Abstract
The intake of dietary fibre does not currently meet the recommendations
in many Western countries, and it is important to find new ways to increase
its intake. ß-glucan is a good option for fibre enrichment, because of its
proven capability to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels and balance
blood glucose and insulin response after meals. The general aim of this
thesis was to investigate whether providing foods enriched with ß-glucan
would be a feasible strategy for improving consumers' dietary fibre intake.
The results showed that Finnish respondents considered dietary fibre
important for their health, although it was not spontaneously mentioned as an
element of a health-promoting diet. A group of respondents overestimated
their dietary fibre intake compared to their actual intake. This
misperception can be an obstacle to improving the quality of the diet.
Adding oat and barley ß-glucan into beverages and ready-to-eat soups affected
their sensory characteristics by making them thicker and suppressing some
flavour attributes with increasing concentrations of ß-glucan. Low molecular
weight ß-glucan was easier to add into products at higher concentrations
compared to high molecular weight ß-glucan as regards the lower
viscosity-producing capability and thus more feasible sensory
characteristics. However, attention should also be paid to the importance of
the high molecular weight of ß-glucan in terms of its physiological efficacy.
Freezing did not affect the sensory characteristics of soups containing
ß-glucan. Connecting a health claim to beverages and soups with added
ß-glucan increased their perceived benefit value, but liking for the products
was the strongest determinant for the willingness to use them. It does not
seem likely that consumers would be ready to pay much extra for functional
beverages and soups. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that
Finnish consumers perceive fibre to be important for their health. Beverages
and soups with added ß-glucan were feasible regarding their sensory
properties and thus would be potential carrier products for added ß-glucan.
Liking for the products was the most important factor affecting the
consumers' willingness to use these foods.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor Degree |
Awarding Institution |
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Supervisors/Advisors |
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Award date | 3 Mar 2006 |
Place of Publication | Espoo |
Publisher | |
Print ISBNs | 951-38-6700-5 |
Electronic ISBNs | 951-38-6701-3 |
Publication status | Published - 2006 |
MoE publication type | G5 Doctoral dissertation (article) |
Keywords
- dietary fibres
- ß-glucans
- fibre enrichment
- consumer acceptance
- functional foods
- probiotics
- beverages
- soups
- sensory quality
- healthy diet