Evaluating Consumer Preferences and Marketing Opportunities for New Sauerkraut Products

Per-capita consumption of sauerkraut in the U.S. has exhibited a continuously declining trend since the 1960s and 1970s. Consumption trends in the U.S. food market today are strongly determined by consumers' desire for new and exciting flavors. However, sauerkraut sold in the market nowadays is not much different from sauerkraut made in the past. Through the addition of savory ingredients such as onions, garlic, dill seed, green peppers, mustard seeds and jalapeno peppers to the traditional cabbage kraut in different amounts and blends, Cornell University developed many new sauerkraut formulations. This study assessed the market viability of six new sauerkraut formulations, including sauerkraut containing the following ingredients in concentrations indicated in parentheses: garlic (1%), onion (30%), dill seed (1%), jalapeno peppers (10%), green peppers (20%), and onion and jalapeno peppers (25% and 5%, respectively). It encompassed a mail survey administered to 2,500 individuals in five U.S. cities and a more in-depth preference sensory-evaluation test conducted with 81 untrained panelists. Results showed that two of the new sauerkraut formulations tested sauerkraut with garlic and sauerkraut with dill have the highest marketing potential, and recommendations are made for potential marketing strategies.