Table 2.
Results of the comment analysis conducted on the open-ended comments pertaining to seaweeds (n = 108).
| Category | Summary of Responses and Keywords Identified |
|---|---|
| If you had to use seaweed in a food product, what product would you add it to and why? | |
| Fish | - Sushi, any fish products, fish [the taste might go well together], something with a fishy taste already, fish filets |
| Savoury | - Soup mix, savoury dish—such as sausage, potatoes, noodles, miso soup, eggs, ramen, cheese, casserole, easily disguised in savoury dishes, pesto sauce—herbs can mask the flavour |
| Hide it | - Meat sauce, casserole, smoothie—because I could hide the taste, salad dressing, pasta sauce to downplay the bitter taste, spaghetti sauce to mask the taste, add it to foods where it can be easily disguised |
| Cereal Grains | - Crackers, chips, bread, seaweed crackers, sourdough bread, pasta, grains-based products |
| Seasoning | - Salty flavouring to a variety of products, sprinkle on rice, compliment things with a strong taste, crunch factor, enhance flavour of ramen, add it to something that tastes mild to add a salty taste |
| What do you think is the flavour of seaweeds and seaweed-containing products? | |
| Salt | - Salt and the sea, brine taste, ocean, saltiness, a bit salty, salty, briny |
| Fishy | - Mild fishy, a little bit fishy, fishy but umami, fishy aftertaste, |
| Earthy | - Earthy, mushroom, grainy, grass-like, green, bitter—but earthy bitterness |
| Savoury | - Savoury, umami, mild savoury taste, |
| Do you think seaweeds have any nutrition benefits, and if so, what are they? | |
| Fibre | - Lots of fibre, roughage, healthy fibre |
| Vitamins/ Nutrients | - Iodine, minerals, iron, range of minerals, calcium, magnesium, potassium, omega-3, sodium, vitamin C, micronutrient, some vitamins, nutrient-dense |
| Heart Disease | - Reduces risk of heart disease, reduces major heart disease risks, |
| Antioxidants | - Antioxidants, phytochemicals, high in antioxidants, antioxidant characteristics |