Factors affecting customer attitudes towards alternative cricket protein and the concept of novel products in China and Thailand

ABSTRACT

This research aims to compare the relationship of factors that influence Thai and Chinese consumers’ perception and emotional responses towards cricket protein powder and to evaluate consumers’ needs for novel food products based on cricket protein powder. The data were collected from 864 participants from Thailand and China. A comparative analysis reveals that generation does not significantly influence consumers’ perception. Chinese consumers, unfamiliar with crickets as food, express negative emotions, yet show positive feelings. In contrast, Thai consumers respond positively, especially when crickets are incorporated into processed products. The study identifies key product concepts, such as food supplements and seasoning, favored by Chinese consumers. Thai consumers prefer cricket powder in main courses, desserts, and beverages, whereas Gen Y leans towards incorporating it into snacks. These findings emphasize the importance of familiarity, generational variations, and emotional responses in shaping consumer preferences, vital factors for designing and marketing innovative food products.

KEYWORDS:

• Generations
• edible insect
• product development
• emotional response

1. Introduction

The world population is growing rapidly, causing the demand for food to increase (Fróna et al., 2019). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050, the population will increase to more than 9 billion and the demand for food will increase by 60% (Orkusz, 2021), which will have negative consequences (e.g. soil and water pollution and increased global warming) (Wiboonthanakul, 2021). These problems will affect cultivation and food productivity and cause a shortage of food (Kim et al., 2019). The FAO is concerned about the foreseen problems in addition to the existing food insecurity faced by some populations and has proposed a new alternative protein from other sources to address this shortage while has encouraged the use or research of new alternative proteins to address these challenges and introducing consumers to these new solutions (Huis, 2013). The alternative protein sources can be summarized as follows: plant protein, insect protein, algal protein, and in vitro/cultured meat protein (Tso et al., 2021). According to Gómez-Corona and Valentin (2023), the application of insects in other food products in each country studied was reported, including burgers, chocolate products, cookies, bread and biscuits, etc.

In this research, several factors have influenced cricket protein as an alternative source, including the consideration of its nutritional value when compared to the same amount of protein from other sources, approximately 20–76% of dry matter (Kouřimská & Adámková, 2016). Cricket protein has been found to be higher in protein than other alternative proteins. In addition, when viewed from another perspective, the advantages of insect or cricket protein can reduce ranch livestock (Huis, 2013). This is important because insect-based protein involves the consumption of meat that is not from large animals, and large animal farming is a major contributor to methane emissions, which contribute to global warming (Protein Alternatives Food from the future that will change eating in the 4.0 era., 2021). Furthermore, the consumption culture of each country is different. For example, in Europe, people prefer to consume processed insects in flour or powder, while in Asia, Japan, China, and ASEAN countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar), insects are primarily consumed in their unprocessed form. In numerous Western nations, disgust has been demonstrated to be the major contributor determining customers’ willingness to eat insects (Gómez-Corona & Valentin, 2023). In Thailand, edible crickets are one of the most interesting alternative proteins. People in the north-eastern and northern regions have a culture of eating crickets (Sogari et al., 2019). As a result, small and large entrepreneurs from many countries come to Thailand to study the patterns of edible insect consumption. Edible cricket is a new type of livestock that the government is using to promote commercial farming with a market value of approximately 6,725 million baht and an economic value of up to 400 million US dollars (Mongkon & Leejoeiwara, 2021). Countries around the world have begun to focus on edible cricket protein mixed into various foods, and it is becoming more popular. Thailand is one of the world’s largest edible insect producers and exporters.

Currently in Thailand, there has been a trend towards paying more attention to cricket powder production or several products included crickets because most people still have negative attitudes about crickets in terms of their appearance, a lack of knowledge and understanding of the nutrition of insects and a lack of familiarity with them for food consumption. Some people are also afraid of food containing insects (Wendin & Nyberg, 2021) and considering the taste aspect is important. Therefore, the things mentioned previously are factors that are explored in this study. Producers and marketers need to work on developing marketing strategies to attract curious customers by, for example, food safety information based on regulations, developing packaging that can attract customers and persuading customers that eating insects or crickets is healthy. Moreover, promoting the advantages to human health and the environment might be helpful. Researching how consumers of all ages will perceive and desire health products and innovative products differently would be extremely interesting. This study aims to enhance awareness and acceptance of the patterns of edible insect consumption by both domestic and foreign consumers. Previous research has shown that China has a large population and a long insect history of edible insect consumption. In the past, people in China were familiar with many edible insects, such as honeybees, crickets, locusts, and ants, which were consumed in various regions; there was therefore a high level of acceptance of edible insects in China but there has not yet been a clear study among consumers in each generation group. However, the supply chain for insects is limited. Currently, the Chinese government has given more importance to food safety in relation to insect products, which makes their insect products expensive (Liu et al., 2020). The production of cricket powder is controlled to meet international standards (Mongkon & Leejoeiwara, 2021). This will expand Thailand’s business opportunities in the field of exports and will reduce safety concerns that arise from the source and production system. In both countries, the target is a niche market. In Thailand, people in the countryside like to eat crickets, and in China, people who have higher incomes commonly eat crickets in finer restaurants (Liu et al., 2020). However, edible crickets are not accessible for a wide range of consumers or mass markets. Therefore, marketers must study target market groups and develop products to reach customers as well as development of cost reduction strategies.

Consumer acceptance of cricket powder in age generations is another important aspect to be considered by producers, entrepreneur, and marketers. According to the research of Ketchum, a global consultancy company, the new generation, or Gen Z, has an open-minded attitude and are more likely to accept novel foods compared to other generations. This group of people is curious to try new products that are manufactured using technology or innovation. Gen Z is 77% more likely to try a novel food or new product, while other generations, such as Gen X, Millennials or Baby Boomers, are 50–60% more likely to try new products (Stetzer, 2021).

For this reason, researchers are interested in studying and surveying Thai and Chinese consumers’ perceptions, acceptance, and preferences in each generation regarding novel food products from cricket protein powder to provide useful information for food developers in these two regions. The research objectives of this study were (i) to study the relationship of factors that influence consumer perception and acceptance of cricket protein powder between Thailand and China and (ii) to survey consumers’ needs for novel food products based on cricket protein powder.

2. Research methodology

2.1. Online questionnaire

2.1.1. Questionnaire design

The questionnaire was created to survey and study consumers’ perceptions of the idea of novel food products from cricket protein powder in Thailand and China. Both Thai and Chinese testers were asked to sign a consent document before conducting the test, and the testers’ personal information was not disclosed. The questionnaire was divided into three sections.

Section 1: Personal information, including demographic information such as gender (i.e. male and female), age range (i.e. Gen Z: 20 years old or younger, Gen Y: 21 to 37 years old, Gen X: 38 to 53 years old, and Baby Boomer: more than 54 years old), nationality, and level of education (i.e. high school, vocational education, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate degree).

Section 2: Consumer behaviour, which required the respondents to provide acknowledgement of their own experiences with crickets and cricket powder, as shown in Table 1.

Section 3: Factors affecting consumers’ perception of crickets and cricket powder were adapted from related previous research. Six factors influence consumers’ perceptions of cricket insects and cricket powder: sensory evaluation, nutritional value, familiarity (adapted from (Mancini et al., 2019), knowledge and education (adapted from (Gurdian et al., 2021), sustainability (adapted from (Mancini et al., 2019), and generation (adapted from (Mongkon & Leejoeiwara, 2021). The questionnaire items, as shown in Tables 1 and 2, were measured by a five-point Likert scale: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neutral, (2) disagree, and (1) strongly disagree (adapted from (Kreitchmann et al., 2019), Finally, Check All That Apply technique (CATA) was used to evaluate the emotional responses of consumers between two different types of cricket product based on 39 food-elicited emotion terms from Essence Profile® (Hanmontree et al., 2022; King & Meiselman, 2010). (Table 2).

Table 1. Consumer behaviour questions.

Questions	Answer
1. Have you ever eaten processed crickets, such as fried, boiled, or added to your diet? (If you answer “Never”, please skip to question 3 and 4)	⇒ Ever ⇒ Never
2. What is your favourite processed cricket product? (Check all that apply)	⇒ Boiled ⇒ Powder
3. Do you know about cricket powder?	⇒ Know ⇒ Do not know
4. Have you ever eaten cricket powder?	⇒ Ever ⇒ Never
5. Idea generation: If there were a cricket powder product, what kind of food do you think cricket powder should be in?	⇒ Open answer

Table 2. Factors affecting consumers’ perceptions of cricket and cricket powder.

Factors	Questions
Sensory Evaluation (SE)	SE1: Do you think the texture of cricket powder affects consumption? SE2: Do you think the smell of cricket powder affects your eating? SE3: Do you think the taste of cricket powder affects consumption? SE4: Do you think cricket powder will cause irritation to consume?
Nutritional Value (NV)	NV1: Crickets have nutrients that are beneficial to the body. NV2: Cricket powder is higher in protein than other animals (pigs, chickens, and cows) when compared at 100 grams. NV3: Cricket powder has more essential fats than other animals (pig, chicken, cow) when compared at 100 grams. NV4: Cricket powder has a high fibre content that is beneficial to the body. NV5: Cricket powder is safe. It does not harm your health.
Familiarity (F)	F1: Consumption of fried crickets and cricket powder feels no different. F2: Consumers are familiar with eating crickets. F3: Consumers are not afraid of eating crickets in any form of processing. F4: Currently, the consumption of edible insects is not uncommon or disgusting.
Knowledge & Education (KE)	KE1: Consumers have convenient access to information about cricket powder. KE2: If consumers have knowledge of cricket powder, this will result in more craving. KE3: If consumers know that cricket powder is high in protein, this will result in more craving. KE4: If consumers know that cricket powder is high in fibre, this will result in more craving. KE5: If consumers know that cricket powder has the necessary amount of fat, this will result in more craving.
Sustainability (S)	S1: Cricket powder is an eco-friendly product because it uses less resources and production than other animals. S2: Cricket powder can reduce the consumption of large animals (pigs and cows). S3: Cricket farming can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. S4: Edible insect farming is more sustainable than other animal farms.
Generation (G)	G1: Baby Boomers (54 years old or older) have a high perception and acceptance of cricket powder. G2: Gen X (38 to 53 years old) has a high perception and acceptance of cricket powder. G3: Gen Y (21 to 37 years old) has a high perception and acceptance of cricket powder. G4: Gen Z (20 years old or younger) has a high perception and acceptance of cricket powder.
Emotional Response	1. How do you think eating processed crickets in which you can see the structure of the cricket, such as fried crickets and boiled crickets, influences emotion? 2. How do you think eating processed crickets as a food product (without the structure of crickets, such as bread mixed with cricket powder, cake mixed with cricket powder and pasta mixed with cricket powder) influences emotion?

2.2. Respondents

To reduce geographical barriers, an online questionnaire was utilized. Respondents were conveniently sampled through various online platforms, leveraging the ease of accessibility on social media, and other digital channels. The respondents of this research were divided into 2 Thai and Chinese groups. For the online questionnaire, approximately 864 people were randomly selected from both Thailand and China. A total of 440 people were Thai and 424 people were Chinese. This research focused on the perception of novel food (cricket powder) in different generations. Therefore, the respondents’ ages ranged from less than 20 years old to more than 54 years old, and they were separated into 4 generations:

1. Gen Z: 20 years old or younger (n=120 Thai and 109 Chinese).

2. Gen Y: 21 to 37 years old (n=102 Thai and 100 Chinese).

3. Gen X: 38 to 53 years old (n=112 Thai and 108 Chinese).

4. Baby Boomer: 54 years or older (n=106 Thai and 107 Chinese)

2.3. Statistical analysis

The nominal data from demographic data, consumer behaviour data and emotional responses (Hanmontree et al., 2022; King & Meiselman, 2010) were counted and presented in frequency patterns and percentage by employing IBM SPSS in descriptive analysis.

According to previous literature on cross cultural comparative study in consumer perception, the independent t-test have been employed in statistical analysis effectively (Hass et al., 2021; Levy & Kerschke-Risch, 2020; Proserpio et al., 2020). Therefore in this research, two-sample t-test method was used to analyse comparisons between the mean values two groups of Thai and Chinese (Thai = X1 and Chinese = X2) as independent variable on six influencing factors (Respond scores: sensory evaluation, nutritional value, familiarity, knowledge and education, sustainability, and generation) as dependent variables. The Pearson’s correlation was used for correlation analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant and was determined using IBM SPSS 23.0 for Windows (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, U.S.A.) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s multiple range test to analyze the correlation between the average scores of generations of Thai and Chinese and 6 influencing factors. Correspondence analysis was used to present the relationship between all Thai and Chinese generations and 10 groups of products that generated by respondents’ opinions on product development from cricket powder.

3. Results and discussion

According to the research questions, variables impacting consumers’ evaluations of cricket protein powder in Thailand and China were analysed, and consumers’ desire for a novel food product based on cricket protein powder as an ingredient was surveyed.

3.1. The demographic and consumer behaviour of Thai consumers and Chinese consumers

The demographics of consumers included information on their gender, age, and level of education for both Thai and Chinese consumers. The results for the gender of Thai consumers indicated that the 254 (57.73%) female respondents outnumbered the 186 (42.27%) male respondents, in contrast to Chinese consumers, among whom male respondents answered more frequently (218, 51.42%) than female respondents (206, 48.58%). Each generation was divided into groups of consumers between 100 and 120. According to Table 3, both Thai and Chinese consumers had a high frequency of bachelor’s degrees at 44.4% and 35.61%, respectively.

Table 3. Results of the demographics of Thai and Chinese consumers.

Demographic Information	Frequency (%)
	Thai Consumers			Chinese Consumers
Gender
Male Female	186 (42.27%) 254 (57.73%)			218 (51.42%) 206 (48.58%)
Total	440 (100.0%)			424 (100.0%)
Age 20 years old or younger (Gen Z) 21 to 37 years old (Gen Y) 38 to 53 years old (Gen X) 54 years old or older (Baby Boomer)	120 (27.27%) 102 (23.18%) 112 (25.45%) 106 (24.09%)			109 (25.71%) 100 (23.58%) 108 (25.47%) 107 (25.24%)
Education High school Vocational education Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctorate degree	113 (25.7%) 80 (18.2%) 195 (44.4%) 41 (9.3%) 10 (2.3%)			137 (32.31%) 98 (23.11%) 151 (35.61%) 38 (8.96%) 0 (0%)
Consumer behaviour of Thai and Chinese consumers
1. Have you ever eaten processed crickets, such as fried, boiled, or added to meals?	Ever	Never		Ever	Never
	381 (86.6%)	59 (13.4%)		278 (65.57%)	146 (34.43%)
2. What is your favourite processed cricket product? (Check all that apply)	Boiled	Fried	Powder	Boiled	Fried	Powder
	179 (40.8%)	344 (78.4%)	87 (19.8%)	162 (38.21%)	160 (37.74%)	102 (24.06%)
3. Do you know about cricket powder?	Know	Don’t know		Know	Don’t know
	236 (53.6%)	204 (46.4%)		279 (65.8%)	145 (34.2%)
4. Have you ever eaten cricket powder?	Ever	Never		Ever	Never
	88 (20.0%)	352 (80.0%)		303 (71.46%)	121 (28.4%)

The behaviour of Thai and Chinese consumers showed a high frequency of ever eating processed crickets, such as fried, boiled or added to their meal. The majority of Thai consumers preferred to have fried cricket (78.4%), while cricket powder was accepted by 19.8%, which was linked to the information that they had never eaten or known about cricket powder before. It is possible that Thai people are familiar with cricket because Thailand is the main market for insect exports worldwide. Thailand has many types of edible insects and a hot and humid climate suitable for cultivating insects. This affects the familiarity of Thai consumers with the consumption of cricket products (SME Social planet, 2020). In addition, in 2021, Thailand exported processed cricket products to many countries, including Europe, Mexico, Japan and China (Kanchanaphusit, 2021). However, a minority of Chinese consumers had ever eaten processed cricket products (<40% of the population in this research) because they did not know the specific source of crickets or their quality. In addition, in China, insects grow in harsh environments, and people worry about whether this will affect their health. Interestingly, the highest percentage of respondents, 71.46%, indicated that they had eaten cricket powder. It is probable that China, a sizable country, will serve as a focal point for numerous trends, such as the need for a wider variety of foods, including novel foods made from cricket powder. Chinese consumers will be open to trying new products (Zhou, 2021)

3.2. The factors influencing consumer perception and acceptance towards cricket protein powder in Thailand and China

The results were determined using t-test analysis to compare the factors influencing consumer perceptions between both groups of consumers (Thai vs. Chinese). The scores of Thai and Chinese consumers were significantly different (p < .05) for each influencing factor. The t-value were explained a difference from the null hypothesis that is substantial enough to support rejecting the null hypothesis, as shown in Table 4.

Table 4. T-Test results of six factors influencing both Thai and Chinese consumer perception.

Questions	Groups/number of consumers	Mean^1,	SD^1	p- value	t-value
Sensory evaluation factor
SE1^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.79 3.89	1.12 1.18	.19	−1.312
SE2	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.75^b 3.90^a	0.92 1.16	.03	−2.115
SE3^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.89 3.95	0.99 1.16	.42	−0.812
SE4	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.47^b 3.90^a	0.99 1.10	.00	−6.019
Nutritional value factor
NV1	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	4.11^a 3.89^b	0.83 1.21	.00	3.147
NV2^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.80 3.90	0.74 1.16	.13	−1.520
NV3	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.80^b 3.98^a	0.85 1.17	.01	−2.577
NV4	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.76^b 3.97^a	0.72 1.14	.00	−3.241
NV5^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.77 3.82	0.74 1.19	.45	−0.744
Familiarity factor
F1	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.54^b 3.86^a	1.15 1.19	.00	−3.953
F2	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.56^b 3.98^a	0.96 1.11	.00	−5.964
F3	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.64^b 3.98^a	0.97 1.11	.00	−4.465
F4^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.84 3.97	0.79 1.12	.05	−1.988
Knowledge and education factor
KE1	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.68^b 3.84^a	1.03 1.25	.04	−2.054
KE2^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.71 3.84	0.81 1.20	.06	−1.916
KE3^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.91 3.94	0.83 1.21	.68	−0.419
KE4^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.82 3.85	0.77 1.14	.64	−0.466
KE5^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.86 3.88	0.80 1.19	.79	−0.264
Sustainability factor
S1	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.95^a 3.79^b	0.82 1.24	.02	2.310
S2	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.64^b 3.85^a	0.83 1.24	.00	−2.970
S3^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.83 3.89	0.81 1.23	.35	−0.937
S4	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.72^b 3.92^a	0.76 1.10	.00	−3.173
Generation factor
Gen Baby Boomer^ns	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.96 3.86	0.86 1.20	.16	1.408
Gen X	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.67^b 3.89^a	0.70 1.22	.00	−3.305
Gen Y	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.69^b 3.97^a	0.82 1.12	.00	−4.084
Gen Z	Thai consumer/440 Chinese consumer/424	3.54^b 3.95^a	0.87 1.06	.00	−6.240

^NS= nonsignificant.¹Mean and SD from 440 Thai consumers and 424 Chinese consumers.²Different letters in the same column indicate significant differences by t test (p < .05).

The results showed that the texture (SE1) and taste (SE3) regarding sensory perception had no difference between the 2 groups (p > .05), which had a relatively high level of score, and it was nearly at the fourth level. This means that consuming cricket powder or adding it to food products can impact the flavour and texture of the food. However, the perceptions of smell (SE2) and irritation (SE4) influenced both group’s consumer consumption (p < .05). Chinese consumers gave a higher score of agreement than Thai consumers at 3.90$\pm$1.16 and 3.90$\pm$1.10, respectively. It is likely that consuming cricket powder might cause irritation. Chinese consumers were also highly concerned with the smell of cricket powder, which is unusual.

Consumers in China and Thailand highly agreed that the protein content (100 grams of cricket powder) is higher than that of other animals and that it is safe and does not influence the consumer’s choice, with an average score of more than 3.77 out of 5 (NV2 and NV5, respectively). Between questions NV2 and NV5, there was no discernible difference between Thai and Chinese consumers (p > .05). In contrast, Thai consumers (NV1) thought that crickets had nutrients that were healthy for the body, and their level of agreement with this statement was greater than that of Chinese consumers (4.11 ± 0.83 and 3.89 ± 1.21, respectively). It is interesting to note that Chinese customers were interested in the health advantages of nutrients, particularly the fatty acid (NV3) and fibre (NV4) content of cricket powder, which influence consumers’ decisions to eat cricket powder. Currently, the consumption of edible insects or crickets is not uncommon, or disgusting based on the opinions of both consumer groups (F1). Most Chinese consumers felt no difference when consuming the different processed products of crickets, such as fried cricket and cricket powder, which means that they were not afraid of eating cricket with any type of processing (F1–F3). The consumption and purchase behaviour of cricket products is the result of several factors. Insect consumption has a long history in China, where the culture, background, and dietary customs are similar. The Chinese Ministry of Health has promoted insects as a healthy and safe source of protein (Liu et al., 2020). The inhabitants there are similar to those in Thailand in that they are accustomed to eating insects.

Regarding the knowledge and education factors, it was discovered that the two consumer groups assessed the ability to access information on cricket powder differently (p < .05). Thai consumers had a lower score (3.68), while Chinese consumers received a score of 3.84. Furthermore, their background knowledge clearly demonstrated their existing information on the high protein, fibre, and essential fatty acid content of cricket powder. There was no significant difference (p > .05), and the average score was between 3.71 and 3.94. This was linked to the nutritional factors of cricket powder, which make people willing to consume it. Moreover, the ability to communicate the benefits of entomophagy to share knowledge with consumers had a beneficial impact on the willingness to try all products. A detailed understanding of consumers’ expectations, wants, attitudes, and motivations for liking this market niche could lead to the development of acceptable insect protein-containing products (Gurdian et al., 2021) and reduce disgust, consumer distrust and neophobic rejection (Mishyna et al., 2020).

In terms of sustainability, Thai consumers agreed that cricket powder is an eco-friendly product because it uses fewer resources and less production than other animals. In contrast, Chinese people agreed that cricket powder could reduce the consumption of large animals, such as pigs and cows, and that edible insect farming was more sustainable than other animal farms. Nevertheless, the average ratings of both customer groups were comparable. Consumers with more environmental and sustainability awareness demand environmentally friendly food manufacturing (Global Market Study on Cricket Protein Powder, 2021). Cricket powder is the most efficient material to decrease environmental issues by giving people trustworthy information about sustainable consumption (Sarah, 2019). These factors may lead to a rise in the demand for protein from crickets.

Generation (Baby Boomer, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z) impacted consumers’ perception and acceptance of cricket powder. The average agreement scores among Baby Boomers ranged from 3.86 to 3.96 with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p > .05). Older generations have more familiarity with edible insects than younger generations (Obopile & Seeletso, 2013). Nonetheless, among Chinese consumers, Generations X, Y, and Z provided average agreement scores that were higher than those of Thai consumers (p > .05) for their perception and acceptance of cricket powder. Emphasis should be placed on Generations Y and Z when developing edible insect businesses (Ingham, 2019). According to research by (Sogari et al., 2019), younger individuals (e.g. Gen Z) are more inclined to try an insect protein and to spread knowledge of sustainability and the environment. Additionally, compared to previous generations, they are more interested in trying new food products (Stetzer, 2021). The results of the generational effect on the factors influencing consumer perception were analysed to compare the average mean score of both countries for the six factors mentioned above. Overall, the results found that the correlation between four generation and six factors influencing consumers’ perception of cricket powder products had no significant difference (p > .05). Gómez-Corona and Valentin (2023) reported that there may be factors other than generations that determine the desire to consume insects, such as monthly income and location of residence, etc.

3.3. Comparison between emotional effects on consumer perception of different types of cricket products

The emotional responses of Thai and Chinese consumers to a conventional cricket product (original cricket structure) and a restructured cricket product were compared in this study. The emotional effects on Thai consumers’ perceptions of traditional cricket products showed a high percentage of positive emotions (good (18.68%) and satisfied emotions (11.16%)), while 36.56%, 56.13%, and 20.28% of Chinese respondents felt active, adventurous, and daring emotions, respectively, indicating a high percentage, as shown in Figure 1a. However, restructured cricket products might be the best choice for Thai consumers because the percentage of positive emotions increased: the emotions good, interested, satisfied, and safety were 22.55%, 21.64%, 17.31%, and 23.92%, respectively. Product processing may contribute to an increase in positive emotion among consumers, which would benefit producers by expanding their sales prospect. In contrast, when cricket products were restructured, they demonstrated the same percentages of positive emotional responses as Chinese consumers. Therefore, Cricket products may need to be offered in other types that are more interesting and suitable for Chinese consumers.

Figure 1. Emotional responses (a: positive emotion and b: negative emotion) of Thai vs. Chinese consumers regarding the perception of the different types of cricket products.

TH = Thai consumers, CH= Chinese consumers, CS= Original cricket structure, and PP = Processed cricket products.

As shown in Figure 1b, five negative emotions were counted to represent the trend of Thai and Chinese emotions when perceiving different types of cricket products. Regarding Thai consumers, the emotions bored, disgusted, guilty, and worried showed high percentages between 16.17% and 18.22% for the original cricket structure products, while Chinese consumers had aggressive, bored, and disgusted emotions. After they thought about restructured cricket products, all negative emotions of Thai consumers decreased, but the responses of Chinese consumers slightly increased, except for guilty and worried emotions. It was associated with recent research by Fernandes da Silva et al. (2023) stated that inflexible group’s responders significantly connected with unpleasant emotions such guilt, disgust, worry, eagerness, nostalgia, and aggression.

3.4. Survey of consumer needs for novel food products based on cricket protein powder

From the results above that investigated about the factors involved in the development of food products such as culture, location, level of knowledge and generations (Obopile & Seeletso, 2013). The results showed that there are differences between China and Thailand in the culinary applications that utilize cricket protein powder as the primary ingredient. Generational groups have different responses to novel cricket products, which can be sorted into 10 categories: 1) main dish (e.g. omelette, tom yum, spicy salad, fried rice and rice soup), 2) bakery product (e.g. donuts, pancakes, bread, waffle, and butter), 3) dessert (e.g. cake, jam, cookie, ice cream, pie, jelly, and chocolate), 4) dipping sauce product (chili paste, dried chili paste, and Thai spicy sauce), 5) seasoning and ingredients (soup cubes and toppings), 6) food supplement and functional food (protein tablet, protein shake, mixed whey protein, protein bar, and instant noodles), 7) beverage (mixed with smoothie, soy milk, coffee, iced tea, and protein milk), 8) snacks (candy, crickets tablet, chip, popcorn, and snack bar), 9) processed food (put in sachets and cans) and 10) applied in all types of food.

Correspondence analysis (CA) was used to perform the correlation between the four generations and 10 categories regarding items mixed with cricket powder. Figure 2 has two dimensions that can be explained for a total of 93.7%: 87.6% of dimension 1 and 6.1% of dimension 2. All generations of Chinese consumers were associated with only 3 categories for the use of cricket powder in food products, including (i) seasoning and ingredients (sauce products), (ii) food supplements and functional foods (protein powders and healthy products such as beverages or food), and (iii) foods. Chinese consumers believed that the use of cricket powder was therapeutic. Instead of being utilized to make foodstuffs, it can be used as a dietary supplement. However, every Chinese generation has had the opportunity to include crickets on their menu. Earlier studies showed that the dietary supplement market acknowledges the growing demand from Generations Y and X for food supplements. To improve and maintain their health, they require vitamins, medications, or whey protein (Botting, 2018). This result is linked to the emotional response of Chinese consumers; cricket-containing dietary supplements are believed to provide an energizing and active feeling. Thai Generation Y consumers were more likely to like processed foods and snacks such as deep-fried crickets with soy sauce. They may have been familiar with the goods sold in Thai convenience shops. However, Thai Generations X and Z and Baby Boomers were associated with the categories of main dish, bakery product, dessert, dipping sauce product, and beverage. The Thai Baby Boomer generation was slightly more closely related to the main dish category; it is possible that older generations have more familiarity with edible insects than younger generations (Obopile & Seeletso, 2013) and thus can apply cricket powder to every Thai menu. According to (Nyberg et al., 2021), children may consume insects, but they also develop active imaginations about them. Children balance their natural interest with their worries about consuming and handling insects. Previous studies have demonstrated that incorporating insects into already existing items might lessen disapproval of insect proteins (Hartmann et al., 2015), such as using cricket powder when preparing cookies for children. Younger respondents in this study were becoming more comfortable eating insects made from this well-known product, although they were still wary of doing so (Homann et al., 2017). This study clearly shows that Asian consumers were looking for more types of products. Chinese consumers had shown a special demand for dietary supplements from cricket protein. On the contrary, European groups used insects in desserts and other bakery products, a trend similar to that of Thai consumers.

Figure 2. Correspondence analysis (CA) plots between ten categories of food products and four generations of Thai and Chinese consumers².

¹Ten categories of food products, including main dish, dessert, bakery product, beverage, dipping sauce, snack, seasoning and ingredient, food supplement and functional food, processed food, and applied in all types of products.² CH is Chinese consumers, and TH is Thai consumers.

4. Conclusion

Eight hundred sixty-three samples (n=864) were collected from the two different nationalities. It was found that Thai consumers were more aware of and used to eating processed crickets (fried cricket, boiled cricket, and cricket powder) than Chinese people. Interestingly, Chinese consumers used to eat powdered cricket more than Thai people. Six factors, sensory evaluation, nutritional value, familiarity, knowledge and education, sustainability, and generation, were investigated to determine the perception of cricket protein powder. Generation effect was no significant for either group of consumers for any of the studied factors/variables. However, most results from Thai consumers presented higher degree of agreement than that of Chinese consumers. Emotional responses influence consumer perception. When consumers considered processed cricket in which they could still see the structure, they showed the highest frequency of negative emotion words, such as disgusted, guilty, worried, and bored. In contrast, the aggressive emotion was perceived by Chinese consumers when they thought about cricket protein powder. Cricket form (structured vs powder) had a significance effect for Thai consumers increasing the frequency of positive emotions, but not for Chinese consumers.

Idea generation from both groups of consumers provides useful information for developing novel food products. Idea products were provided by Thai and Chinese consumers, and food supplements and functional food groups were the largest percentage of novel food products for all generations of Chinese consumers. However, Thai respondents were interested in different categories of products depending on different generations.

In marketing terms, the results can help producers, marketing intermediaries, and cricket powder entrepreneurs apply the results of this research to business management or as a guideline for business management planning to create added value for products that meet the needs of consumers.

4.1. Recommendation

1. Increase awareness and publicity that eating cricket powder is a safe and healthy source of protein. Consumers could develop a higher acceptability if they are more educated about the benefits of crickets, the food safety concern is addressed, etc.

2. Produce cricket powder to make it easier to prepare food and build confidence in safety, health, and hygiene.

3. Nutritionist and environmental groups are two different groups should be encouraged to communicate recommendations about cricket powder to consumers and help campaign for advice and persuasion about cricket powder for families, friends, and neighbours.

4. Further research should be conducted on other interesting factors that may affect the intention to accept cricket powder such as psychological factors.

4.2. Limitations and future research

While this study offers valuable insights, it is essential to acknowledge certain limitations that warrant future improvements. The examination of gender and income, for instance, has not been included in the current study. Therefore, upcoming research should consider incorporating additional demographic factors, such as gender and income, for a more comprehensive analysis. Utilizing regression analysis and structural equation modeling can generate robust results and provide meaningful statistical insights. Furthermore, to advance product development on an industrial scale, it is crucial to explore entrepreneurial perspectives in future research.

Ethical approval

The research procedure and questionnaires (Thai and Chinese versions) received ethical approval HE653254 from the Khon Kaen University Ethics Committee for Human Research (KKUEC), Thailand.

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the use of the research facilities provided by the International College at Khon Kaen University in Thailand, the Department of Food Science and Technology at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and the participation of consumers from China and Thailand. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of my student (Nitchakan Waiphoja, Zhiruo Wanga, Patchabodee Chuengtanawatsakula, Kanpicha Ketsrikaewa). Their commitment to this research project, tireless efforts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

There was no specific grant for this research from any funding organization.