Consumer willingness to pay for bean flour-enriched noodles: a healthy eating alternative

In Mexico, food and nutrition security reflects two major contrasts: on the one hand, the caloric supply of food exceeds FAO recommendations; on the other, deficiencies persist in access to food of sufficient quality and quantity in several regions of the country. Beans, an important source of protein, have experienced a drastic reduction in their annual per capita consumption. Faced with this situation, and with the purpose of encouraging their consumption through innovative alternatives, a noodle-type pasta enriched with bean cotyledon flour was developed, thus reducing the use of wheat flour. When considering these new food alternatives, it is essential to analyze various factors to ensure their technical and economic viability. This research aimed to identify the quality attributes of bean flour-enriched noodles and to assess consumer willingness to pay (WTP) based on socioeconomic characteristics. The study was structured in three phases: 1) application of a measuring instrument ( n = 400); 2) development of the new product; and 3) sensory analysis by hedonic tasting. The results show a positive WTP for taste, with consumers willing to pay an additional 73.93 pesos for a pasta with a taste that they like. Nevertheless, a discount of 19.35 pesos is required in attributes such as hardness and 34.37 pesos in relation to the type of pasta. These findings reflect a business opportunity for the introduction of this new product.