Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9(36) December 2015, Pages: 60-65
ISSN:1991-8178
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
Journal home page: www.ajbasweb.com
Consumer profile of açaí in the city of Santarém, Brazilian Amazon
1
Lucas Cunha XIMENES, 2João Ricardo Vasconcellos GAMA, 2Thiago Almeida VIEIRA
1
Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys. Department of Forestry. Faculty of Forest Engineering. ZIP code 39100-000.
Diamantina - Brazil.
2
Federal University of Western Pará. Institute of Biodiversity and Forests. Faculty of Forest Engineering. ZIP code 68040-470. Santarém –
Brazil.
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received 10 November 2015
Accepted 30 December 2015
Available online 18 January 2016
Keywords:
Fruit; principal component analysis;
sites;
interviews;
consumption
behavior
ABSTRACT
The culture of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is the most important in the state of
Pará (Amazon region), because it employs both directly and indirectly more than 25
thousand people and accounts for about 70% of the income formation of riverine
extraction. Objective: Thus, this study aimed to assess the consumer profile of açaí in
Santarém, Pará, taking into account their habits, preferences and socioeconomic
characteristics in order to draw a profile of them. Structured interviews were
realized between August and September at six sites in the city of Santarém, Pará,
Brazil, in which 3 of them are public (a health post, a traditional county fair and an
University) and 3 are private (a Pilates studio, a shopping center and an University),
covering a total of 120 consumers studied. Results: Through the factorial method
Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we found that the addition of animal-based
protein, socioeconomic values, main complement and frequency of consumption
influenced the habits, preferences and consumption behavior of açaí consumers.
© 2015 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.
To Cite This Article: Lucas Cunha XIMENES, João Ricardo Vasconcellos GAMA, Thiago Almeida VIEIRA., Consumer profile of açaí in
the city of Santarém, Brazilian Amazon. Aust. J. Basic & Appl. Sci., 9(36): 60-65, 2015
INTRODUCTION
Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is a native palm
tree of the Amazon, being abundant in the lowland
areas of the region, especially in the Amazon
estuary, where there is a large number of families
who survive from this palm, used not only as food,
but as a main source of income by marketing
(MIRANDA et al., 2012). It belongs to the genus
Euterpe, botanical family Arecaceae, which includes
native tropical palm trees in several areas of the
Amazon region in South America (SCHAUSS,
2010).
Its pulp, rich in polyphenols, is consumed as
fruit juice (RODRIQUES, 2006) in a wide variety
of beverages and food products (SCHAUSS, 2010;
SCHAUSS et al., 2006).
According to the purchasing preferences of açaí
consumers, its market in Belém (state capital), is
configured into three segments: grocery stores,
microentrepreneurship and supermarkets. The
knowledge of the variables that classify consumers in
each of these segments, allows sale units to develop
strategies to optimize sales, differentiate products
and increase participation in the local retail market
(SANTANA et al., 2014). Açaí is considered by
Lopes and Santana (2005) as the most important
crop of this state, as accounts for about 70% of the
income formation of riverine extraction.
However, before the expansion of demand for
açaí fruit, extraction was aimed at domestic
consumption with little surplus for sale. After the
devastation of large areas for extraction of palm
hearts from the 1970s, açaí fruit has become valued,
increasing the retention of existing açaí palm areas,
and the açaí palm trees ceased to be overthrown for
the extraction of palm hearts and started to be
maintained in the area for fruit production
(NOGUEIRA; HOMMA, 1988).
In recent years, açaí berry has been marketed,
beyond specific commercial establishments to its
sale, in supermarkets, gyms and fast food outlets
shops, meeting new market niches and covering an
increasingly large number of consumers with higher
purchasing power (SANTANA et al., 2007).
However, this attempt to find new niches and offer
increasingly is not consistent with the new trend of
açaí market dynamics proposed by Homma and
Santana (2009), because according to them, açaí
market has been characterized by presenting
growing demand exceeds supply, pushing prices,
especially with the increase in exports.
Based on this economic trend, the analysis of
the profile consumer, their desires, needs and
Corresponding Author: Lucas Cunha XIMENES, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys. Department of
Forestry. Faculty of Forest Engineering. ZIP code 39100-000. Diamantina - Brazil.
E-mail: [email protected]
61
Lucas Cunha XIMENES et al, 2015
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9(36) December 2015, Pages: 60-65
satisfaction is for Leite (1996) an important tool for
generating essential information for the planning,
organization and direction of the company in a
competitive environment.
Due to this scenario, this study aimed to evaluate
the consumer profile of açaí in Santarém, Pará,
taking into consideration their habits, preferences and
socioeconomic behavior.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data were collected in the urban area of the
municipality of Santarém, Pará state, situated in the
Eastern Amazon region, 36 m altitude, in the
confluence of Amazon and Tapajós rivers, under the
coordinates 2°24'52'' S and 54°42'36'' W,
occupying an area of approximately 22887.08 km².
The climate is hot and humid with average annual
temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 28 °C, with
average annual rainfall of 1,920 mm and the highest
temperatures occur in the months from June to
November, while rainy season take place from
December to May (PREFEITURA MUNICIPAL DE
SANTARÉM, 2010).
Data collection occurred between August and
September at six sites, 20 in each, totaling 120
consumers surveyed. The locations were chosen
so that it was possible to evaluate differences
between açaí profile consumers who attend
different places: public or private environments.
The public places selected for the execution of this
research were: a health clinic, a traditional county
fair and a public university; and private
environments: one pilates studio, a shopping mall
and a private university.
Data collection was conducted by the
realization of structured interviews, covering habits,
preferences and social and economic behavior of
açaí consumers in the urban area of Santarém. Data
were tabulated in Microsoft Excel 2000®, initially
analyzed using descriptive statistics, and then
subjected to factor analysis (by Principal
Components Analysis) using the Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 15.0) to
identify the factors that most influenced the
consumer profile of açaí in Santarem, Pará.
The variables "Education"; "Sex"; "Monthly
Income"; "Age"; "Frequency of consumption”;
Consumption of açaí with “Manioc flour”; with
“Tapioca flour”; with “Shrimp”; with “Fish”; with
“Beef”; with “Chicken” showed significant
correlations and were subjected to Analysis of
Factorial.
Results:
The value of KMO test was equal to 0.636
showing appropriateness of using factor analysis for
this study database. In Table 1, results of the
eigenvalues
obtained
from
the
spectral
decomposition of the correlation matrix are shown,
which allowed the reduction of the data by
principal component analysis, showing the existence
of four components.
Table 1: Results of the eigenvalues for the extraction of factors and total variance explained by the factors.
Variance
Component
Initial eigenvalues
After rotation
Total
%
Accumulated
Total
%
Accumulated
1
3,027
27,516
27,516
2,854
25,941
25,941
2
2,041
18,553
46,068
1,814
16,495
42,436
3
1,192
10,834
56,902
1,508
13,708
56,144
4
1,154
10,494
67,396
1,238
11,252
67,396
5
0,945
8,59
75,986
6
0,749
6,81
82,796
7
0,612
5,563
88,359
8
0,53
4,816
93,174
9
0,343
3,117
96,292
10
0,222
2,019
98,31
11
0,186
1,69
100
More than 67% of the data variability could be
explained by four factors (principal components)
with eigenvalues greater than 1.0, which represent
the original dataset and consequently explain which
characteristics açaí consumers have and which
criteria are taken into consideration when it comes to
the consumption of this product (Table 2).
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Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9(36) December 2015, Pages: 60-65
Table 2: Matrix of factor charges after orthogonal rotation by the Varimax method with Kaiser.
Factors
Variables
1
2
3
4
Education
0,126
-0,804
0,283
0,314
Sex
-0,185
0,590
-0,020
0,112
Monthly Income
0,210
-0,172
0,345
0,550
Age
0,224
0,851
0,017
0,038
Frequency of consumption
0,097
-0,098
0,131
-0,836
Manioc Flour
0,076
0,210
-0,798
-0,129
Tapioca Flour
0,172
0,054
0,795
-0,106
Shrimp
0,861
-0,092
0,107
-0,103
Fish
0,812
-0,040
0,084
-0,128
Beef
0,804
0,016
0,047
0,066
Chicken
0,787
-0,014
-0,036
0,255
The first factor, which explains the
consumption of açaí in Santarém, becomes
clarified by the interrelation of variables shrimp,
fish, beef and chicken, being named complement of
animal origin.
Regarding the second factor, this explains
16.5% of the overall variance from the interaction
of the variables education, gender and age of
consumers, being named socioeconomic variables.
The third factor was formed by the
interrelationship of the variables manioc flour and
tapioca flour, being named main supplement. In this
complement of the analysis, we observed which
ones of these two complements are more ingested
with acai by its consumers.
Finally, the fourth factor was explained by the
variables income and frequency, being named
frequency of consumption. The average monthly
income of açaí consumers who attend public places
was R$ 2,097.34.
In Figure 1, it is noted that in sites considered
as private in this study (like Pilates studio and
shopping center) presented higher incomes than
other environments because they are usually
frequented by more affluent consumers.
Fig. 1: Monthly income of açaí consumers per site studied in Santarém, Brazilian Amazon
Regarding the frequency of daily consumption,
we observed that there was no significant difference
between public and private universities as well as
between public and private healthcare environment
(Table 3).
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Lucas Cunha XIMENES et al, 2015
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9(36) December 2015, Pages: 60-65
Table 3: Average frequency of açaí consumption per site studied in Santarém, Brazilian Amazon (n = 120). *Means followed by the same
letter are not significantly different by Kruskal-Wallis test; **CV = Coefficient of Variation.
CV**
Site
Monthly Frequency* *******(day)*
105,86 %
Private University
8,60 a
Public University
3,57 b
73,63 %
Pilates Studio
3,05 b
91,18 %
Municipal Health Clinic
8,65 a
92,96 %
Shopping center
6,15 ab
98,73 %
Municipal Fair
5,45 b
123,65 %
The average consumption was 5.89 times a
month in public environments, while in the private
ones considered in this study was 5.93. It is
observed that the highest values were found in the
private university and in the municipal health
clinic, corresponding to 8.60 and 8.65 times per
month,
respectively.
The
frequency
of
consumption, therefore, is due to socioeconomic
factors.
Discussion:
According to Hair Jr. et al. (2009), KMO test
values above 0.50 indicate the feasibility of this
tool to be applied for the analysis of a problem.
This was confirmed by Bartlett's sphericity test, in
which p value was approximately zero (0.00), in
other words, less than the significance level α =
5%. These results therefore show the suitability of
using factor analysis to extract factors and the
estimation of factor scores.
About the first factor, we observed that fish and
shrimp are the animal complements which are the
most ingested with açaí, corresponding to 13.3%
and 12.5%, respectively, followed by beef (7.5%)
and chicken (3.3%) and 63.3% of consumers ingest
açaí without any addition of animal origin. And
from the consumers who do not ingest açaí with
any animal origin products, 82.9% prefer to
consume it with manioc flour or tapioca flour.
According to these results, it is known that fish
and shrimp are the animal complements which are
the most ingested with açaí, as it was affirmed by
Corrêa (2010), in which these foods are consumed
with açaí from antiquity to the present day,
especially in the riparian Amazon.
As most of consumers in this study prefer to
consume açaí with manioc flour or tapioca flour, it
was also evidenced by Silva and Silva (2006), when
they highlight them as key complementary products.
In the Amazon, there is the habit of açaí
consumption with plant origin products, and very
often with cassava derivatives, still associated with
animal products. The consumption of açaí with fish
meat, for example, may be associated with the habit
of the Amazonian riparian people in fishing and
also in managing açaí areas to generate products
for the family diet.
The second factor shows that variables of
socioeconomic order such as education, gender and
age of consumers, greatly influence the consumption
of açaí consumer profile in Santarém.
Age of the consumers comprised a range
13 to 84 years. The age range of interviewed
people was greater in public places (13-84 years)
than in private locations (17- 61 years), beyond the
age average is higher in public places (37.1), than in
the private ones (28.9), especially in the traditional
fair of Santarém (54.3 years), which was also
proven by Kinjo and Ikeda (2013), where the
majority of açaí consumers who frequent fairs is in
the range 41-50 years.
Regarding to education, it was observed that
24.2% of consumers did not have even reach high
school, and 5% are illiterate, but the mayority of
respondents have higher education (65%), it occurs
mainly because two of the six sites chosen for this
research were universities, apart from that according
to Silva and Smith (2006), for this consumer
category (in relation to changes in the consumption
for example), exploration of the attributes of a
marketing campaign that celebrates characteristics of
açaí linked to health benefits increases product
demand, especially those consumers who belong to
the 'health generation’, who attend gyms and adopt
healthier diets.
Pilates studio was where consumers were found
with higher levels of education, in which 95% of
respondents have gone through higher education,
while the lowest was the traditional municipal fair,
where the majority (25%) of respondents is illiterate
and none of them came to attend higher education.
In gender, the number of women was higher
(62.5%), the majority in four of the six investigated
environments, with the exception of traditional fair
and public university that had relatively similar
rates among both sexes. It is also important to note
that women consume açaí slightly more than
men (approximately 6.3 times a month, and
men 5.2 times).
In the third factor, main supplement, it was
observed that 55% of consumers prefer to ingest
açaí only with tapioca flour as a supplement, while
18.3% prefer to consume açaí only with manioc
flour, 14.2% have no preference for the type of flour
and 12.5% do not use these supplements.
In Santarém, consumption of açaí with tapioca
flour was higher than with manioc flour, which
differs from the study by Silva and Silva (2006),
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Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9(36) December 2015, Pages: 60-65
evaluating the profile of domestic consumer of açaí
in the metropolitan region of Belém (Pará), where
açaí consumption with manioc flour (26.1%) was
very close to with tapioca flour (24.8%).
The fourth factor, in its turn, was explained by
the variables income and frequency, being named
frequency of consumption, where it was noticed that
consumers who have higher income tend to be each
time more worried on consuming açaí for health
reasons, which was also evidenced by Bobbio et al.
(2000); Silva et al. (2006) and Teixeira et al. (2008)
who believe that açaí consumption incorporates
aspects of aesthetics and health, being a food rich in
fiber, vitamins and anthocyanins.
It is normal that private sites in this study
have presented higher incomes than the other ones,
because according to Homma et al. (2006), the
increase in the price of açaí pulp (due to pressure
demand), has caused social exclusion of people with
less purchasing power, a product that in the past was
unique to this category.
According to the IBGE – Brazilian Institute of
Geography and Statistics classification (2013) and
to the data from this study, the income variable was
divided into three social classes: Class C (3-5
minimum wages), class D (1-3 minimum wages) and
Class E (up to 1 minimum wage). In this study there
weren’t any açaí consumers in Class A (more than
15 minimum wages) and in class B (5-15 minimum
wages). Higher income social classes showed
higher frequency of açaí consumption, which can
be proven by Silva and Silva (2006) and Santana
and Costa (2008), in which they reported that açaí
consumption is increasingly entering into the higher
income classes.
About the frequency of consumption, in the early
1990s, there was low demand for açaí in the urban
Amazon cities, mainly by higher income population.
By the early 2000s, with the release of açaí
nutritional value and its promotion as energy drink,
the demand for this fruit pulp increased. Silva
(2005) reports that the demand for açaí has
grown in the local market among consumers
with higher income due to reasons involving cultural
issues and especially aesthetics and health.
Conclusions:
The consumer of açaí in the urban area of
Santarém has a preference for ingesting it with
tapioca flour. The most preferred supplements based
on animal protein by açaí consumers are fish and
shrimp. Açaí is part of the diet of a large portion of
the population in the municipality of Santarém. The
higher the income of consumers, frequency of açaí
consumption is also higher.
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