Consumer Preference for Jackfruit Varieties in Malaysia

Abstract

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., or jackfruit, is a non-seasonal plant with many uses. There are new varieties of this fruit with unknown consumer acceptance to its taste, aroma and texture. A fruit party was held to conduct to study on the consumer preference or three varieties of jackfruit, i.e. Tekam Yellow, Mastura and Mantin. A total of 251 respondents participated in this study. The taste test was carried out single-blind i.e., the varieties of jackfruit tested were not known to the respondents and they were asked to give their opinions using a Likert scale. The survey found that the main characteristic that should emphasized is the pulp texture being less juicy. Nevertheless, the sweetness and the aroma were also important. Consumers generally preferred the Tekam Yellow variety because its texture was less juicy, and because it tasted sweeter than Mantin and Mastura. It was also found that colour does not significantly affect the consumer preference. Malaysian consumers generally prefer fresh fruit which is sweet rather than sour. Even though consumers generally like juicy fresh fruit, producers and marketers still need to ensure those traits do not interfere with the crunchiness of the fruit. The study concluded that agricultural researchers need to focus on new varieties of jackfruit which are less juicy, but still sweet.