Estudo de mercado e desenvolvimento de análogo a hambúrguer a base de feijão-caupi

Abstract

The increased consumption of products from vegetables has increased, contributing to new lifestyles. A search for healthier, more sustainable alternatives that do not include products from animals are driving these changes. This interest opened the market for the worldwide trend, plant-based products. Consumers of this type of food are no longer just vegans and vegetarians and have expanded to flexitarians and omnivores. However, not much is known about these products (egg, dairy and meat analogues) and what consumers are looking for. Given the interest of people and the need for more information, the purpose of this work was to collect data related to the characteristics of plant-based products, analogous to commercial hamburgers, in terms of fat and protein present; collect opinions about the target audience using an online questionnaire; develop a new hamburger analogue based on cowpea (flour and isolate) and mushrooms as an alternative protein source; analyze the proximate composition mainly and promote sensory panel using Focus Group. The results showed that commercial plant-based products have a high content of total and saturated fat, mainly derived from coconut oil; the amount of protein is not far from animal products, with peas being the most used source. In the questionnaire, the female gender participated in the highest percentage with 73.7%; young people between 18 to 25 years old; people with salary income between 1 to 3 minimum wages and greater participation of students with higher education. In the Focus Group, the product developed generally showed characteristics of golden, brittle, handmade, tempered and soft. Based on the data found, consumers will be able to better understand the plant-based products they are consuming, being encouraged to obtain autonomy in their choices. They will be able to opt for healthier products, with low fat content; and for more sustainable products, which use raw materials generated from local production, as was used with cowpea. This shows that it is possible and that its processing has potential for application in other plant-based products.