Tropentag 2021, September 15 - 17, hybrid conference, Germany "Towards shifting paradigms in agriculture for a healthy and sustainable future"

Jackfruit-Nut-Bars - A Promising Product to Enhance Jackfruit Utilisation in Uganda?

University of Göttingen, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Germany

Abstract

The nutritional value of jackfruits in Uganda has long been acknowledged. However, due to its large size and sticky insides it is difficult to handle and currently being underutilised. Also, once the fruit is opened the edible bulbs must be consumed within a few days as they are easily perishable. This causes large amounts of jackfruits to go to waste. One solution is to process the fruits into easily accessible products with longer shelf-lives. As processing of jackfruits is still rare there are limited insights on consumer demand for jackfruit products. Therefore, one work-package of the “Fruits and Vegetables for all seasons” project analyses the potential of jackfruit-nut-bars (JNBs) as a channel to enhance utilisation of jackfruit. JNBs are mainly made up of jackfruit bulb, mango, peanuts, and lemon. The ingredients were mixed and oven dried. The dried product is a healthy snack that can be consumed away from home. It fits into the ongoing shift towards more processed and easily accessible products in Uganda. To analyse consumer demand for the products, we first assessed sensory perception of four slightly different jackfruit-nut-bars and then used Van Westendrop’s price sensitivity metre to elicit consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). The survey was conducted at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Very few study participants had eaten processed jackfruit products before. While fresh jackfruit was mainly consumed because of its nutritional value and sweet taste, it was mostly disliked because of its stickiness. Results of the sensory analysis of the JNBs show that most characteristics (colour, aroma, texture in the mouth, taste, and general appearance) of all four JNBs were rated by over half of the participants as “like it” or “like it very much”. WTP was predominantly influenced by their current attitudes and practices towards food and snack consumption. Frequency of snack consumption, as well as consumers neophobia and consumption of sugared snacks because they are cheap had a positive and significant effect on consumers WTP. Based on our findings we conclude that JNBs are a promising product to enhance utilisation of jackfruits. More comprehensive research is necessary to identify further consumer groups.

Keywords: Consumer demand, jackfruits, Processing, Snacks, Uganda

Contact Address: Johanna Tepe, University of Göttingen, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany, e-mail: johanna.tepeuni-goettingen.de