Quality of different rice cultivars and factors influencing consumer willingness-to-purchase rice

Physicochemical properties and descriptive profiles of four rice samples including white rice (RD31 and KDML105), brown rice (BKDML) and a brown/red rice mix (BR + HMD) were investigated. Consumer acceptance and factors influencing rice consumption and purchase intent were also determined (n = 112). The unpolished rice samples were more flavourful, harder and lower in retrogradation rate than the polished ones. The RD31 with 36.81% apparent amylose content exhibited the lowest peak viscosity (133.5 RVU) with the highest retrogradation rate (59.7%) resulting in the lowest consumer acceptance. The KDML105 obtained the highest acceptance score (6.9) with the softest texture (23.8 N) and the lowest cooking time (18 min). The preference mapping revealed that consumer acceptance was highly associated with the peak viscosity and vice versa for the amylose content. The factor analysis indicated that the accessibility, eating behaviour, rice variety, preference as well as rice quality and health benefits, respectively, were the factor-driven consumers' attitudes towards rice consumption and purchase intention.

Automated summary

The study revealed that unpolished rice has better sensory attributes and higher hardness compared to polished rice. Consumer acceptance is influenced by the amylose content and viscosity of different rice samples. Factors such as accessibility, eating behavior, rice variety, preference, as well as rice quality and health benefits play a significant role in driving consumers' attitudes towards rice consumption and purchase intention.