 * −0.009
Income −0.067 0.296 * 0.460 * 1.000 0.220 * 0.137 * −0.016 0.059 0.130 * 0.018
K3 0.199 * 0.109 * 0.328 * 0.220 * 1.000 0.213 * 0.247 * −0.069 0.168 * 0.137 *
PRFH 4 0.078 0.117 * 0.137 * 0.137 * 0.213 * 1.000 0.262 * 0.056 0.082 * 0.058
BHB 5 0.098 * 0.061 0.054 −0.016 0.247 * 0.262 * 1.000 −0.014 0.120 * 0.088 *
PP 6 −0.103 * 0.162 * 0.076 0.059 −0.069 0.056 −0.014 1.000 −0.003 0.070
Item 4 7 −0.006 0.024 0.131 * 0.130 * 0.168 * 0.082 * 0.120 * −0.003 1.000 −0.001
Item 5 8 −0.008 0.144 * −0.009 0.018 0.137 * 0.058 0.088 * 0.070 −0.001 1.000
1 Gender: Male = 1, Female = 2; 2 LE: Level Education, 3 K: Knowledge, 4 PRFH: Perception of the role of food for
health; 5 BHB: Belief in health benefits; 6 PP: Perception of the price; 7 Acceptance: If they taste good; 8 Acceptance:
If they taste worse than their conventional counterpart foods; * Significant correlation (p < 0.05).

Regarding cognitive and attitudinal factors, knowledge had a significant positive correlation
with the acceptance measured by both item 4 (τ = 0.168, p < 0.05) and item 5 (τ = 0.137, p < 0.05)
(Table 3). As expected, the higher the education level of the participants, the higher the knowledge
(τ = 0.328, p < 0.05) was, and the higher the perception of the role of food in health was. A positive
correlation was observed between the perception of the role of food in health with its acceptance
measured by item 4 (τ = 0.082, p < 0.05) (Table 3). Tudoran, Olsen and Dopico [36] suggested that a
health promoting message on a product package is not enough for a health-orientation scheme, and
the author highlighted the importance of education level in the consumer health-value orientation.
A positive correlation was also found between the belief in the health benefits of functional foods
and the acceptance of these foods either for the statement “if they taste good” (τ = 0.120, p < 0.05), or
“if they taste worse than their conventional counterpart foods” (τ = 0.088, p < 0.05). It was observed
that gender (higher for females) and increase of the knowledge improve the belief in the health benefits
of functional foods (τ = 0.098, and τ = 0.247, respectively, p < 0.05). Verbeke [6] also verified that
older participants, females and individuals with more knowledge are greater believers in the health
benefits of functional foods (r = 0.123, r = 0.122 and r = 0.348, respectively, p < 0.05). In this way, the
fact that Brazilian women are notably the main responsible for purchasing coffee for their homes and
are the leading consumers of the product is very positive for the commercialization of a functional
coffee product.
Regarding price perception, the claim that “functional foods are very expensive considering
their health benefits” got a score of 3.1 ± 1.1 corresponding to the alternative “I do not agree or
disagree”. Thus, in general, price did not appear to be a barrier for choosing functional foods, since
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 7 of 11

acceptance did not correlate significantly with the perception of price (p > 0.05). The perception that
the price is very high, considering the benefit presented, increased significantly only with the age of
the participants (τ = 0.162, p < 0.05) and for men (τ = −0.103, p < 0.05); it should, however, influence
the older participants’ opinion less since they already have a better acceptance of the functional foods.
This declared behavior was similar to that described by literature [6] for Belgian consumers.

3.2. Demand for Functional Soluble Coffee

Considering that coffee is a widely-consumed beverage (present in more than 80% of
households) [2], this work studied the behavior of consumers against a coffee product with an increase
in functionality (soluble coffee enriched with antioxidant) and the consumers’ awareness of the alleged
functionality of the product. This product type has been commercialized in countries such as France,
Spain, Canadian and others, but it is still not marketed in Brazil. Studies about the development of
this product has already been made [29]. All participants were consumers of one or more types of
coffee brews (Table 4). According to a survey by Euromonitor International [37], the average Brazilian
coffee consumption per day is 3.6 cups for women and 3.7 cups for men. In our study, the participants
showed a higher consumption of soluble coffee brews compared to the national level (33%) [35], but
with a lower frequency (Table 4) than national average (13 days per month) [35].

Table 4. Participants coffee consumption profile (n = 270).

Item Participants (%)

Type of consumed coffee
Grounded/Coarse/Filtered 79
Instant/Soluble 65
Gourmet 6.3
Organic 3.3
Decaffeinated 1.5
Express 0.7
Frequency of soluble consumption
Daily 31
1 to 3 times/week 23
Occasionally 46

Milk-soluble coffee is the most usual form of consumption (57%) compared to those who reported
consuming pure soluble coffee (50%). The consumption of coffee with milk is second in the ranking of
consumption both inside and outside of home, and there may be variations depending on the place
and time of consumption [35].
Table 5 shows the participants’ level of knowledge specifically with regards to the benefits of
coffee ingestion and antioxidants for health, as well as to their attitude towards the product studied.
Data based on the total consumers and highlighting the soluble coffee consumers allow a comparison
which takes into consideration the second group’s higher familiarity with soluble coffee.
Approximately half of the participants reported having heard of the health benefits of coffee
intake (Table 5). It was below the Brazilian average (72%) reported by the ABIC survey [35], in which
36% of the respondents mentioned some benefit. In our research, knowledge was higher among older
and more educated participants (τ = 0.109 and τ = 0.328, respectively, p < 0.05) (Table 5). Karina [38]
also observed a positive correlation between education level and coffee knowledge (0.4494) in a study
with 315 respondents. Among the most cited benefits are stimulant action, similar to that verified by
literature [35] (70%), and antioxidant action (Figure 3).
Beverages 2018, 4, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 11
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 8 of 11
Table 5. Participants’ knowledge and attitude regarding the product studied.

Total Soluble Coffee Consumers

Table 5. Participants’ knowledge
Questioning and attitude regarding the product studied.
Option
(%) (n = 270) (%) (n = 175)
Yes 49.6 Total 50.3Coffee
Soluble
Have you ever heard ofQuestioning
the benefits of Option
Not (%)
50.4 (n = 270) Consumers (%) (n = 175)
49.7
coffee ingestion? What are they?
YWJ 1
Yes 36.7 49.6 39.4
50.3
Have you ever heard of the benefits of coffee ingestion? What
Have you ever heard of the benefits of Yes Not 5.6 50.4 49.7
6.9
are they? 1
consuming soluble coffee? What are Not YWJ 94.4 36.7 39.4
93.1
Yes 5.6 6.9
Have you ever heard of the benefits of consuming soluble
they? YWJ 1 4.4 94.4 5.7
Not 93.1
coffee? What are they? Yes 60.7 4.4 64.0
Have you ever heard of the benefits of YWJ 1 5.7
Not Yes 39.3 60.7 36.0
64.0
Have you ever
antioxidants heard of the
ingestion? benefits
What of antioxidants ingestion?
are they?
YWJ 1 Not 42.9 39.3 36.0
44.0
What are they?
YWJ 1 42.9 44.0
Would you consume a soluble coffee Yes 96.3 96.6
Would you consume a soluble coffee enriched with Yes 96.3 96.6
enriched with
antioxidants?
antioxidants? Not Not 3.7 3.7 3.4
3.4
Yes Yes 22.6 22.6 24.6
24.6
What
Whatififitit was sensoryworse?
was sensory worse?
Not Not 77.4 77.4 75.4
75.4
Yes Yes 61.5 61.5 65.1
65.1
What if it was more expensive?
What if it was more expensive? Not 38.5 34.9
Not Yes
38.5 3.7 34.9
2.9
Do you know any kind of functional
Do you know any kind of functional soluble coffee? Yes 3.7 96.3 2.9
Not 97.1
soluble coffee?
1 Yes, Not 96.3 97.1
with justification: Percentage of participants who responded positively and cited the benefit they know.
1 Yes, with justification: Percentage of participants who responded positively and cited the benefit they know.

Stimulant / improved mood 48.5

Antioxidant action 26.3

Benefits of coffee

Prevents cardiovascular diseases 15.2

Improves concentration / memory 11.1

Presence of caffeine 9.1

Prevents cancer 5.1

Others 15.2
Benefits of antioxidants

Slows aging 40.5

Inhibit / combat free radicals 29.3

Prevents diseases 17.2

Prevents cancer 13.8

Prevents cardiovascular diseases 5.2

Others 21.6

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Percentage (%)

Figure 3. Consumers’ knowledge of the benefits of coffee intake (n = 99, participants who answered
Figure 3. Consumers’ knowledge of the benefits of coffee intake (n = 99, participants who answered
yes with justification) and antioxidants (n = 116).
yes with justification) and antioxidants (n = 116).
The health benefits of soluble coffee are similar to that of roasted and ground coffee [39,40],
The health benefits of soluble coffee are similar to that of roasted and ground coffee [39,40],
however, when the participants were questioned about it, just a few associated the information: 5.6%
however, when the participants were questioned about it, just a few associated the information: 5.6%
of the total and 6.9% of soluble consumers (Table 5).
of the total and 6.9% of soluble consumers (Table 5).
With regards to antioxidants, consumers’ knowledge is more consolidated, with prevention
With regards to antioxidants, consumers’ knowledge is more consolidated, with prevention
against aging and the inhibition of free radicals as the most frequently cited benefits (Figure 3, Table 5).
against aging and the inhibition of free radicals as the most frequently cited benefits (Figure 3, Table 5).
Older and more educated women showed greater knowledge regarding these benefits (τ = 0.171, τ = 0,
Older and more educated women showed greater knowledge regarding these benefits (τ = 0.171, τ = 0,
375 and τ = 0.183, respectively, p < 0.05).
375 and τ = 0.183, respectively, p < 0.05).
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 9 of 11

In general, the participants’ attitude towards functional soluble coffee (enriched with antioxidants)
was quite favorable, considering that most did not know any coffee marketed as a functional product
(Table 5). As described for other functional products, the positive attitude towards functional coffee
was maintained only when the product kept its sensorial quality. However, a positive attitude towards
coffee consumption with worse sensorial characteristics could increase with an increase in knowledge
regarding the benefits of coffee ingestion and knowledge about the benefits of antioxidants (τ = 0.101,
p < 0.05 and τ = 0,090, p < 0.05). The literature has pointed out that functional products based on a
recognized healthy food are more readily accepted by consumers [20,41].
Regarding the willingness to pay more for enriched coffee, higher price did not limit the interest in
product consumption, as long as the product had the same flavor (Table 5). However, it depends on the
consumer income, since there was a positive correlation between the participants’ higher income and
their positive attitude towards a more expensive product (τ = 0.110, p < 0.05). The higher willingness
to pay more for the product was also related to an increasing knowledge about the benefits of coffee
ingestion (τ = 0.187, p < 0.05) and antioxidants ingestion (τ = 0.143, p < 0.05). According to literature,
the consumer is more sensitive to the flavor and aroma of coffee, valuing more its sensorial quality
than price [37].
The belief in the health benefits of functional foods also had a positive effect on consumer’s
attitude regarding functional soluble coffee enriched with antioxidants. This is related to both the
willingness to consume coffee with worse sensorial characteristics (τ = 0.132, p < 0.05) and more
expensive coffee (τ = 0.139, p < 0.05).
Consumers who accept functional foods, even when their taste is worse than the conventional
alternatives, were also willing to consume soluble coffee enriched with antioxidants (even if they have
worse sensorial characteristics) (τ = 0.190, p < 0.05). Thus, coffee with alleged functionality showed the
same behavior reported for other functional products. According to the literature, the acceptance and
perception of the healthy effect on functional foods depend on the primary product, which serves as
the driver for the functional ingredient [7,41].

4. Conclusions
The willingness to consume functional food depends both on socio-demographic characteristics
(increasing with the increase in age, income, and educational level), as well as on cognitive and
attitudinal determinants (increasing with the increase in the belief in the health benefits/knowledge of
functional foods). A reasonable recognition of the benefit of ingesting antioxidants (60% of participants)
and coffee (50%) was also verified.
Thus, greater disclosure of the health benefits to consumers can be a useful tool to encourage
consumption; however, careful development of products that are cost-effective and with adequate
sensory characteristics is also essential.
Consumers that declare a higher willingness to consume functional foods due to their health
benefits accept a functional product, even when the price is higher than the conventional product and
with worse sensory characteristics. However, in general, a good sensory quality of a functional product,
and more specifically of a functional soluble coffee, is more determinant for product acceptance than
its price.

Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/4/4/72/s1,

Figure S1: Location of the cities of origin of the study participants.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, M.T.B.; Data curation, M.P.C. and D.L.K.; Funding acquisition, M.T.B.;
Investigation, M.P.C.; Methodology, M.P.C.; Project administration, M.T.B.; Supervision, M.T.B.; Writing—original
draft, M.P.C.; Writing—review & editing, M.P.C., D.L.K. and M.T.B.
Funding: CAPES, CNPQ, and Fundo de Apoio ao Ensino, à Pesquisa e à Extensão (FAEP/UEL).
Acknowledgments: The authors thank the Brazilian funding agencies CNPq, CAPES, and Fundo de Apoio ao
Ensino, à Pesquisa e à Extensão (FAEP/UEL) for the financial support supplied.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Beverages 2018, 4, 72 10 of 11

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