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Do Consumers Accept it? Wild Carob Bar as Chocolate Bar Substitute

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Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a native plant of Cyprus that comes in two varieties: cultivated carob and wild carob. Because of the high sugar content of the cultivated carob fruit, it is the primary ingredient in syrup, desserts, biscuits, and other processed beverages. However, Wild carob is rarely used in Cyprus, mainly used for animal feed or discarded. As a result, rather than being discarded, the potential nutritional value inherent in wild carob is more beneficial when harnessed for food production. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the acceptability of wild carob bars in order to improve Cyprus's agricultural income from the waste product. In this study, an online survey was conducted among 388 customers in the 6 biggest cities of Cyprus to determine the acceptability level of purchase intention of wild carob bar. The data were analysed using SPSS Software version 26. The data, which comprises knowledge, subjective norms, sensory characteristics and purchase intention, were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Generally, Cypriot consumers were knowledgeable and preferred the sensory characteristics of carob over chocolate. Hence, they are willing to purchase wild carob bar rather than chocolate bar if it is available in the market. Regression analysis further revealed that all acceptability dimensions adopted for this study significantly influence the purchase intention of wild carob bars.
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