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pp.1071-1081
Environment-friendly agricultural products are consumed widely, but little is known about consumers’ acceptability. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine consumers’ acceptability of cucumber when consumed raw, 2) determine differences in appearance liking between environment-friendly and conventionally grown cucumber samples, and 3) analyze the physicochemical properties of cucumber. White dadagi, gasi, non-pesticide mini cucumber, organic gasi, and organic Joseon cucumber samples were evaluated for consumers’ acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale; White dadagi, organic Joseon, and organic gasi cucumber samples showed the highest acceptability scores. However, there were three consumer segmentations differing their degree of cucumber liking and preference. Consumers liked the appearance of organic gasi best. Consumers’ preference of cucumbers did not change upon evaluation of the acceptability of the appearance of whole fruit with and without a label indicating an environment-friendly status. Additionally, the physicochemical properties of the cucumbers—including color (skin and flesh), length, circumference, weight, water activity, brix, and texture (hardness and fracturability)—were measured. All measurements showed significant differences among samples, with the exception of water activity and hardness. White dadagi was 3.8 brix, which was the highest among cucumbers, followed by non-pesticide mini cucumber and organic Joseon. White dadagi, organic Joseon, and organic gasi showed greater fracturability than the other cucumber samples.
