The valuation of food enzymes in food production from a consumer perspective

The use of food enzymes in food production has a long tradition and is characterized by a broad range of applications. However, few studies are available on the use of food enzymes from the consumer perspective. In this context, a survey of 203 consumers (48.5% male; 54.2% female; average age: 49.2 years) was conducted using an online questionnaire. An open question was used to measure the associations of the respondents when they think of enzymes in relation to food. Closed questions were used to measure the familiarity with and the attitudes towards food enzymes. To access the effectiveness of consumer information about food enzymes, the reported attitudes before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the presentation of information were compared. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to analyze the data. The analyses regarding the associations show that they often refer to functions and the formation of enzymes in the human body (18.7%) and general properties of enzymes (15.3%). Aspects related to food enzymes (food produced by enzymes [10.9%], functions of enzymes in food production [7.1%]) were less frequently mentioned. In the self-assessment, 75.8% of the respondents also stated that they were not or only slightly familiar with the use of food enzymes. With respect to the effectiveness of consumer information about food enzymes, significant differences regarding some of the evaluation aspects in the pre-post-comparison could be shown. However, the effect sizes indicate only small and medium effects, so that their practical relevance is low.