Sensory delights: A study on traditional apple varieties in Spanish rural regions

Abstract

Fresh fruits grown in traditional regions are attracting consumers’ attention due to their environmental and social benefits, alongside their sensory attributes such as taste and texture. This study focuses on two varieties of apples - Golden and Reineta - produced in the Aragón region of Spain, along the Ebro River, and in the rural hilly area of Manubles, which has a longstanding tradition of apple production. We assess consumers’ preferences for apples grown in these rural areas using a between-subject design Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) with two treatments. In treatment A, participants (n=96) selected apples based on provided information regarding the rural area and cultivation characteristics. In treatment B, participants (n=96) first visually examined the apples along with their accompanying information, subsequently tasted them, and finally chose their preferred apple for purchase. Methodologically, we furthered our analysis by measuring stated and inferred Attribute Non-Attendance (ANA) for the various attributes and estimated three mixed logit models: i) a full attendance model, which assumes participants valued all presented attributes ‘equally’; ii) a stated ANA model, wherein participants selected the attributes they considered post-DCE task; iii) and an inferred ANA model.