Attitudes and conceptions of Brazilian consumers toward ice cream and protein addition

Ice cream is an excellent product for incorporating different ingredients, allowing various innovations, including the addition of protein. This study explored the conceptions of Brazilian consumers towards ice cream, and their attitude toward the addition of protein to ice cream. 1074 consumers participated in an online study using word association. In addition, data were collected on participant sociodemographic information, questions about ice cream consumption habits, the type of tropical fruits that they considered best when formulating high-protein ice cream, and their preferred product form, i.e. cream or popsicle. The word association task identified 3978 different terms that were associated with ice cream. Word associations differed between consumers who were favorable versus unfavorable toward the addition of protein. The majority of participants (88%) felt that adding protein to ice cream was a good idea, and these consumers cited words related to the sensory attributes of ice cream, such as “refreshing” and “creamy,” more often than participants who were indifferent and/or were unfavorable toward protein addition. These latter participants more frequently cited terms reflecting the negative caloric aspects of ice cream, such as “fat,” “sugar,” “calories,” and “overweight.” The data provide insights that can be used to develop ice cream that meets different consumer niches and that may foster greater ice cream consumption throughout the year.