Understanding of Lycopene and Factors Influencing Tomato Consumption in Songkhla Province

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to study (1) social and economic conditions of consumers (2) tomato consumption behavior (3) knowledge and understanding about lycopene, and (4) factors influencing tomato consumption of consumers in Songkhla province. The structured interview was used to collect data from 400 samples. The descriptive analysis was done by simple statistics such as average, maximum, minimum, percentage, and factors influencing tomato consumption using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that tomato consumers in Songkhla province were female 53.0 %, male 47.0 %, the average age was 21 years, and the average income per month less than 5,000 Baht was 45.0 %. There were 55.5 % of consumers who did not consume tomato, and 45.5 % of those consumed tomato. They consumed fresh fruit, cooked and heat fruit, and processed tomato products as 78.1, 11.8, and 9.0 %, respectively. The average consumption of tomato 2-3 times a week was 33.2 %. Buying from the freshest markets was for 34.8 %. Moreover, consumers have a low level of knowledge and understanding about lycopene. The taste, trend, healthy and brand of the product were the factors that influence tomato consumption in Songkhla province, with the statistical significance at the level of 0.05.