Perceptions of a Vegetarian Diet Among Students

Abstract

A vegetarian diet may include many meat substitutes, which can mimic the taste of meat. These products can mislead or deceive many omnivorous people. The aim of the study was to find out whether the students, who were the participants, would be able to differentiate between the origins of the products (meat, vegetarian and vegan), and which types of products they would like the most, judging by taste and appearance. In separating between the origins of products, they were wrong in only one of five products (vegetarian product). The results of the sensory evaluation indicated that all samples except the vegan smoked sample were positively accepted by the students. The sensory evaluation results indicate that the students positively accepted all products except the vegan smoked sample. Therefore, the current study demonstrated that meat substitutes could be an effective way for consumers to lower their meat consumption without compromising too much of the sensory quality.