Flavour Programming: Fruit and Vegetable Palatability
Condition: Child Development
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Infants have an inborn preference for sweet and umami flavours and dislike sour and bitter,
      but there is evidence that sensory experiences beginning early in development can modify
      these preferences in favour ultimately of healthier food choices. Babies are first exposed to
      flavour in utero and then later through breast/formula milk. This can be manipulated to
      influence liking and consumption of individual foods with specific high-intensity flavours
      postnatally. There are no prospective studies evaluating the impact of increasing maternal
      fruit and vegetable intake during late pregnancy on a child's subsequent acceptance of fruit
      and vegetables, particularly those with a sour/bitter taste. The hypothesis is that an
      intervention to increase maternal intake of fruit and vegetables in late pregnancy will
      enhance fetal flavour exposure and make infants more likely to accept a wide variety of fruit
      and vegetables in childhood. Before testing this hypothesis, the investigators need to
      evaluate the general acceptance and taste profile of the fruit and vegetable formats that we
      intend to offer to pregnant women.
    

Detailed description: 
      Foods that tend to be rejected by children include those with the greatest importance for
      later health such as fruit and vegetables. Eating behaviour and acceptance of new tastes,
      textures and flavours in young children is influenced by a plethora of biological and
      environmental factors. Infants have an inborn preference for sweet and umami flavours and
      dislike sour and bitter, but there is evidence that sensory experiences beginning very early
      in development can positively modify these preferences in favour ultimately of healthier food
      choices. Babies are first exposed to flavour through swallowing amniotic fluid in utero and
      then later through breast or formula milk. There is evidence in a variety of species,
      including humans, to show that this can be manipulated particularly during late pregnancy to
      influence subsequent liking and consumption of individual foods with specific high intensity
      flavours potentially. However, there is a lack of prospective studies evaluating the impact
      of increasing maternal fruit and vegetable intake during late pregnancy on a child's
      subsequent acceptance of fruit and vegetables, particularly those with a bitter taste. The
      hypothesis is that an intervention to increase maternal intake of fruit and vegetables in
      late pregnancy, in women who normally struggle to achieve their 5-a-day, will enhance fetal
      flavour exposure and make infants more likely to accept a wide variety of fruit and
      vegetables in childhood. Before testing this hypothesis and designing the main study,
      investigators need to ensure that the component parts are feasible: central to this is
      evaluating the general acceptance and taste profile of the fruit and vegetable (F&V) formats
      that it is intended to offer to the mothers.

      A range of innovative presentation formats for a variety of the most pungent fruits and
      vegetables are currently being developed. These include soups, sauces, crispbreads, muffins
      and smoothies that incorporate vegetables and/or fruits that are generally considered as
      bitter or sour tasting. A recent scoping survey of women of childbearing age confirmed prior
      observations in both sexes that vegetables with a bitter profile are less preferred / more
      likely never to have been tried, compared with sweet varieties. The survey also revealed that
      vegetables were largely consumed cooked and as part of ain meals. Accordingly the F&V formats
      to be evaluated are predominantly pre-cooked and designed to be warmed through in a microwave
      to avoid destruction and or leaching of flavour by over zealous cooking. Although the survey
      revealed low consumption of vegetables in smoothie form or as snacks, this may have been due
      to lack of easy availability and hence a number of these have been included to potentially
      increase diversity of dietary formats and flavour exposure.

      This application is primarily a palatability trial to establish taste profile and general
      acceptability of the diverse F&V presentation formats in two groups: non-pregnant women of
      childbearing age, followed by pregnant women. As the perception of taste (particularly
      bitter, sweet and umami) may vary between individuals depending on genetic variation in
      certain taste receptor genes, it is proposed to characterise the relevant genotypes in buccal
      samples and relate this to their habitual diet and F&V preferences. The utility of a
      non-invasive sampling route for measuring expression of genes involved in taste perception
      will also be determined using tongue swabs as this is a desirable feature for potentially
      scrutinising any impact of the proposed intervention on the taste perception of mothers and
      their infants and also requires to be assessed ahead of the designing of the main
      intervention study.
    

Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Other
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Women of Child bearing age
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Tongue and cheek cells from buccal swabs
    
Keywords: Flavour; Infants; Taste; Pregnancy; Programming; Fruit; Vegetables; Bitter profile; Food preferences