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Cited by 133Consumer Attitudes and Food LabelingFood Industry and Aquatic BiologySensory Analysis and Statistical Methods

Consumer Knowledge and Attitudes towards Microalgae as Food: The Case of Spain

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Lafarga, Tomás, Rodríguez-Bermúdez, Ruth, Morillas-España, Ainoa, Villaró, Silvia, García-Vaquero, Marco, Morán, Lara, Sánchez-Zurano, Ana, González-López, Cynthia Victoria +1 more·2021·Algal Research
DOI 10.1016/j.algal.2020.102174
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Crossref · 10.1016/j.algal.2020.102174

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  • Many consumers tend to prioritize foods that provide immediate and tangible benefits while resisting changes that require adaptations in taste.

    “As a still relatively unfamiliar ingredient, many consumers tend to prioritize foods that provide immediate and tangible benefits, while resisting changes that require adaptations in taste.”

    From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Lafarga et al., 2021

    The discussion under “What extra price would you pay for a microalgae-containing product?” (page unavailable) says taste is important to Western consumers’ acceptance of functional foods, supporting the taste-related part in general. But the paper does not say consumers prioritize immediate, tangible benefits; its “Microalgae consumption as food” results instead say respondents did not rate taste or aroma negatively and chiefly cited unfamiliarity and lack of habit. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • It is challenging to convince consumers to forgo established attributes, especially taste, even when socially desirable advantages such as greater sustainability are present.

    “Consequently, it becomes particularly challenging to convince consumers to forgo established attributes—especially taste—even when socially desirable advantages, such as greater sustainability, are present (Lafarga et al., 2021; Maehle and Skjeret, 2022).”

    From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Lafarga et al., 2021

    The section ‘What extra price would you pay for a microalgae-containing product?’ says that food acceptance in Western cultures is conditional, especially with respect to taste. But section 3.2 reports that surveyed Spanish consumers viewed microalgae as sustainable and did not negatively rate taste or aroma; their main barriers were lack of information and habit. The paper therefore supports the general importance of taste, not the claimed taste-versus-sustainability trade-off. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The predominance of a 'child-like palate' in contemporary food choices, where simple, sweet, or culturally established flavors are preferred over new or more complex sensory profiles, partly explains consumer resistance.

    “This behavior partly reflects the predominance of a “child-like palate” in contemporary food choices, where simple, sweet, or culturally established flavors are preferred over new or more complex sensory profiles.”

    From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Lafarga et al., 2021

    Section 3.2 (page not provided) links low microalgae consumption among Spanish respondents to unfamiliarity and reports that people who dislike exotic foods were more likely never to have eaten microalgae. It does not establish a predominant “child-like palate” in contemporary food choices or a preference for simple or sweet flavors; respondents did not rate taste or aroma as major barriers. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The lack of clear and standardized regulations for the use of microalgae in food formulations limits their consolidation in the market, as well as the lack of consumer knowledge about microalgae and their health benefits.

    “Furthermore, it is worth emphasizing that the lack of clear and standardized regulations for the use of microalgae in food formulations limits their consolidation in the market, as well as the lack of consumer knowledge about microalgae and their health benefits (Lafarga et al., 2021; Olsen et al., 2024; Zhu et al., 2024).”

    From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Lafarga et al., 2021

    The Introduction identifies limited consumer knowledge of microalgae and their health-promoting properties as a possible barrier, and section 3.1 reports that 72.2% of respondents did not know or were unsure of the health benefits. Section 3.1 also says that few strains can be incorporated into foods and describes the EU Novel Food Regulation, but it does not attribute limited market uptake to a lack of clear, standardized regulations. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Protein hydrolysates and algal peptides often have strong flavors, marine-like odors, or unfamiliar colors, which can negatively affect consumer perception, especially in regions where algae are not traditionally consumed.

    “Protein hydrolysates and algal peptides often have strong flavors, marine-like odors, or unfamiliar colors, which can negatively affect consumer perception, especially in regions where algae are not traditionally consumed [201,206].”

    From Navigating the potential of algal peptides: health effects, market applications, and scientific challenges (2026) · cites this paper as [206]

    The Introduction reports that microalgae’s green colour, marine taste and odour have been suggested to limit their use in foods. But the study concerns microalgae and microalgae-containing foods, not specifically protein hydrolysates or algal peptides; its Spanish consumers negatively rated intense colour, but did not negatively rate taste or aroma (Section 3.2). (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Lafarga, T., Rodríguez-Bermúdez, R., Morillas-España, A., Villaró, S., García-Vaquero, M., Morán, L., Sánchez-Zurano, A., González-López, C. V., & Acién-Fernández, F. G.
Affiliations
  • University of Almería (ES)
  • Universitat de Lleida (ES)
  • University of the Basque Country (ES)
Corresponding author
Lafarga, Tomás
ORCID
Venue
Algal Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-04
Volume
54
Pages
102174
ISSN
2211-9264 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.algal.2020.102174
OpenAlex
W3118943253
Cited by
133
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 12
FWCI
19.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Algal Research (publishedVersion)
  • Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Hispana (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Repositori ObertUDL (University of Lleida) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Repositorio de Patentes de la Universidad de Almería (Universidad de Almería) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (cc-by)
Funders
  • Fundación BBVA
  • Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
  • Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (IJC2018-035287-I, RTI2018-099495-A-C22)
  • Horizon 2020 (727874)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Industry and Aquatic Biology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods
Keywords
consumer knowledge, consumer attitudes, Spanish consumers, food safety perception, nutritional perception, barriers to consumption, age differences in knowledge, consumer choice

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