Description

Abstract: Peanut butter and peanut butter based products, although flavorful and nutritious, are rarely found in Eastern European diets. To exploit marketing opportunities for peanut products in the region, consumer acceptance of smooth (PBS) and crunchy (PBCN) peanut butters was determined through central location tests (CLT) at an International Food Fair in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Consumers (147) were asked to rate their feelings about the intensities of spreadability, overall flavor, and texture using a nine-point intensity scale. Just-about-right (JAR) scales were used to evaluate the same attributes and aroma. Overall acceptance was assessed using a nine-point hedonic scale. Descriptive statistics, the paired t-test and chi-square test were used to analyze the data. The cross tabulation indicated that all of the products tested were rated acceptable for consumers of all ages and income ranges. This information provides a basis for introducing peanut butter to the Bulgarian and Eastern European consumers, to be used by food processing enterprises interested in expanding the market for peanuts.