Consumer attitudes towards quail eggs and acceptability in Lithuania

Abstract

With the aim to evaluate quail egg consumption and attitudes in addition to preferences regarding total egg consumption, a paper questionnaire-based survey and six repeated consumer panel sessions on different days were conducted. Additionally, to assess the emotional response to quail eggs of quails from different dietary treatments using FaceReader software. For evaluation 882 daily collected eggs were used.Diversity of egg consumption frequences, attitudes to egg properties, and choice criteria were analysed in the respondent answers using the questionnaire survey. The respondents reported that most frequently (47%) they consume eggs two–three times weekly. Consumption of eggs four–six times weekly and daily was reported by 8.3% and 6.8% of respondents, respectively. Although all the respondents answered that usually they use hen eggs, 19.1% of them indicated changes in their choice of eggs and increasing consumption of quail eggs; however, 35.1% of respondents admitted that they had never eaten quail eggs. Taste, freshness, size, and the effect on consumer health were mentioned as the most important egg qualities (48.5%, 13.6%, 13.6%, and 12.9%, respectively). There were no significant differences in the blind evaluation of quail egg odour between the treatment groups. Colour intensity of the yolk from the quail fed with a BSF larvae meal supplement had a higher (p < 0.01) score compared with the eggs from the quail fed on a basal diet and resveratrol supplementation. The taste of the eggs from the quail fed with BSF larvae meal supplement was also scored higher (p < 0.01) as was (p < 0.05) the overall egg acceptance compared with the quail fed on a basal completely plant-based diet. Although there were no significant differences in the emotional response to quail eggs in view, odour, or taste between the treatment groups, the biggest difference between the treatment groups was found in sadness expression for egg taste. The sad emotion was highest when evaluators tasted eggs from the quail group fed the basal diet. This can be considered to be equivalent to the taste evaluation during the consumer sensory test, when the taste of eggs from the group fed with the basal diet was evaluated with a slightly lower score.