The influence of flavors on the willingness of Ugandan consumers to take soymilk

Most consumers are shifting to plant milk for health reasons. Soymilk is the most popular, available, and nutrient-rich plant milk in many countries. However, most consumers are not satisfied with its sensory attributes which has led to the addition of different flavors. Since the effect of this advancement is still unknown in Africa where plant milk products are being introduced in the market, this study assessed the willingness of consumers from Gulu city, Northern Uganda, to consume soymilk after evaluating its flavors. A sensory evaluation experiment of vanilla, chocolate, banana and natural flavors of soymilk was done by 114 sensory panelists from Gulu university and supermarkets. The results showed that the willingness of the panelists to consume soymilk increased by 87% after evaluating the flavors of soymilk. The price, and health claims about soymilk significantly influenced the willingness of panelists from both the university and supermarket to consume soymilk (p < 0.10). The willingness of panelists from the university was significantly influenced by living arrangement (p = 0.02) and the knowledge about nutritional composition of soymilk (p = 0.03). On the other hand, the willingness of supermarket shoppers was significantly influenced by the number of years spent in school (p = 0.03), income (p = 0.05), and knowledge about food additives (p = 0.03) and knowledge about animal welfare (p = 0.05). The overall acceptability of flavored milk was significantly higher than natural milk. Specifically, the flavors significantly enhanced the aroma and taste of soymilk, and chocolate was the most preferred flavor (4.71 ± 0.74). In summary, flavoring soymilk has the potential to improve the consumption of soymilk in Uganda, while also considering other important factors such as price.