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The purpose of this paper is to explore the consumer acceptance of a functional meat processed product made with different meat sources, and to distinguish the existence of different market segments.

Non-probability sampling was used to recruit a sample of 411 consumers in Southern Chile, over the age of 18 and responsible for the purchase of meat products for their household.

Using a fractional factorial design for conjoint analysis, it was found in the total sample that the meat source of the meat processed product was more important than packaging, region of origin, price and the functional ingredient claim, with preference for lamb and pork meat processed products with omega-3. Two main segments were identified using a cluster analysis; these segments differed according to family size, presence and age of children, ethnic origin, general health interest, quality of diet and level of satisfaction with food-related life. The largest segment (56.0 percent) shows a high preference toward lamb meat processed product with dietary fiber and omega-3. The second (33.6 percent) preferred turkey meat processed product with antioxidants.

A differentiated marketing strategy with different meat sources and functional ingredients may give access to a large market share. People more willing to accept different functional ingredients in processed meat products may enjoy a better quality of life. The level of satisfaction with food-related life and quality of diet can be useful in explaining preferences for functional meat processed products.

This is the first study to evaluate consumer acceptance of a functional meat processed product made with three different meats and three different functional ingredient claims, which analyzed the relationship between acceptance, the consumer’s quality of diet and their level of satisfaction with food-related life.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer attitudes towards and interest in enriching processed meat with healthy ingredients (“functional processed meat”).

Seven focus groups across age and gender were conducted. Discussions were analysed using an inductive thematic approach.

Strategies that participants felt as important for improving the healthiness of processed meat mainly included the use of better quality meat and less salt, fat, preservatives and other additives. “Functional processed meat” was a new concept for participants. Four themes were constructed to reflect participants’ attitudes towards functional processed meat: opposing views on processed meat as a carrier of healthy ingredients; belief in the health benefits of functional processed meat; perceived value of functional processed meat for different consumer groups; and trust and perceived risk surrounding the functional food concept. A large proportion of the participants were unconvinced about the concept of functional processed meat; however many of the participants expressed an openness to purchase this food product if taste and price remained uncompromised.

The sample size of the current study is small. Complementary quantitative research with a more representative sample should be implemented. Adopting a quantitative approach, the findings from this study should be explored further to investigate their application in a representative sample of the population.

This study represents a first exploratory investigation of consumer views on functional processed meat. It can inform further consumer and market research in relation to the development of “healthier” processed meat.

Following the standard practice of using nutrition claims to denote food functionality, this study empirically explores Chinese consumers’ willingness-to-pay for functional processed meat products by using three nutrition claims (namely “increased calcium,” “containing omega-3”, and “reduced salt”) made on pork sausages. It also aims to outline the typical characteristics of Chinese consumer segments based on preferences.

A choice-based choice experiment is utilized to investigate Chinese consumers’ valuation on attributes of interest regarding functional sausage products. First-hand data was collected in the two cities of Xi'an and Beijing.

There are market potentials for domestic and/or imported functional processed meat products among Chinese consumers. Nutrition claims made on pork sausages are appealing to Chinese consumers, and therefore, monetarily rewarded by them. Being imported from a more developed country of origin could both positively and negatively impact consumers’ WTP for nutrition claims made on pork sausages. Furthermore, specific functional modification strategies should be taken into account when addressing different segments of the Chinese market. In addition, regional impacts between Xi'an and Beijing are implied in terms of consumers’ valuation for functional pork sausages.

Limitations in the current study are mainly two folds. First, the WTP estimation magnitudes are subject to a hypothetical bias by using a stated preference approach. Second, this study only focuses on pork sausages to explore consumers’ perceptions and selects three nutrition claims among many other relevant options.

Implications are provided for meat marketers and for Chinese official food policymakers, such that promoting meat products with a nutrition claim is an attractive marketing strategy for foreign food manufacturers in China, and more reformulated meat products with better nutritional compositions should be allowed in the Chinese market.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first to fill in the literature blank on investigating the consumers’ valuation for functional meat in the emerging market of China. Because when taking Chinese consumers as a target market and evaluating their perceptions of food quality-related labeling and certifications, the existing literature is mainly limited to topics of product safety, organic/green products, and geographical origins. However, nutrition claims, as marketable credence attributes that associate closely to the main characteristics of the functional food products, have been explored to a much lesser extent among Chinese consumers.

Health fitness has become a major issue in Malaysia since the population of overweight and obesity is becoming critical. One of the ways to achieve optimum health fitness is by consistently consuming balanced diet meals. Hence, this paper aims to focus on the willingness of society to purchase functional foods as an alternative for their daily meals to stay fit.

The research framework was developed based on a combination of findings by other research scholars within a similar field. The willingness to purchase functional foods to stay fit is positioned as the dependent variable, while lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness are placed as the independent variables. Quantitative research was conducted by collecting primary data from respondents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and regression analyses.

The willingness to purchase functional foods to stay fit is dependent on the lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness.

Although the current market for functional foods in Malaysia is still at a small scale, the market for this industry seems very promising. Nevertheless, greater awareness on functional food is still needed.

Functional food producers should make an effort to gain the untapped market by focussing on the lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness.

This research is a breakthrough to discover the willingness of Malaysians to purchase functional food to stay fit, which is influenced by lifestyle adaptation, social media and food consumption awareness.

In response to increasing public health concerns about processed meat consumption, many innovations in meat technology focus on health-oriented product reformulations. Processed meat is not a homogeneous food category. The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer perception of the “healthier” reformulation of different processed meat products using two approaches: salt and fat reduction; and enrichment with healthy ingredients.

Seven focus group interviews were carried out with 40 Irish regular meat consumers (30 female, ten male) who were solely or jointly responsible for food shopping. Two rounds of card sorting procedures were employed to reveal perceptions on reformulation of 20 different processed meat products. Thematic analysis was used for analysing transcripts.

Health and flavour concerns and product popularity were the main factors influencing participants’ perceptions. Some participants were unsure or had misconceptions about the healthiness of certain meat products. Participants suggested reducing salt and fat content in processed meat products they perceived as the least healthy ones (theme 1) and improving the healthiness of products which were favoured by children (theme 2) and those meat products which people consumed regularly as a source of protein (theme 3). Participants were not in favour of any reformulation of speciality-type products (theme 4).

Consumer insights identified in this study can inform future approaches to making processed meats healthier.

The lengthy review of the Food Standards Committee of this, agreed by all public analysts and enforcement officers, as the most complicated and difficult of food groups subject to detailed legislative control, is at last complete and the Committee's findings set out in their Report. When in 1975 they were requested to investigate the workings of the legislation, the problems of control were already apparent and getting worse. The triology of Regulations of 1967 seemed comprehensive at the time, perhaps as we ventured to suggest a little too comprehensive for a rational system of control for arguments on meat contents of different products, descriptions and interpretation generally quickly appeared. The system, for all its detail, provided too many loopholes through which manufacturers drove the proverbial “carriage and pair”. As meat products have increased in range and the constantly rising price of meat, the “major ingredient”, the number of samples taken for analysis has risen and now usually constitutes about one‐quarter of the total for the year, with sausages, prepared meats (pies, pasties), and most recently, minced meat predominating. Just as serial sampling and analysis of sausages before the 1967 Regulations were pleaded in courts to establish usage in the matter of meat content, so with minced meat the same methods are being used to establish a maximum fat content usage. What concerns food law enforcement agencies is that despite the years that the standards imposed by the 1967 Regulations have been in force, the number of infringements show no sign of reduction. This should not really surprise us; there are even longer periods of failures to comply; eg., in the use of preservatives which have been controlled since 1925! What a number of public analysts have christened the “beefburger saga” took its rise post‐1967 and shows every indication of continuing into the distant future. Manufacturers appear to be trying numerous ploys to reduce the content below the Regulation 80% mainly by giving their products new names. Each year, public analysts report a flux of new names and ingenious defences; eg, “caterburgers” and similar concocted nomenclature, and the defence that because the name does not incorporate a meat, it is outside the statutory standard.

This paper aims to explore the application of drumstick (Moringa oleifera) flower (DF) as a functional antioxidative ingredient in goat meat product.

Dried DF was included in the product formulation at 1% (Treatment I) and 2% (Treatment II) levels. The physicochemical, colour, textural and sensory quality as well as storage stability of nuggets with DF were determined against control.

The dried DF was found to be rich source of protein and dietary fibre, possessing good antioxidant potential. Chromatographic analysis of DF extract showed presence of 14 active principles known to have antioxidative properties. Inclusion of dried DF decreased pH values of emulsion (p = 0.005) as well as nuggets (p < 0.001) and increased (p < 0.001) the ash, dietary fibre and phenolic contents. The added DF affected the product’s lightness (p = 0.017), yellowness (p < 0.001, hardness (p < 0.001), adhesiveness (p = 0.032), cohesiveness (p = 0.006), gumminess and chewiness (p < 0.001). Sensory characteristics of control and product with DF were statistically similar except low (p = 0.002) flavour score for Treatment II. DF inclusion lowered (p < 0.001) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances number and total plate count.

DF can be used as a source of antioxidants and dietary fibre in goat meat nuggets to enhance their health value, functionality and storage stability.

Foods including goat meat nuggets enriched with goodness of functional ingredients like dietary fibre and natural antioxidants are gaining consumer’s preference globally. Inclusion of drumstick flower in goat meat nuggets significantly increases the dietary fibre and antioxidants making such products healthier and more stable. Consumption of goat meat nuggets added with drumstick flower is expected to improve consumer’s well-being as well.

“Consumerism”, for want of a better description, is given to the mass of statutory control (which shows no sign of declining) of standards, trading justice to the consumer, means of redress to those who have been misled and defrauded, advice to those in doubt; and to the widespread movement, mostly in the Western world, to achieve these ends.

This paper aims to highlight the candidature of papaya/Carica papaya L. extracts (PLE) and oregano/Origanum vulgare leaves extract (OLE) as novel natural antioxidants, which was further fortified into goat meat nuggets to evaluate quality changes and storage stability at refrigeration temperature (4 ± 1ºC) for 20 days.

Three different products, namely, control (without phyto-extracts), T−1: PLE (0.5 per cent) and T-2: OLE (1.0 per cent) fortified goat meat nuggets, were prepared and subjected for various quality attributes with relation to storage stability.

It was observed that pH significantly (p = 0.14) decreased till 10th day of storage i.e. from 6.49 to 6.32 (control), 6.37 to 6.28 (T−1) and 6.45 to 6.43 (T-2) afterword showed increasing trend till further storage of 20 days in control, as well as treated products. Water activity was non-significant (p = 0.01) on first day of storage and decreased up to 20th day. PLE treated product showed good margin of microbiological protection followed by OLE and least was found in control. L* value showed increasing trend (p = 0.03) throughout storage and ranged from 50.15 to 54.27, while a* values were decreased significantly from 10.36 to 9.06, 10.86 to 9.49 in PLE (p = 0.02) and OLE (p = 0.03), respectively. Sensory panel awarded the highest score for fortified goat meat nuggets, justifying the best quality attributes in term of texture attributes of the treated products. Thus, papaya and oregano leave extracts proved in the extension of shelf life and can be further harvested to develop functional goat meat nuggets.

In search of novel bioactive phyto-extract, meat industry focussed most of the research towards natural anti-oxidants. In the view of same, the present research strategy was planned to examine candidature of Carica papaya L. and OLEs as novel natural antioxidant into meat system during aerobic packaging storage. Goat meat nuggets are amongst the most convenient and famous snack, as well as nutritious meat products, but lacks functional properties. Therefore, with implication of present research at practical level, meat industry can develop function goat meat nuggets by incorporating Carica papaya L. and Origanum vulgare extracts as natural and novel bioactive antioxidants with improved functionality.

This is the first attempt to develop functional goat meat nuggets incorporated with papaya/Carica papaya L. and oregano/OLE. This research can lead to be a pioneer work in meat science.

This study aims to evaluate the quality characteristics of low-fat functional carabeef cookies incorporated with different levels of guar gum.

Meat cookies were incorporated with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 per cent guar gum powder to replace 20, 30 and 40 per cent hydrogenated vegetable fat, respectively. The formulation of low-fat carabeef cookies was maintained by addition of water.

There was a significant difference (p < 0.02) between control and treatments for all physico-chemical properties, except pH and thickness. The cooking yield increased significantly (p < 0.04) at 1.5 per cent level of guar gum. Moisture, protein and ash percentage increased significantly (p < 0.02) while there was significant (p < 0.00) reduction in fat percentage. The diameter and spread ratio of cookies decreased significantly (p < 0.03) with incorporation of guar gum. The sensory scores were not significantly affected with respect to color and appearance, flavor, texture, crispiness, aftertaste and overall acceptability at 1.5 per cent level. There was no significant difference in hardness and adhesiveness values, as well as color parameters.

The experiment can be further carried out to evaluate complete product profile and storage stability of product under different packaging conditions.

Fat imparts richness and tenderness, improving flavor and mouth feel to processed meat products, but higher fat consumption may lead to various life style diseases. Reducing fat content with fat replacers in meat cookies without affecting the sensory characteristics may be a significant challenge. Guar gum powder may be an excellent option at 1.5 per cent level to replace 40 per cent of hydrogenated vegetable fat without compromising quality attributes.