Innovative patties from Majorcan Black Pig meat: results of a consumer study in Barcelona

The Majorcan Black Pig (MBP) is an untapped breed from Mallorca Island, in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim of the study was to innovate new, healthier products to expand demand and ensure the survival of MBP farms by identifying new market niches. To achieve this, bioactive compounds such as β-glucans and polyphenols were added to the patties, by including mushrooms (Boletus edulis) or blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum), respectively in their composition. A study with 120 consumers was carried out in Barcelona. The consumers had to test five types of MBP patties, three innovative treatments and two controls: MBP patties (A), MBP with porcini mushrooms (B), MBP with blueberries (C); Pork and beef (D) and beef (E). The experimental design consisted of three tests: (1) Blind test: consumers tasted the five types of patties (overall liking on a scale from 1 (dislike extremely) to 9 (like extremely)). (2) Expected test: Consumers indicated general acceptance to the description of the five treatments, with the information about the origin of the meat, production system and potential beneficial effects of the added healthy ingredients. (3) Informed test: Consumers repeated the sensory test, but with the same information as the previous test in each tasting. There were no significant differences according to gender in the blind test. MBP patty treatment had a significantly higher sensory acceptance than the rest (in both the Blind and Informed test). In addition, the average score obtained by the MBP patty was significantly higher in the Blind and Informed tests – which include a sensory evaluation – implying that it was the preferred one by the consumers. The
type of patties with vegetal ingredients were scored significantly lower than the other types of patties, and there was no significant effect of the information that had been given to consumers, indicating that consumers did not like so much the sensory characteristics of these patties (texture and flavor). There is a need to provide clear and understandable information to the consumers about the differential characteristics of the products, ensuring sensory quality. Funded by European Union’s H2020 RIA program (grant agreement no.634476).