Influence of functional information on consumer liking and consumer perception related to health claims for blueberry functional beverages

Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of functional labelling on the consumers acceptability and purchase intentions of blueberry functional beverages (BFB). A 2-day consumer acceptance test was conducted independently with functional information (n = 60) and without any information (n = 80). The presence of functional labelling did not influence the liking attributes of BFBs (P > 0.05). However, functional information positively affected consumer perception of health-related perceptions associated with BFBs, such as 'aiding eye health improvement' and 'eye fatigue relief'. Subjects perceived more health-related perceptions when informed test was conducted. The first-order effect was observed, in which the degree of the first-order effect was greater for BFBs that had a thicker mouthfeel. Findings from the results can practically guide product developers and marketers in the functional drink industry by providing the strategy for how to evaluate reformulated functional beverages for the consumer acceptance test by warning a counter-balanced sample presentation.