Consumer perception of bread depending on wheat origin in relation to physicochemical characteristics of wheat flour

Abstract

The objective was to investigate the influence of wheat origin on overall acceptance (OA), purchase intent (PI), and willingness to pay (WTP) of bread in relation to physicochemical characteristics of Korean and imported wheat flours. The specific volumes (SV) of bread made with imported wheat flour were correlated with protein (r = 0.893), gluten (r = 0.843), and extensibility (r = 0.879). However, relatively low correlations were found between SV and protein (r = 0.528), gluten (r = 0.459), and extensibility (r = 0.413) in Korean wheat flour. The bread prepared with Korean wheat JK_1, imported NS and HRW_1 wheats showed higher OA, PI, and WTP than others in a blind consumer test. When the origins of the wheat flour were informed to Korean consumers, the WTP for breads prepared with JK_1 was increased significantly, while the OA was slightly increased for bread made with Korean wheat flour. Overall results of this study showed that Korean consumers exhibited a preference for Korean wheat products and willingness to pay more money than those from the imported wheat despite inconsistencies of wheat quality in SRC profile and dough properties found in the Korean wheat flours.