A new Texas A&M AgriLife Research study reports that consumers are willing to pay more for tomatoes with preferred flavor and color traits, regardless of origin. The work was published in the journal Agribusiness and led by Samuel Zapata, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen.
According to the study, sensory attributes such as taste and visual appearance were the strongest drivers of willingness to pay. The findings guide breeding programs, marketing strategies, and regional production planning for South Texas growers.
Zapata said, "Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in the U.S., and they can be grown in South Texas. Our goal is to help local farmers understand consumer choices, so they can produce tomatoes that meet both production needs and market demand."
The research combined consumer taste tests with economic modelling. More than 180 consumers in South Texas evaluated two Texas A&M tomato varieties, TAMU Red and TAMU Orange, alongside a commercial variety and imported Mexican tomatoes. Participants scored each sample for color, flavor, texture, and appearance, then indicated how much they were willing to pay per pound.
Consumers who preferred the color of TAMU Red were willing to pay about US$0.15 more per pound. Those who favored the flavor of TAMU Orange were willing to pay about US$0.13 more than for imported tomatoes. Zapata said, "What surprised us was how strongly flavor drove consumer choices. Because local tomatoes can be harvested at a later ripening stage than imported ones, they develop better flavor, and that creates an advantage for Texas growers."
The study builds on previous AgriLife Research work assessing profitable production windows and production systems for tomatoes in South Texas. The current phase focused on the attributes that influence consumer preference.
Zapata's team includes Carlos Avila, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, and Xavier Villavicencio, Ph.D., instructional assistant professor in McAllen. The researchers aim to support what Zapata calls a "consumer-oriented breeding process." He said, "The idea is to combine the science of breeding with what the market wants, to develop the perfect tomato, so to speak."
Source: PHYS.org
