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Special Report
Promoting the Sensory Property of Children's Food

http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/62524.htm

At the eighteenth Meeting of Nutrition Scientists held by the Danone Institute last November, INRA Research Fellow Sandrine Monnery-Patrisat at the Dijon Center of Taste Science and Food (Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CSGA) presented the first results of her studies on parents' educational practices. She is conducting the research jointly with Natalie Rigal (Paris X-Nanterre University) for the Observatory of Child and Infant Food Preferences (Observatoire des Préférences Alimentaires de l'Enfant et du Nourrisson, OPALINE), a project accredited by the VITAGORA competitive cluster and funded by the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR) and the Burgundy Region. Both researchers have set a goal of providing answers to two major questions. Does a child that is very reactive to olfactory sensations show special typology in terms of food? Is there a link between a child's degree of food selectivity and family educational practices?

Family Practices Explaining 25% of a Child's Degree of Selectivity

To answer the first question, the researchers conducted food smell olfactory tests on children in the OPALINE cohort, which now includes 314 children. The odors were associated with foods: either generally popular foods with children, such as strawberry or vanilla, or often rejected foods, such as cheese or fish. Numerous data was collected from the questionnaires on each child's eating behavior and from the food intake logs filled out by the parents. Based on the preliminary results from the analysis of all the data from the olfactory tests, questionnaires and food intake logs, the researchers can now formulate a conclusion. "It seems that the fussiest eaters are also the most reactive on the olfactory level," Sandrine Monnery-Patris said.

Regarding the second question, until now, few studies have attempted to determine whether family educational practices (permissive, intermediate or authoritarian upbringing) influence a child's degree of selectivity. However, the first results for OPALINE indicate that, "family practices explain 25% of a child's degree of selectivity," the Dijon-based researcher said. Three out of the five predictive factors of a child's stronger selectivity stem from the mother's determination to satisfy the child's desires. Consequently, meals limited solely to the child's preferences are prepared, meaning that the child is less exposed to a varied diet during its first years. "Yet, it is variety that will facilitate the acceptation of new foods."

Preliminary research results on the other two predictive factors, indicative of authoritarian parental behavior, confirm what the researchers had observed during earlier studies, i.e., that authoritarian strategies, as permissive strategies, are linked to a child's strong selectivity. Sandrine Monnery-Patris wondered "Whether the child's selectivity is the consequence of its parents' attitude, or whether, on the contrary, parental reaction is triggered by problems with feeding the child, remains to be determined." She then added, "All the data corroborates the hypothesis of an environmental and sensory origin of eating behaviors." Kindling the pleasure of taste in young children and broadening its range of foods necessarily involves addressing the broader issue of educational practices.

A Very Strong Sensory Property Needed

"One recommendation we can make to industry operators after our preliminary research results would be to design more children's foods with a very strong sensory quality," Sandrine Monnery-Patris believed. It is critical that very young children eat nutritious, well-balanced meals, but also meals with a focus on the sensory aspect. "For instance, mashed potatoes must absolutely have the taste of real mashed potatoes as taste plays an important part in the development of children's eating behaviors. This is a simple solution that should be explored. It could be very efficient, even if it causes product manufacturing constraints for industry operators," she explained.

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CSGA - Sandrine Monnery-Patris - email: Sandrine-Monnery-Patris@dijon.inra.fr

Code brève
ADIT : 62524

ADIT - Jean-François Desessard - email: jfd@adit.fr

eTech France numéro 238 (8/03/2010) - ADIT / ADIT - http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/62524.htm