Consumer Perceptions and Eating Behavior Towards Low-Carbohydrate Functional Bakery Products: A Cross-Sectional Study

The growing interest in foods with low glycemic impact and improved functionality has stimulated research into reformulating traditional bakery products. Therefore, this study aimed to assess consumer perceptions, consumption habits, and willingness of the population to accept low-carbohydrate bakery products enriched with natural bioactive extracts in order to substantiate the development of innovative recipes within doctoral research in the field of food science and technology. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire given to a sample of 510 respondents, aged between 18 and 55 years, providing a cross-sectional perspective on the preferences of different age categories. Data were statistically analyzed using the Chi-square (χ2) test of independence (p < 0.05) to evaluate associations between socio-demographic characteristics and consumer attitudes toward low-carbohydrate bakery products. The results showed that 63.2% of respondents were familiar or very familiar with low-carbohydrate products, while 49.0% considered reducing sugar and refined carbohydrate intake important or extremely important. A healthy lifestyle (64.7%) and body weight control (42.1%) were identified as the main motivations for adopting a low-carbohydrate diet. Furthermore, 42.0% of respondents expressed interest in trying a low-carbohydrate diet, although they had not previously followed one. Significant associations were observed between age, education level, and interest in low-carbohydrate diets, as well as the perceived importance of reducing sugar intake (p < 0.001). Overall, respondents reported favorable perceptions of low-carbohydrate bakery products and products perceived as having a lower glycemic impact and containing bioactive ingredients, although purchase intentions were associated with sensory quality and affordability. These findings provide insights into consumer perceptions and acceptance of low-carbohydrate bakery products among the surveyed respondents. However, given the convenience sampling approach and demographic composition of the sample, the results should be interpreted cautiously and cannot be considered representative of the Romanian population. Further studies based on more representative population samples are warranted.