An assessment of the sensory attributes and the consumer acceptance of new experimental and commercial spekboom products

Spekboom (Portulacaria afra), a succulent viewed as both environmentally and socioeconomically acceptable, remains underutilized. This study investigated the culinary potential and consumer acceptability of spekboom across diverse flavour profiles and textures. A sensory assessment was done using Just-About-Right analysis and overall liking of new experimental (relish, pickle, lemon curd, and salad sprinkle) and commercial (preserve, chutney, pickle, and chicken spice) spekboom products, followed by a consumer survey to evaluate drivers of adoption and willingness to try spekboom-based products. Spekboom use in the relish was the most successful application with appearance, taste and mouthfeel performing well, thus, JAR levels >75.0%. Its non-JAR aroma parameter had a mean drop of 0.73, and the penalty score (0.68) indicated that it required no further reformulation. Although the commercial preserve had JAR scores <75.0% and non-JAR scores >20.0%, for “too high” aroma, taste, and mouthfeel, their mean drops were <1.0, and penalty scores were acceptable, with no attributes falling into the needs improvement category. Survey results showed that consumers are willing to try new recipes and products. General availability (80.9%) and promotion (58.3%) were identified as the key drivers of adoption. The findings suggest that spekboom can be used for savory, vinegar-based, and sweet-preserved profiles.