A sense of seaweed: Consumer liking of bread and spreads with the addition of four different species of northern European seaweeds. A pilot study among Swedish consumers

Current food systems pose one of the greatest health and environmental challenges of the 21st century. Expanded utilization of seaweed for food in Western societies seems like one promising measure in the transition toward sustainable food systems. However, introducing and expanding seaweed to new markets brings certain challenges, such as limited food acceptance and availability. In this pilot consumer study, four common northern European seaweed species (Saccharina latissima, Alaria esculenta, Palmaria palmata, and Ulva sp.) were introduced into two complementary plant-based products (bread and spread), which were presented to consumers (n = 49 (bread), n = 52 (spread)) in a Swedish setting. The consumers’ liking of the products was evaluated based on a 9-point hedonic scale, and the product characteristics were determined by texture, pH, and color analysis. Whereas the different spreads’ pH was similar, the texture and color overall varied more between the different samples. Overall, the consumers slightly liked the two seaweed-containing products, with taste/flavor and texture being main contributing factors to the consumers’ liking. For the bread, S. latissima was liked best as a supplement. S. latissima and A. esculenta were liked best for the spread, whereas P. palmata received the lowest scores. The preference for brown seaweeds may relate to their relatively more neutral taste/flavors and finer structure, whereas the lower scores for P. palmata may be explained by its marine-associate flavors and coarser structure. The studied consumer liking of seaweed-based products can become valuable for developing and improving future seaweed products and increasing their availability in Western food cultures.