Forsberg Sarah, Bredie Wender, Wendin Karin
Department of Food and Meal Science and the Research Environment MEAL, Faculty of Natural Science, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden.
Department of Food Science, Section for Food Design and Consumer Behaviour, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Food Nutr Res. 2022 Oct 25;66. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v66.8269. eCollection 2022.
Finger foods, foods that can be eaten without cutlery, may be a strategy to increase autonomy and food intake amongst older adults with motoric eating difficulties. In order to develop optimal finger foods, knowledge about sensory preferences and requirements in the target population is needed.
To assess sensory preferences and requirements amongst Swedish older adults with motoric eating difficulties.
Check-all-that-apply (CATA), a methodology that does not require much cognitive effort, was used to collect survey data about sensory preferences and requirements for everyday meals from 15 older adults with motoric eating difficulties. The CATA-questionnaire was structured according to the Swedish meal order (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and fika) and consisted of 29 attributes compiled through a literature review.
Through both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, it was found that flavourful, flavour intensity, spicy and both Swedish and ethnic flavours were important attributes related to food flavour. Although most participants preferred crispy and coarse textures, a few participants found soft, smooth and fine textures important. Moreover, colourful meals and serving components separated on the plate were important for the appearance of lunch and dinner.
A diverse range of flavours, flavour enhancement and a balance between the basic tastes and spiciness may increase the flavour perception. Finger foods should be offered in the full range of flavours available to the general older adults' population. The variation in the demand for texture may be related to chewing and swallowing difficulties, and textures that require moderate chewing and easy swallowing are, therefore, optimal for finger foods. Separating meal components on the plate may make it easier to distinguish the components.
Chemosensory impairments, chewing and swallowing difficulties, and visual disturbances are important to consider in the development of finger foods.
即食食品，也就是无需餐具就能食用的食物，可能是一种提高存在进食困难的老年人自主性和食物摄入量的策略。为了开发出最佳的即食食品，需要了解目标人群的感官偏好和需求。
评估瑞典存在进食困难的老年人的感官偏好和需求。
采用复选法（CATA）收集了15名存在进食困难的老年人对日常膳食的感官偏好和需求的调查数据，该方法不需要太多认知努力。CATA问卷是根据瑞典的用餐顺序（早餐、午餐、晚餐、小吃和咖啡时间）构建的，由通过文献综述汇编的29个属性组成。
通过定性和定量数据分析发现，美味、风味强度、辣味以及瑞典风味和民族风味都是与食物风味相关的重要属性。虽然大多数参与者更喜欢酥脆和粗糙的质地，但也有一些参与者认为柔软、光滑和细腻的质地很重要。此外，色彩丰富的膳食以及盘中分开摆放的食物成分对午餐和晚餐的外观很重要。
多种风味、风味增强以及基本味道和辣味之间的平衡可能会增强风味感知。应提供适合普通老年人的各种风味的即食食品。质地需求的差异可能与咀嚼和吞咽困难有关，因此，需要适度咀嚼且易于吞咽的质地最适合即食食品。将食物成分在盘中分开摆放可能更容易区分各成分。
在开发即食食品时，重要的是要考虑化学感觉障碍、咀嚼和吞咽困难以及视觉障碍等因素。
