Anais do Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciências de Alimentos
Anais do 14 SLACA - Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciência de Alimentos

Brazilian consumers' innovative behavior and motivation to eat new foods was evaluated using a new scale based on "Domain-specific innovativeness” and “Motivation to eat new foods” scales. The survey was disclosed on social media and applied by the Compusense Cloud platform from March to April 2021. A total of 395 participants answered the questionnaire using seven-point Likert scales. Furthermore, the consumer perception about conventional or UV-C-treated sliced Prato cheeses was studied using packaged cheeses with or without a labeled claim as stimuli. Three different packaged cheeses (stimuli) were used and designed according to the products currently marketed in Brazil. The cheeses were denominated CONV (conventional), UV (UV-C treated), and UV-I (UV-C treated with information). The packages were shown to the participants in random order and following a balanced complete block design. Consumers answered the questions using a 7-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree). Data relating to innovative behavior and motivation to eat new foods were analyzed by Exploratory Factor Analysis using Promax rotation method with Kaiser normalization. Data on the consumer perception about the cheeses and willingness to purchase the products were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and comparison of means by the Fisher test (p < 0.05). The proposed scale had 16 statements and showed discriminant (heterotrait-monotrait ratio values <0.85) and convergent validity (average variance extracted >0.6) and adequate reliability (composite reliability >0.8). The Brazilian consumers (n =395) showed neophilic attitudes, and they were willing to try new foods or familiar foods with new ingredients if they showed new sensory characteristics and quality assurance. UV-C treated cheese with labeled claim showed the highest acceptance, purchase intention, and perceived safety and quality. It can be concluded that the consumer perception of new technologies may be favorable for consumers with neophilic behavior.