Consumption and Preference of Tropical Vegetables in the Special Region of Yogyakarta

Abstract

Tropical vegetables are essential food sources for health. However, the consumption of vegetables in the Special Region of Yogyakarta is yet relatively low. Meanwhile, the Special Region of Yogyakarta has the potential to supply vegetable commodities. The research objective is to determine the consumption and consumer preference of the attributes of tropical vegetables. The sample of research locations were purposively selected, i.e., Colombo Market, Kranggan Market, Niten Market, Playen Market, Mirota Kampus, Superindo, and the Agrotechnology Innovation Center (PIAT UGM). The number of respondents was determined by accidental sampling with the survey of 115 respondents. Consumption of tropical vegetables is analyzed descriptively, and consumer preferences are analyzed using the Fishbein analysis. The results showed that the highest to the lowest order of tropical vegetable consumption were purple eggplant, long beans, cucumber, tomato, and chili. In addition, attributes from the preferences of tropical vegetable consumers include freshness, hygiene, convenience, benefits, color, packaging, size, taste, organic, label, and texture. The order of preference for tropical vegetables includes tomatoes, long beans, purple eggplants, chili, and cucumbers.

Consumers’ Attitude and Preference toward Fresh Tomatoes in Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“…The utility value of consumer preferences was more interested in buying fresh tomatoes. This was consistent with the research finding which confirmed that freshness is an important attribute of the perceived quality of a product (Tsiros & Heilman, 2005;Farruggia, Crescimanno, Galati, & Tinervia, 2016;Hardyastuti & Perwitasari, 2021). Tomatoes were classified as agricultural products, and the characteristics of agricultural products were always synonymous with freshness.…”

“…The analysis is used to model consumer preferences based on consumer perceptions of various product attributes, beginning with determining the attributes and attribute levels (Firdaus, 2011). Attributes are selected based on attributes that have positive values from the results of Fishbein's Multi-attribute analysis and supporting studies, including freshness (Hardyastuti & Perwitasari, 2021), color (Oltman et al, 2014;Adegbola et al, 2019), texture (Usse et al, 2010), fruit surface appearance (Lombart et al, 2019), and taste (Oltman et al, 2014). Some selected attributes had not been specifically capable of representing consumer preferences, so it was necessary to extend the level for each attribute.…”

“…Tomato's quality commonly describes as fresh one. However, such a consumer's definition of freshness is a complex issue involving a diversity of attributes consisting of sensory and non-sensory components (Péneau, Linke, Escher, & Nuessli, 2009;Dinnella, Torri, Caporale, & Monteleone, 2014;Zhang, Lusk, Mirosa, & Oey, 2016;Hardyastuti & Perwitasari, 2021). Sensory attributes primely contribute to the concept of freshness than nonsensory attributes (Péneau et al, 2009).…”

“…Meanwhile, several studies have revealed that primarily sensory attributes which describe appearance and texture are related to the level of freshness perceived by consumers (Ares, Giménez, & Gámbaro, 2008;Fillion & Kilcast, 2002;Jung, Padmanabahn, Hong, Lim, & Kim, 2012;Løkke, Seefeldt, & Edelenbos, 2012;Péneau, Hoehn, Roth, Escher, & Nuessli, 2006). Another author who researched with a sample of consumers in the Special Region of Yogyakarta explained that freshness attributes strongly influenced consumer interest in tropical vegetables (Hardyastuti & Perwitasari, 2021). Consumers realize that vegetables are perishable products, so freshness attribute is the main priority in buying vegetables.…”