Ricerc@Sapienza

Chocolate is not a basic food product and follows consumption trends are directly related to the growth of disposable income. In advanced countries, in fact, the increase in spending on the purchase of chocolate is not necessarily correlated to an increase in the quantities consumed, but more likely to the consumption of better-quality products. Cocoa is a raw material coming largely from developing countries, and the evaluation of the quality of cocoa derivatives is a very complex issue to deal with, as it is influenced by a variety of factors. The aim of this work is to provide surveys on the perception that the consumer has of the qualitative and nutritional values of the analysed chocolate. In this regard, a questionnaire exploring the con-sumer profile, consumer habits and perception of chocolate was given to Italian con-sumers of different sex, age and income, obtaining some preliminary results.