Consumer Perception of the Use of High-Pressure Processing and Pulsed Electric Field Technologies in Food Production

Appetite, Forthcoming

Posted: 28 Jul 2009

See all articles by Henriette Boel Nielsen

Henriette Boel Nielsen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Anne-Mette Sonne

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Klaus G. Grunert

Aarhus School of Business - Marketing and Statistics

Diana Banati

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Annamária Pollák-Tóth

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Zoltán Lakner

Saint Istvan University

Nina Veflen Olsen

Independent

Tanja Pajk Zontar

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Marjana Peterman

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: July 27, 2009

Abstract

The success of new food processing technologies is highly dependent on consumers’ acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to study consumers’ perceptions of two new processing technologies and food products produced by means of these novel technologies. To accomplish this, a qualitative study on consumer attitudes towards high-pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field (PEF) processing of food was carried out. In all 97 adults between 20 and 71 years of age participated in 12 focus groups conducted in Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Norway and Denmark using a common guideline. Participants were introduced to the HPP and PEF technologies and then to the effect of the two new technologies on two specific product categories: juice and baby food. The transcribed data was content analysed and the coded data was transformed into diagrams using UCINET 5 and NETDRAW. The results show that consumers perceived the main advantages of HPP and PEF products to be the products’ naturalness, improved taste and their high nutritional value, whereas themain disadvantage was the lack of information about the PEF and HPP products. The results of the participants’ evaluation of the PEF and HPP processes showed that environmental friendliness and the more natural products were seen as the main advantages, while they were concerned about body and health, the higher price of the products, the lack of information about the technologies and a general scepticism. The study also shows that North European participants were a bit more sceptical towards PEF and HPP products than the East European participants.

Keywords: high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, novel food, consumer attitudes

Suggested Citation

Nielsen, Henriette Boel and Sonne, Anne-Mette and Grunert, Klaus G. and Banati, Diana and Pollák-Tóth, Annamária and Lakner, Zoltán and Olsen, Nina Veflen and Zontar, Tanja Pajk and Peterman, Marjana, Consumer Perception of the Use of High-Pressure Processing and Pulsed Electric Field Technologies in Food Production (July 27, 2009). Appetite, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1439729

Henriette Boel Nielsen (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Anne-Mette Sonne

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Klaus G. Grunert

Aarhus School of Business - Marketing and Statistics ( email )

Haslegårdsvej 10
Århus V
Denmark

Diana Banati

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Annamária Pollák-Tóth

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Zoltán Lakner

Saint Istvan University ( email )

Páter Károly u. 1
Gödöllõ, 2100
Hungary

Nina Veflen Olsen

Independent ( email )

Tanja Pajk Zontar

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Marjana Peterman

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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