14C-2

K. J. Chang¹, H. S. Li², S. M. WANG², and H. C. Huang³. (1) Department of Food Sanitation, Tarjen Institute of Technology, No.20,We-shin Rd.,Shin-er Village,Yen-Pu County,Pingtung, Taiwan, (2) Food Industry Research and Development Institute, P.O. Box 246, Hsinchu, Taiwan, (3) Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan

Hot is one of five taste in traditional Chinese medicine literature. Consumers do not usually use hot food. Pepper may make food taste hot and make consumers eat more. However, as people get older, they may prefer plain to hot. In this study, we hypothesized that the demographic factors may affect the preference for hot food.

The objective was to identify those more liked or disliked to eat hot food based on the demographic factors.

We obtained the data through a nationwide survey of food consumption conducted by the Food Industry Research and Development Institute in Taiwan, 1999. A questionnaire including the degrees how one liked or disliked hot food such as pepper was used. Demographic factors including gender, age, education, monthly family food expenditure and others were used in logistic model as explanatory variables. Stepwise process and odd ratio were used to identify the factors affecting preferences for hot foods.

It was found that those more preferring to hot food were those having higher degree of education, those having higher monthly family food expenditure and those living in the middle of the island, with the relevant odd ratio 1.266, 1.014 and 1.320 respectively. On the contrary, those less disliked eating hot food were the female, the older, those living in the south and those believing the religion of Yi-Guan-Daoism, with the relevant odd ratio 0.763, 0.983, 0.786 and 0.718 respectively. The results proved our hypothesis and illuminated that demographic factors did affect the preference for hot food.

To develop food for the female, the older and those living in the southern Taiwan, it is advised that less hot may be better, and may make a good performance in marketing.