Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Novel Products: The Case of Cereal Bars with Sea Buckthorn ^†

Abstract

Hippophae (sea buckthorn) is a plant valued for its berries in food manufacturing and medicinal properties. Despite growing research on its benefits, consumer perceptions of sea buckthorn-based products remain underexplored. This study examines Greek consumers’ attitudes toward cereal bars enriched with sea buckthorn, developed within a project focused on high-nutritional-value foods. Key factors include awareness, taste, safety, health benefits, trust, convenience, price, appearance, quality certification, environmental friendliness, and support for small-scale farmers. Results show moderate willingness to buy due to perceived health benefits and sustainability, but marketing should address sensory profile and trust to build a robust market.

1. Introduction

Sea buckthorn or Hippophae is a plant cultivated in several pedoclimatic and geographical zones for its berries. Its berries are used in food manufacturing, and its bioactive components have several medicinal properties and can act as flavoring ingredients. In Greece, sea buckthorn is cultivated to a limited extent, mainly in mountainous and marginalized areas where farmers lack support from advisory organizations and innovation services. According to textual studies, sea buckthorn has been on Earth for almost 200 million years. Since its discovery by the ancient Greeks around 5000 BC, it has been used as a sacred food for healing and sustenance or as a therapeutic cure [1]. Sea buckthorn is being used and promoted in over 20 countries worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, sea buckthorn is the most popular of the top ten raw ingredients used in health products [2]. Eurasia’s temperate and cold temperate regions are home to sea buckthorn, native to both Asia and Europe. There are about 150 species, subspecies, and variants of sea buckthorn known to exist in Eurasia; they vary in shrub habitat, berry appearance, and utility [3]. The most significant and common of them in Europe is Hippophae rhamnoides [4]. Because of its multiple qualities and many economic advantages, this plant has piqued the interest of academics for decades. It has been used in everyday life for several reasons, such as protecting the environment and serving as a raw ingredient for food items, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, this plant has a long and illustrious history in natural medicine [5].

Juice from the berries’ fleshy tissue and oil made from its seeds are the two most popular products made from the fruit [5]. Numerous nutrients and bioactive substances, including minerals, vitamins, polysaccharides, unsaturated fatty acids, terpenoids, polyphenolic compounds, nonsteroidal compounds, flavonoids, organic acids, and volatile components, are present in the plant [6]. Owing to its unique chemical makeup, sea buckthorn has a wide range of advantageous biological, physiological, and therapeutic properties that have been well documented. These include antiviral and antibacterial properties, cardioprotective and antiatherogenic properties, antioxidative and immunomodulating properties, antiradiation properties, anti-inflammatory properties, antidiabetic properties, anticarcinogenic properties, hepatoprotective properties, and dermatological properties [3,7,8,9,10,11,12].

Sea buckthorn berries, leaves, and bark extracts are used in the food industry to create a variety of products [13,14]. Oil, juice, dry food, alcoholic beverages, candy, ice cream, tea, jam, biscuits, vitamin C pills, food coloring, medications, cosmetics, and shampoos can all be made from various plant parts [15]. Because the roots, leaves, and seeds of this plant may be used to make a wide range of goods, in addition to the berries, it has substantial economic worth. The manufacturing of products based on Hippophae sp. has increased dramatically over the past few decades, and its cultivation is predicted to develop even further shortly in some countries (like Greece) [16].

Although research on the medicinal and therapeutic effects of sea buckthorn shows significant growth, consumers’ perceptions of hippophae-based food products remain under-investigated. The aim of the work is to investigate the factors affecting potential consumers’ attitudes toward a novel functional food product, cereal bars enriched with sea buckthorn, and combine the health benefits of cereal bars with the medicinal properties of sea buckthorn.

2. Methods

This study is being conducted as part of the SAKAMI research project, which aims to develop innovative agricultural products. Specifically, the project will develop cereal bars enhanced with sea buckthorn, a nutritious and innovative product that will be grown using precision agriculture techniques. The project will be finished in May 2025, having begun in February 2023. It will take the following steps: (a) apply precision agriculture technologies to sea buckthorn crops; (b) investigate the efficiency of five crop varieties; (c) harvest sea buckthorn berries; and (d) produce cereal bars enriched with sea buckthorn (on a laboratory and pilot scale).

Data for this study were collected through questionnaires administered to 314 Greek consumers, from May to August 2024. All questions were on a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was designed to focus on the following attitude-shaping parameters: nutritional value awareness, social influence, taste perception, safety perceptions, health benefit beliefs, trust towards food manufacturers, convenience, price judgments, products’ appearance, quality certification, environmental friendliness, support of small-scale farmers.

3. Results

According to the research, the typical responder is male (57.3%), has a mean age of 37.2 years, is married or in a long-term relationship (51.7%), has 2.2 household members, and has 0.6 children. The typical responder has a university degree (38.4%) and works as a civil servant (19.4%) or private employee (26.1%). EUR 13,400 is the average household income. According to the findings, 29.1% of respondents had previously used a product made from sea buckthorn, and 58.2% of consumers were aware of the plant. Furthermore, only 53.7% of consumers were willing to pay an additional 5–10%, even if 63.7% of them were willing to purchase cereal bars enhanced with sea buckthorn.

According to the data analysis, almost all examined factors had an impact on consumers’ propensity to purchase cereal bars enhanced with sea buckthorn. The factors that can be suggested as most important predictors of consumer behavior are the following (in hierarchical order): price judgments (79.3%), taste perception (76.2%), health benefit beliefs (71.4%), support of small-scale farmers (69.1%), nutritional value awareness (64.1%), and trust towards food manufacturers (60.9%).

4. Conclusions

Unquestionably, consumers are choosing healthier foods. Customers are empowered to make healthier and better-informed choices about a range of food goods as more data in this area become available. Natural ingredients are becoming more and more regarded as vital resources in the creation of new food items as the food industry works to satisfy changing consumer preferences [17]. Given its chemical makeup, medicinal qualities, and nutritional worth, sea buckthorn is a unique plant that has been utilized as an ingredient in cereal bar products. Thus, the adoption of sea buckthorn-enriched cereal bars by consumers is the main emphasis of this study.

This study’s analysis revealed that almost all factors looked at affect customers’ propensity to buy sea buckthorn-enriched cereal bars, underscoring the necessity of putting greater effort into promoting social and environmental sustainability throughout the production process. Among the factors to win over consumers to sea buckthorn-enriched cereal bars are “price of the new product”, “taste of the novel cereal bars”, “health benefit beliefs”, “support of the small-scale producers of sea buckthorn”, “nutritional value awareness”, and finally “trust towards food manufacturers”.

Policy implications should be focused on improving training initiatives that emphasize the development of health- and nutrition-related knowledge and skills. To close the gap between scientific discoveries and real-world applications and guarantee advantages for farmers and consumers alike, this may entail initiatives to increase the popularization of scientific research. Furthermore, providing consumers with information on micro-farmers, such as their names and geographic locations, can help build connections between them and nearby farmers, encouraging support for sustainable farming methods and strengthening the resilience of regional food systems. Concerning agricultural products, these combinations of tactics may strengthen community bonds and encourage well-informed decision making.