Sensory and consumer studies as a guide for edamame development and production in the U.S.

The growing consumer demand for edamame (vegetable soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the U.S. has led to current research efforts to increase the production of this nutritious vegetable in the country. This specialty crop has been suggested as an economically attractive alternative to tobacco production, which has decreased in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast areas. Thus, breeding programs led by Virginia Tech and University of Arkansas have been working on the development of edamame cultivars that meet both agronomical and consumer expectations for production and sales in the U.S. In two consecutive years, selected genotypes were tested in the field and by consumers, in order to identify breeding lines that could potentially be released and succeed in the U.S. market. Twenty genotypes were grown in Virginia and Arkansas in 2018 and, among them, ten were selected to be grown in Virginia, Missouri and Mississippi in 2019. Then, sensory evaluation and consumer studies (surveys) were conducted to identify desired/valuable characteristics of edamame and support breeding selection criteria. Participants of the sensory panels were adult volunteers not allergic to soy. Both years, overall acceptability was significantly different among edamame genotypes (p < 0.05) and higher scores were positively associated with 'salty' and 'sweet', but negatively associated with 'bitter', 'sour', 'sulfury/rotten egg' flavor attributes. The a* color coordinate (CIELAB) and green intensity index were significant predictors of appearance liking (p < 0.05) and consumers were willing to pay more for dark green than light green edamame beans. The outcomes of our web-based survey suggested consumers have a positive attitude towards domestically produced edamame and have a higher intention to buy fresh products and edamame in the pods. Additionally, price, availability, and familiarity with the vegetable brand, respectively, seemed to be the most important factors consumers consider in their decision-making process to purchase edamame. These important findings will continue to provide guidance for further research on edamame and can be used to prepare key messages to stakeholders at all stages of the agriculture and food (edamame) systems for the purpose of promoting a sustainable domestic production of this specialty crop in the U.S.