Pesquisa de mercado: potencialidades de produtos advindos de cactáceas.

Abstract

With the significant changes in the population's eating habits, there has been a great interest in foods with properties that benefit health, and cacti are considered a plausible possibility, showing nutritional and technological potential. In view of the above, this research aimed to assess the breadth of knowledge about cacti and their potential through a market survey of students in the field of nutrition science. To this end, an online questionnaire was applied via Google Forms. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were then carried out. During the analysis, 108 volunteers were submitted to the aforementioned questionnaire. Of the sample of participants, 80.60% belonged to the bachelor's degree course in nutrition at CES/UFCG, while 19.40% belonged to the technical course in dietetic nutrition at CAVN/UFPB, and the most common age group was 18 to 24 years old. This data shows that the participants in the survey as a whole live in northeastern Brazil, predominantly in the state of Paraíba. It was noted that there is significant knowledge of the term cactaceae, affirmed by 91.70% of the participants, however, consumption of cactaceae and their products is unusual, as 83.30% say they have not consumed any type of cactaceae. It is therefore clear that cacti and their products are not widespread and need more studies to prove their benefits, so that they can be included in the human diet. This shows that there is significant interest in the consumption of cacti and their products, making them a viable alternative for the human diet, as well as demonstrating favorable technological potential.