Romeo-Arroyo Elena, Mora María, Urkiaga Olatz, Pazos Nahuel, El-Gyar Noha, Gaspar Raquel, Pistolese Sara, Beaino Angelique, Grosso Giuseppe, Busó Pablo, Pons Juancho, Vázquez-Araújo Laura
BCC Innovation, Technology Center in Gastronomy, Basque Culinary Center, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Basque Culinary Center, Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences, Mondragon Unibersitatea, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Foods. 2025 Jan 7;14(2):159. doi: 10.3390/foods14020159.
Mediterranean diet adherence has been decreasing during the last few decades, and non-appropriate snacking habits have also been identified among Mediterranean children and adolescents. To co-create new snacks and to explore children's interests and preferences, a multi-method approach was used in the present study, including some qualitative and quantitative research phases. Conducted in collaboration with schools in Lebanon, Egypt, Portugal, Italy, and Spain, different snack prototypes were designed and tested in a Mediterranean cross-cultural context. The results showed significant differences among countries in snacking preferences and general food-related attitudes. Italian children exhibited higher levels of neophobia, resulting in lower acceptance of all proposed snacks. Some sensory and contextual insights were collected, such as Egyptian children favoring sweet and crunchy textures and "At school", "With my friends", and "As a morning/afternoon snack" being identified as linked to snack acceptance in some countries. The present study underscores the value of co-creation processes involving children to address non-recommended dietary patterns, highlighting the critical role of sensory properties, cultural differences, and contextual factors in designing healthy snacks that meet the Mediterranean diet's principles but are highly appreciated by the young segment of the population.
在过去几十年里，地中海饮食的依从性一直在下降，而且在地中海地区的儿童和青少年中也发现了不健康的零食习惯。为了共同创造新的零食，并探索儿童的兴趣和偏好，本研究采用了多种方法，包括一些定性和定量研究阶段。该研究与黎巴嫩、埃及、葡萄牙、意大利和西班牙的学校合作开展，在地中海跨文化背景下设计并测试了不同的零食原型。结果显示，各国在零食偏好和一般饮食相关态度方面存在显著差异。意大利儿童的新食物恐惧症水平较高，导致对所有提议的零食接受度较低。研究还收集了一些感官和背景方面的见解，比如埃及儿童喜欢甜脆口感的零食，以及在一些国家，“在学校”“和朋友一起”“作为上午/下午的零食”与零食接受度相关。本研究强调了让儿童参与共同创造过程以解决不推荐的饮食模式的价值，突出了感官特性、文化差异和背景因素在设计符合地中海饮食原则且深受年轻人群喜爱的健康零食方面的关键作用。
