Exploring the sensory characteristics and understanding consumer acceptance of gluten-free pasta

The increasing popularity of the gluten-free diet (GFD) has spurred the expansion of the market for gluten-free (GF) products. However, research on consumers' preferences for GF products, especially GF pasta, is still very limited. Thus, this paper aims to identify preferences for GF pasta among celiac consumers based on the sensorial description of four GF pasta samples. A sensorial study with a professional panel provided a description of the pasta samples and selected the legume pasta as the most preferred one. Subsequently, the definitions of the pasta samples were used to understand celiac consumer choices and willingness to pay (WTP) for legume pasta. Results show that the majority of participants choose the mix of legume and cereal pasta. Additionally, WTP for legume pasta was negatively influenced if celiac consumers assigned high importance to taste, and participants choosing the legume and cereal mix pasta had a higher WTP for the legume option.