Perfil de consumidores e sua percepção sobre antepasto de grão de bico contendo bactéria probiótica

Introduction: The food industry and researchers have been dedicated to developing new functional products with more natural characteristics. Thus, studies that identify the demand of consumers seeking to meet their desires are important. Objective: To evaluate the profile and perception of consumers about antipasti, probiotics and purchase intention of a chickpea antipasti added with probiotic bacteria. Method: The evaluation was carried out online, through a questionnaire sent to 322 participants, containing 33 questions. Word clouds were created with the results obtained. Results: Most participants live in the Southeast region, 72.7% are female, 37.3% have a family income of up to three minimum wages, 75.8% know what antipasto is and more than half have consumed beak and knows its benefits. More than 84.0% of the participants know what probiotics are and 90.1% have already consumed dairy-based probiotic products. However, 78.0% showed interest in options for probiotic products of plant origin. About the characteristics that the participants consider that best describe the antipasto, the most cited were: Pasty, Soft, Bittersweet, Salty and Firm. The word cloud showed that respondents associate probiotics with gut health and 36% of those would be willing to buy probiotic-containing chickpea antipasto if the product were available on the market. Conclusion: The study indicates that consumers are interested in chickpeas and probiotics, with a potential demand for plant-based foods containing probiotics.