Search

International audience; Large portion sizes can make children overeat, alter their self-regulation abilities and induce weight gain. However, little is known about how parents determine portion sizes for their children. Using semi-structured interviews with 5 fathers and 32 mothers of pre-schoolers, this study examined French parents’ food portioning practices. The division of responsibility between parent and child in deciding portion sizes was explored, as well as the influencing factors and possible sources of information. Parents described a wide range of practices. For most, determining portion sizes is an intuitive action that depends on habits and mainly arises from experiences with feeding their child and his/her appetitive traits. Few parents grant autonomy to their child for portioning and serving food, especially for the first serving. Many influencing factors were identified, including child-related (e.g., appetite, food preferences), parent-related (e.g., avoiding food waste), and external factors (e.g., influence of siblings, French food culture). Most parents do not search for information/recommendations to guide their practices. Stimulating optimal self-regulation of eating in children is important and parents can play a crucial role in this. This study identified barriers and facilitators to guide parents in providing appropriate portion sizes and help include children in this decision process.

International audience; Previously, we demonstrated that, in the short term, infants undercompensated for the energy from a preload given 25 min before an ad libitum meal. However, although not consistent, there is evidence in young children that caloric adjustment may occur over longer periods. We investigated the extent to which further energy adjustment occurs up to 24 h after a single meal preceded by preloads of varying energy density (ED) in infants that are 11 and 15 months old. Short-term caloric adjustment was measured in 11- and 15-month-old infants through a preload paradigm meal in the laboratory. To assess their caloric adjustment over longer periods (12 and 24 h), we used 24 h dietary records to evaluate the energy intake (EI) after each visit to the laboratory. Three COMPX scores were calculated according to three different time periods after preload consumption (0 h [i.e., short-term], 12 h or 24 h). Our main result was that, on average, regardless of the time period considered, the infants undercompensated their EI after preload consumption: at 11 and 15 months, caloric adjustment was partial and similar overtime. Considering that a slight repeated imbalance of the energy balance may promote rapid weight gain over the first months, this study calls for further research focusing on facilitators and barriers of efficient appetite control abilities in infancy.

This study aimed to gain a better understanding of the associations between young children’s eating in the absence of hunger (EAH), inhibitory control, body mass index (BMI) and several maternal controlling feeding practices (food as reward, restriction for health, restriction for weight control). In addition, to more properly assess the relationship between children’s and maternal variables, the link between EAH and restriction was explored separately in two directionalities: “child to parent” or “parent to child.” To do this, mothers of 621 children aged 2.00–6.97years (51% boys,M=4.11years,SD=1.34) filled in a questionnaire with items from validated questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results showed, whatever the directionality considered, a positive association between children’s eating in the absence of hunger and their BMI z-scores. Restriction for health and restriction for weight control were differently linked to EAH and to children’s BMI z-scores. Namely, low child inhibitory control, food as reward and restriction for health were identified as risk factors for EAH. Restriction for weight control was not linked to EAH, but was predicted by child BMI z-scores. Interventions aiming to improve children’s abilities to self-regulate food intake could consider training children’s general self-regulation, their self-regulation of intake, and/or promoting adaptive parental feeding practices.

International audience; Past research has mainly focused on the links between child eating behaviors and maternal food practices. The impact of fathers and of concordant/discordant food parenting practices within families has received much less attention. To fill this gap, both parents of 105 French children aged 2.01-6.51 years (54 boys, M(age) = 3.88 years, SD = 1.40) filled in a survey with items from validated questionnaires. Results showed that fathers and mothers perceived their child's eating behaviors in similar ways (Pearson correlations between 0.34 and 0.78; M = 0.60), despite mothers taking significantly more meals with their child than fathers. Fathers reported using significantly more pressure to eat and food as reward, but reported lower levels of "family meal setting" than mothers. Moderate to high correlations were observed between mothers' and fathers' feeding practices and styles. Regression analyses showed that both maternal and paternal practices and styles were predictors for child eating behaviors. One interaction effect was observed: in households where both parents used higher levels of pressure to eat, the child showed a significantly lower food enjoyment than expected if the effects were additive. Our findings underline the importance of studying the individual role of each parent in child feeding research and that both parents within families should avoid using coercive practices. This could finally stimulate new interventions and recommendations addressed to both parents.

Studies about fathers and feeding are scarce and little is known about predictors of parental involvement in childfeeding and of paternal feeding practices. Therefore, this study aimed to examine possible differences betweenDanish mothers and fathers with regard to their feeding practices and involvement in feeding related tasks, andto assess possible parent-related predictors of parental practices and involvement. A total of 261 mothers and 321fathers of pre-schoolers completed an online survey with items from validated questionnaires. Gender differenceswere observed; fathers reported using higher levels of coercive control practices, while mothers reported usinghigher levels of structure practices and autonomy support practices. Both mothers and fathers reported to behighly involved in feeding their child. Regressions showed that a higher concern for child weight and a highermotivation for child preference when buying food were linked to a higher use of coercive control practices whilea higher motivation for health control when buying food, cooking confidence, feeding/general self-efficacy andperceived responsibility for feeding were linked to a higher use of structure and autonomy support practices. Theresults of this study provide valuable insight into maternal and paternal practices in Denmark and theirdeterminants.

International audience; The aging process is associated with physiological, sensory, psychological, and sociological changes likely to have an impact on food intake and the nutritional status. The present study aimed to explore the heterogeneity of the French older population (>65 years old) using a multidisciplinary approach. More specifically, the study aimed to highlight different typologies (i.e. clusters of individuals with similar characteristics) within the older population. We conducted face-to-face interviews and tests with 559 French older people, recruited from different categories of dependency (at home without help, at home with help, in nursing homes). Clustering analysis highlighted seven clusters. Clusters 1-3 contained ‘young’ older people (

International audience; A decline in appetite and consequently in food intake is often observed with ageing, particularly in older adults living in nursing homes. Several strategies have been tested in nursing homes to counter this phenomenon. However, the approaches have rarely focused on food improvement, and most studies have assessed the impact of flavor enhancement on eating behavior. The present experiment aimed to assess the impact of improving sensory quality versus increasing sensory variety on food intake and meal enjoyment in elderly individuals living in a nursing home. Four conditions were compared: control condition, a Quality+ condition (recipes were improved according to sensory preference of the target population), a Variety+ condition (participants were offered a variety of main dishes and several condiments throughout the meal) and a Quality&Variety+ condition combining the two previous conditions. Eighty-two residents (age range: 71-101 years) participated in eight lunchtime sessions (2 replicates x 4 conditions). Compared to control condition, our results showed that improving the sensory quality of the dishes and/or providing variety led to increased meal enjoyment and food intake (energy intake: +5% for Quality+; +7% for Variety+). No additional effect was observed when the two factors were combined (+7% for Quality&Variety+). These results suggest that meal improvement strategies can be used to increase food intake in order to prevent and treat malnutrition in dependent older adults.

La pandemie liee au COVID-19 a conduit la France a imposer un confinement strict, affectant les habitudes des familles dans de nombreux domaines Cette etude visait a evaluer les changements possibles dans les comportements alimentaires des enfants, les pratiques educatives parentales en matiere d'alimentation et les motivations d'achat des aliments, pendant le confinement par rapport a la periode avant confinement Pendant le confinement, les parents de 498 enfants âges de 3 a 12 ans (238 garcons ;M = 7,32 ;ET = 2,27) ont repondu a une enquete nationale en ligne comprenant les items issus de questionnaires valides (ex CEDQ, CEBQ, HomeSTEAD) Ils ont decrit leur situation et celle de l'enfant pendant le confinement, et retrospectivement sur la periode le precedant (volet quantitatif) L'enquete comprenait aussi trois questions ouvertes (volet qualitatif) pour lesquelles les parents pouvaient partager leurs experiences positives et negatives concernant l'alimentation familiale durant cette periode, et ce qu'ils aimeraient maintenir au-dela Dans le volet quantitatif de l'etude, de nombreux parents ont signale des changements dans les comportements alimentaires des enfants (60 %), dans les pratiques educatives (65 %) et dans les motivations d'achat des aliments (85 %) Lorsque des changements etaient decrits, l'appetit de l'enfant, le plaisir a manger, la « reactivite aux aliments », le « manger emotionnel » et la frequence des collations augmentaient Aussi, 53 % des parents rapportaient une augmentation du niveau d'ennui de leur enfant L'ennui accru des enfants predisait de maniere significative une augmentation de la « reactivite aux aliments » et de la frequence des collations entre les repas Lorsque les parents ont change leurs pratiques, ils sont devenus plus permissifs : moins de regles, plus d'apaisement avec la nourriture (« soothing with food »), plus d'autonomie de l'enfant dans le choix des aliments a consommer, dans les quantites consommees, et du lieu de consommation Les parents achetaient plus frequemment des aliments « plaisir » et durables, preparaient plus de repas « faits maison » et cuisinaient davantage avec l'enfant Ces changements des pratiques et motivations des parents etaient expliques par le niveau d'etude, la situation professionnelle et financiere et l'augmentation du niveau de stress Les analyses du volet qualitatif revelent, sur le versant vecu positivement, une reappropriation de l'alimentation tant sur la qualite des aliments choisis (locaux, frais ) que sur les pratiques (importance du « fait-maison », de la transmission ), et un plaisir affirme de cuisiner ensemble et de partager les repas Sur le versant negatif, les parents soulignent la surcharge imposee par la frequence des repas a preparer, le stress et la surconsommation Le confinement a entraine des changements notables dans les habitudes alimentaires des familles : les comportements et pratiques sont devenus plus centres sur l'enfant, et plus axes sur les valeurs de plaisir, de commensalite et de durabilite [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Nutrition Clinique et Metabolisme is the property of Elsevier B V and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

open access article; International audience; [u]Background & Aims[/u] Malnutrition in older adults results in significant personal, social, and economic burden. To combat this complex, multifactorial issue, evidence-based knowledge is needed on the modifiable determinants of malnutrition. Systematic reviews of prospective studies are lacking in this area; therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to investigate the modifiable determinants of malnutrition in older adults. [u]Methods[/u] A systematic approach was taken to conduct this review. Eight databases were searched. Prospective cohort studies with participants of a mean age of 65 years or over were included. Studies were required to measure at least one determinant at baseline and malnutrition as outcome at follow-up. Study quality was assessed using a modified version of the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. Pooling of data in a meta-analysis was not possible therefore the findings of each study were synthesized narratively. A descriptive synthesis of studies was used to present results due the heterogeneity of population source and setting, definitions of determinants and outcomes. Consistency of findings was assessed using the schema: strong evidence, moderate evidence, low evidence, and conflicting evidence. [u]Results[/u] Twenty-three studies were included in the final review. Thirty potentially modifiable determinants across seven domains (oral, psychosocial, medication and care, health, physical function, lifestyle, eating) were included. The majority of studies had a high risk of bias and were of a low quality. There is moderate evidence that hospitalisation, eating dependency, poor self-perceived health, poor physical function and poor appetite are determinants of malnutrition. Moderate evidence suggests that chewing difficulties, mouth pain, gum issues co-morbidity, visual and hearing impairments, smoking status, alcohol consumption and physical activity levels, complaints about taste of food and specific nutrient intake are not determinants of malnutrition. There is low evidence that loss of interest in life, access to meals and wheels, and modified texture diets are determinants of malnutrition. Furthermore, there is low evidence that psychological distress, anxiety, loneliness, access to transport and wellbeing, hunger and thirst are not determinants of malnutrition. There appears to be conflicting evidence that dental status, swallowing, cognitive function, depression, residential status, medication intake and/or polypharmacy, constipation, periodontal disease are determinants of malnutrition. [u]Conclusion[/u] There are multiple potentially modifiable determinants of malnutrition however strong robust evidence is lacking for the majority of determinants. Better prospective cohort studies are required. With an increasingly aging population, targeting modifiable factors will be crucial to the effective treatment and prevention of malnutrition.

International audience; Infants' olfactory experience begins before birth and extends after birth through milk and complementary foods. Until now, studies on the effects of chemosensory experience in utero and/or through human milk focused on experimentally controlled exposure to only one target food bearing a specific odor quality and administered in sizeable amounts. The present study aimed to assess whether early olfactory experience effect was measurable in everyday conditions of maternal food intake during pregnancy and lactation, and of infant intake at weaning, leading to expose the infant to corresponding odors as fetus, neonate, and infant up to 8 and 12 months of age. Infants’ early food exposures were assessed by asking mothers to fill out diaries about their food consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and about their infant’s consumption during complementary feeding. To test odor liking, odorants representing a priori pleasant and unpleasant food odors, as well as odorless stimuli, were presented. The infant’s exploratory behavior toward odorized bottles and non-odorized control bottles was measured in terms of mouthing duration, which is thought to reflect attraction and/or appetence. At age 8 months only, positive correlations were found between liking of some unpleasant odors and early exposure to these odors through mother’s diet. No correlations were found between infants’ liking of the pleasant odors and early exposures to the foods bearing these odors. This study highlights that early exposure to unpleasant food odors may increase subsequent liking (or reduce subsequent dislike) of these food odors at least until the age of 8 months.

Previously, we demonstrated that infants' caloric compensation ability decreases between 11 and 15 months old. Here, we explored whether the inter-individual variation in infants' caloric compensation ability is associated with caregiver-infant interaction during laboratory test meals or with infant appetitive traits. To describe caregiver-infant interaction, we recorded feeding in laboratory ad libitum meals when the infants were 11 and 15 months old by using a connected weighing scale. We extracted the weight of each offered spoonful and the time interval between two spoonfuls. The caloric compensation score (COMPX) was assessed during the same meals. At 11 and 15 months old, the caregiver rated their infant's appetitive traits by completing the CEBQ-T. Student's t tests were applied to test the relationships between the variables describing the caregiver-infant interaction and the COMPX score. The relationships between the COMPX score or its change and the infants' appetitive traits were assessed with Kendall correlations. Regarding appetitive traits, the more the caloric compensation ability decreased between 11 and 15 months old, the more the infants were perceived as food responsive between these ages (τ = −0.36, p = 0.01, n = 28). At 11 months old, when the time interval between two spoonfuls was positively associated with the previous spoonful weight (i.e., a longer time interval after a larger spoonful weight), the infants exhibited a better caloric compensation ability (t = −2.1, p = 0.04, n = 38). Moreover, this study provides new evidence regarding the importance of a responsive feeding style by suggesting that adapting the feeding pace to the spoonful weight could be a favourable practice associated with better caloric compensation ability by the end of the first year. Trial registration This trial was registered at clinicals.gov as NCT03409042 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03409042 ).

International audience; The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a nutritional traffic-light label, the Nutri-Score, on snack choices in mother-child dyads and to assess a potential hedonic cost associated with a change in favour of healthier choices. French mothers and children (n=95; children's age: 7-11 years) who participated were asked to choose, for themselves and for the other dyad member, a snack composed of one beverage and two food items selected among several products with different nutritional quality. In the first step, the products were presented without any information. In the second step, the products were labelled with the Nutri-Score. Mothers and children were asked to rate their liking for all proposed products before being informed of their nutritional quality. The nutritional quality, the hedonic score, and the estimated budget of the selected snacks were compared before and after labelling. As hypothesized, the Nutri-Score label led to a significant increase in the nutritional quality of the chosen snacks. The budget for the chosen snacks was unchanged or decreased after the nutritional labelling was applied. Children and mothers had significantly lower liking for the snacks after nutritional labelling than before nutritional labelling, suggesting a hedonic cost associated with a change in favour of healthier snack choices. This raises the question of the sustainability of the behavioural change induced by the Nutri-Score label.

PMID: 30865953 DOI series title: 10.1159/issn.1664-2147; International audience; The first 1,000 days of life constitute an important period for development of health and eating behavior. While the feeding mode drastically evolves, the child learns “how”, “what” and “how much” food to eat. When orally exposed, infants discover food properties, with a variety of tastes, flavors, textures, as well as energy densities. Here we focus on deciphering the involvement of taste and olfaction in the early establishment of eating behavior. In the OPALINE French birth cohort (Observatory of Food Preferences in Infants and Children), taste and flavor preferences were studied in relation with food preferences over the first 2 years. Both taste and flavor preferences evolved during this period. At weaning, a higher preference for sweet, sour and umami tastes was associated to a higher acceptance and sweet, sour- and umami-tasting foods, respectively. At 12 months, rejections of the odor of trimethylamine and of dimethyl disulfide were related to the rejection of fish and sulfurous cheeses, respectively. Further, at 20 months, food neophobia was associated to odor differential reactivity but not to taste differential reactivity, revealing the importance of olfaction in neophobic reactions. Further studies are ongoing to examine the long term effect of early taste and flavor exposure on food preferences.

Les experiences gustatives et olfactives anterieures a la diversification alimentaire sont memorisees et peuvent favoriser l'introduction d'aliments nouveaux. Toutefois, la conduite de la diversification joue un role tres important dans le developpement des preferences alimentaires et peut favoriser, jusqu'a l'âge de 6 ans, l'appreciation de legumes familiers et nouveaux.

Children's vegetable consumption is below the public health recommendations. This study aimed to compare learning mechanisms to increase vegetable acceptance in infants at complementary feeding, namely repeated exposure (RE), flavor-flavor learning (FFL), and flavor-nutrient learning (FNL); measure the stability of the learning effect; and examine the impact of infants' feeding history on vegetable acceptance. The study was composed of a preexposure test, an exposure period, a postexposure test, and tests at 2-wk, 3-mo, and 6-mo follow-ups. At pre- and postexposure, a basic artichoke puree and carrot puree were presented to 95 French infants (6.4 ± 0.8 mo). During the exposure period, infants were randomly split into 3 groups and were exposed 10 times to the basic (RE group; 2 kJ/g; n = 32), a sweet (FFL group; 2 kJ/g; n = 32), or an energy-dense (FNL group; 6 kJ/g; n = 31) artichoke puree 2 or 3 times/wk. To evaluate acceptance, intake (g) and liking were recorded at home by parents. Between pre- and postexposure, intake of the basic artichoke puree significantly increased in the RE (+63%) and FFL (+39%) groups but not in the FNL group; liking increased only in the RE group (+21%). After exposure, artichoke was as much consumed and as much liked as carrot only in the RE group. Learning of artichoke acceptance was stable up to 3 mo postexposure. Initial artichoke intake was significantly related to the number of vegetables offered before the study started. RE is as effective as and simpler to implement than FFL and more effective than FNL for increasing vegetable acceptance at complementary feeding.

Research report; International audience; This study aimed to observe the influence of the monotonous consumption of two types of fibre-enriched bread at breakfast on hedonic liking for the bread, subsequent hunger and energy intake. Two groups of unrestrained normal weight participants were given either white sandwich bread (WS) or multigrain sandwich bread (MG) at breakfast (the sensory properties of the WS were more similar to the usual bread eaten by the participants than those of the MG). In each group, two 15-day cross-over conditions were set up. During the experimental condition the usual breakfast of each participant was replaced by an isocaloric portion of plain bread (WS or MG). During the control condition, participants consumed only 10 g of the corresponding bread and completed their breakfast with other foods they wanted. The results showed that bread appreciation did not change over exposure even in the experimental condition. Hunger was lower in the experimental condition than in the control condition. The consumption of WS decreased energy intake while the consumption of MG did not in the experimental condition compared to the corresponding control one. In conclusion, a monotonous breakfast composed solely of a fibre-enriched bread may decrease subsequent hunger and, when similar to a familiar bread, food intake.

International audience; Alliesthesia is the modulation of the rewarding value of a stimulus according to the internal state (hungry or satiated). This study aimed to evaluate this phenomenon as a function of the nature of the stimulus (odors evoking edible and non-edible items, and the food odors evoking fatty and non-fat foods) and to compare the effectiveness of two reward evaluations (measures of pleasantness and appetence) to reveal alliesthesia. The results showed that both fatty and non-fat food odors were judged as less pleasant and less appetent when the subjects were satiated than when they were hungry, whereas no such difference was observed for non-food odors. There was a greater decrease in appetence than there was in pleasantness. Moreover, the decrease in appetence was greater for fatty than for non-fat food odors, whereas the decrease in pleasantness was similar for both fatty and non-fat food odors. Our study allows for the definition of a more comprehensive pattern of alliesthesia based on odor category. It demonstrates that alliesthesia is specific to food odors and that it is more pronounced when odors are associated with fatty rather than non-fat foods. It also reveals that an appetence measure is more sensitive than a pleasantness measure for describing an acute reward modulation process.

WOS:000293677900024; International audience; About 18% of 6-11-year-old French children are overweight, of whom 3.3% are obese. Parental feeding practices, especially restriction and pressure-to-eat, seem to promote overeating in children. Since no tool was available for the perception of parental feeding practices of French children, our aim was to validate a French version of the Kids'Child Feeding Questionnaire (KCFQ, Carper, Orlet Fischer, & Birch, 2000), and to determine the relationship between KCFQ's dimensions and children's standardised body mass index (BMI z-scores). The questionnaire was completed by 240 normal-weighted or overweight children between the age of 9 and 11. The validation was based on a confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency of factors was confirmed using Cronbach's coefficients. After deleting some items (3 for the pressure-to-eat subscale and 3 for the restriction subscale), the two-factor model (pressure-to-eat, restriction) provided an acceptable fit (χ² (34)=64; RMSEA=.06; CFI=0.93; NNFI=.90), and satisfactory internal consistency. Children's perception of restriction was significantly and positively correlated with BMI z-scores (r=36, p

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699; International audience; In the weeks following the start of weaning, 70 mothers were asked to identify a vegetable purée that their infant disliked and that they normally would not offer again. The 49 who did so were then asked to offer that vegetable on alternate days for 16 days, and to offer a well-liked one (carrot purée) on the other days. Amount eaten and acceptance were measured at each meal. On the first day of exposure, mean intake of the initially disliked vegetable was 39 ± 29 g and of the liked one, 164 ± 73 g (mean ± SD). Over the following days, intake of the initially disliked vegetable increased rapidly and by the eighth exposure was 174 ± 54 g, similar to that of the liked vegetable (186 ± 68 g). A similar pattern of results was found for mother-reported liking ratings. These effects of repeated exposure appear to be long lasting because nine months later, 63% of the infants were still eating and liking the initially disliked vegetable. The present study shows that when a vegetable is initially disliked it is worth persisting in feeding it for at least eight subsequent meals

Aim: The objective was to show patterns of food selection by 2- to 3-y-old children for a wide variety of foods in a self-service cafeteria and to assess the effect of individual variables (gender, BMI, mode of feeding after birth and rank in sibship). Methods: In a nursery self-service canteen, food choices at lunch made by children (n=418, 24–36 mo; 109 observations per child on average) were recorded by trained assistants who monitored portion size. An offer of eight dishes (animal products, starchy foods, combination dishes, vegetables and dairy products), excluding dessert-type foods, was proposed. Choice level was calculated for each food. Analysis of variance was used to compare choices for the various foods and to assess the effect of the individual variables. Results: The choice of a food largely depended upon its nature: animal products, starchy foods and their combinations were widely chosen, whereas vegetables were not often selected; the choice for dairy products depended upon the type. The mode of preparation of the food influenced its choice. Segmenting products were identified; however, except for cheeses, a given child did not refuse an entire food category. Children's characteristics did not explain the choice variability. Conclusion: At the age of 2 to 3 y, children preferentially choose animal products and starchy foods and avoid vegetables; the high individual variability of their food choices could be related to previous food experiences.

Introduction et but de l’etude Pendant longtemps, les recherches ont considere que nous etions pleinement conscients des motivations guidant nos comportements. Actuellement, les travaux en psychologie suggerent qu’en matiere de choix, nous ne sommes pas aussi rationnels que cela. Nos comportements alimentaires n’echappent pas a cette regle. Il est maintenant admis qu’une grande part de nos choix alimentaires est davantage guidee par des processus non conscients que par une reflexion consciente. Neanmoins, peu de travaux permettent de mesurer objectivement l’effet de signaux olfactifs, non attentivement percus, sur le comportement alimentaire. Le but de nos travaux est de tester, au moyen d’un paradigme d’amorcage, si une odeur alimentaire, non attentivement percue, peut modifier les choix alimentaires d’adultes. Nous presenterons ici une synthese de deux etudes d’amorcage. Materiel et methodes Lors de deux etudes, 190 participants sont venus au laboratoire sous un faux pretexte. Ils ont ete repartis soit dans des groupes experimentaux (conditions odorisees) soit dans des groupes temoins (condition non odorisee). Ils ont patiente dans une salle d’attente qui avait ete au prealable odorisee soit avec une odeur de poire ( n = 57), de pain au chocolat ( n = 38), ou non odorisee ( n = 95). L’intensite de l’odeur etait relativement faible afin que les participants ne la percoivent pas attentivement. Durant ce temps d’attente, ils realisaient une tâche leurre afin de les faire patienter tous dans les memes conditions. Ensuite, ils quittaient cette salle et allaient dans une autre, dans laquelle ils devaient choisir differents aliments presentes sur un buffet (une entree, un plat et un dessert) afin de constituer leur plateau pour le dejeuner. Resultats Les resultats indiquent que : – comparativement aux participants du groupe temoin, ceux ayant ete amorces avec l’odeur de poire choisissent plus de desserts a base de fruits (compote de pomme) que des desserts a haute densite energetique (brownie) ; – comparativement aux participants du groupe temoin, ceux ayant ete amorces avec l’odeur de pain au chocolat choisissent plus de desserts a haute densite energetique (gaufre). Conclusion Un stimulus olfactif de faible intensite, non attentivement percu, peut activer certaines representations dans le cerveau. Une fois amorcees, ces representations semblent donc pouvoir modifier le comportement de choix d’un element du repas (le dessert) au cours duquel sont habituellement consommes des aliments de la categorie evoquee par le stimulus odorant (fruits, aliments sucres). Parvenir a mieux comprendre les processus non conscients sous-tendant les choix alimentaires pourrait, in fine, permettre de proposer de nouvelles strategies permettant d’orienter les choix alimentaires vers des aliments « sains ». Actuellement, nous etudions l’impact d’odeurs de viande et de legume sur les choix alimentaires. Dans un contexte de croissance demographique et d’augmentation de la consommation de viande au niveau mondial et d’une consommation insuffisante de legumes, il est imperatif de favoriser un reequilibrage alimentaire. C’est pourquoi, nous souhaitons etudier si ce paradigme d’amorcage olfactif pourrait etre un outil permettant de modifier les choix du plat principal, comme cela a ete precedemment montre pour le choix du dessert.

As soon as the end of gestation, the gustatory system is stimulated by the taste-active compounds carried by the amniotic fluid and its maturation continues until mid-childhood. Facial expressions and relative ingestion methods show that the newborn can discriminate the various taste qualities (bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami). The range of individual responses is wide. Neonatal reactions to sweet and umami are generally considered to express pleasure. The bitter and sour stimulations lead to hedonically negative reactions. The response to salt taste is less characteristic. Overall, the attraction towards sweet and the rejection of bitter and sour tastes become more pronounced during childhood but tend to decrease in adult life. The early attraction to sweetness is reinforced by exposure to sweet stimulations. With age, the response to salt evolves towards attraction which intensity is dependent on the context and on postnatal exposures to salt. The link between gustatory sensitivity to sweet, salty and sour stimuli and food preferences is far from being clear; the sensitivity to bitter taste better explains the rejection of bitter foods, such as vegetables for instance. The development of gustatory perceptions partly depends upon experience. A better knowledge of the role of experience could help to improve the orientation and the efficacy of nutritionally-oriented food education strategies.

The present experiment aimed to explore the interindividual variability in chemosensory abilities among the elderly population. The chemosensory abilities of 559 subjects, aged from 65 to 99 years, were evaluated. Various categories of the elderly, including people who were living at home either without or with assistance, and people who were living in a nursing home, were interviewed. The results revealed that 43% of the sample presented well-preserved chemosensory abilities, whereas 21% of the participants presented a moderate impairment. Of the sample, 33% presented well-preserved olfactory abilities but strong impairment in gustatory abilities and 3% were nearly anosmic but remained able to perceive the salty taste, demonstrating that gustation and olfaction were not systematically damaged simultaneously. The results showed a link between the level of dependence (free living vs. living at home with help vs. nursing home) and chemosensory abilities, independently of the age effect. These results strengthen the hypothesis that the impairment of chemosensory abilities is not only an effect of age per se; rather, it is related to events that are associated with aging. Factors that lead to increased dependence (such as poor health) also lead to an impairment in chemosensory performance.

Previous research has identified relationships between chemosensory reactivity and food neophobia in children. However, most studies have investigated this relationship using declarative data and without separately analysing smell and taste reactivity. Our first objective was to assess the relationships between smell and taste differential reactivity in toddlers (i.e. reactivity towards several stimuli), using experimental behavioural measurements. The second objective was to determine the relationships between smell (or taste) differential reactivity and food neophobia in toddlers, with the hypothesis that the more responsive a toddler was across food odours or tastes, the more neophobic s/he would be. An additional objective was to determine whether the potential relationships between smell (or taste) differential reactivity and food neophobia differ according to gender. One hundred and twenty-three toddlers aged from 20 to 22 months from the Opaline birth cohort (Observatory of Food Preferences in Infants and Children) were involved. A questionnaire was used to assess child's food neophobia. Toddlers' differential reactivity for smell (and for taste) was defined as the variability of behavioural responses over 8 odorants, and over the five basic tastes. Smell and taste differential reactivities were not correlated. Food neophobia scores were modestly but significantly positively correlated with smell differential reactivity but not with taste differential reactivity. When gender was considered, smell reactivity and neophobia were correlated only among boys. This indicates the need to study smell and taste reactivity separately to determine their associations with eating behaviours. This suggests that the rejection of novel foods in neophobic boys could be partly due to food odour. This finding is new and clearly requires further investigation.

Special Issue: 5th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research (Eurosense) 2012 "A sense of inspiration"; International audience; Among factors contributing to malnutrition in the elderly, the present study aimed at assessing the impact of food selectivity (also referred as food "pickiness") on the nutritional status of the elderly. A survey with 559 French people over 65 years old was conducted to collect data on food selectivity, dependency and nutritional status. Food selectivity was assessed by asking respondents to tick each food they dislike among a list of familiar foods. Since some foods could be ticked as disliked because elderly people experience physical difficulties in eating these foods, the survey also included self-report assessment about difficulties encountered when eating. Results showed that an increase of food selectivity is correlated with an increase of malnutrition risk, parallel to the effect of eating difficulties on malnutrition. It seems that the eating difficulties have a stronger impact on malnutrition than the food selectivity. However, the prevalence of food selectivity appears to be higher than the prevalence of eating difficulties. Furthermore, we observed that food selectivity increased as dependency increased. Given the fact that food selectivity may increase the risk of malnutrition, and that the number of "picky" eaters is far from being negligible in nursing homes, it seems worthwhile to screen for pickiness when elderly people become culinary dependent (delegation of food-related activities to a caregiver or a home helper, meal home-delivery by a catering service, nursing homes). It may give an opportunity to improve food care dedicated to these persons and in fine to prevent malnutrition. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

N°CNRS : UMR6265 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation; Children's vegetable intake is below the recommended amounts. No studies to date have tested the relevance of using salt or spices to increase children's vegetable acceptance. Our objective was to compare the effect of repeated exposure (RE) and of flavor-flavor learning (FFL) on toddlers' acceptance of a nonfamiliar vegetable. Two unconditioned stimuli were used: salt and a salt-associated spice. Toddlers attending six nurseries were assigned to 3 groups in a between subject design. Groups were exposed 8 times to a basic salsify puree (0.2% salt w/w; RE group; n = 47), a salty salsify puree (0.5% salt w/w; FFL-Salt group; n = 54) or a spiced salsify puree (0.2% salt and 0.02% nutmeg w/w; FFL-Nutmeg group; n = 50). Acceptance (intake and liking) of the target vegetable (basic salsify puree) and of a control vegetable (carrot puree) was evaluated at pre-exposure, at each exposure of the learning period, at post-exposure, and at 1, 3 and 6 months after exposure. In all groups, intake of the target vegetable increased from pre- to post-exposure. This increase was significantly higher in the RE group (64 +/- 11 g) than in the FFL-Salt group (23 +/- 11 g) and marginally higher than in the FFL-Nutmeg group (36 +/- 11 g). No difference between groups was observed on the increase in liking of the target vegetable from pre- to post-exposure. The increase of the target vegetable intake was still observed after 6 months for all groups. Thus, repeated exposure appears to be the simplest choice to increase vegetable intake on the short and long term in toddlers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International audience; Certain beneficial foods taste bitter (e.g., cruciferous vegetables) and might be aversive to consumers. Here, individual characteristics according to bitter food consumption patterns were assessed. The study included 2327 participants in the SU.VI.MAX antioxidant-based randomized controlled trial (1994-2002). The sample was drawn from the general French population. Dietary data were obtained from a minimum of twelve 24-h dietary records provided during the first 2 years of follow-up. Two bitter food consumption scores were computed - one assessing the variety of items consumed (unweighted score) and the other reflecting exposure to bitterness estimated via complementary sensory panel data from the EpiPref project (weighted score). Associations with sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors were analyzed with multiple linear regression. Among men, the variety of bitter foods consumed was positively associated with educational level and alcohol intake and inversely associated with physical activity and rural area of residence. Among women, the same outcome was positively associated with alcohol intake and inversely associated with diabetes. In turn, Body Mass Index displayed a significant inverse association with the bitterness-weighted score across sex, whereas educational level was supported only in women. This study adds to the presently scant knowledge about non-genetic determinants or moderators of actual bitter food intake. Future studies should elucidate the impact of diabetes and body size on bitter food intake patterns.

This work was supported by a PhD grant from the Nutrition, Chemical Food Safety and Consumer Behavior Division of INRA (French National Institute for Agronomical Research, France) and the Regional Council of Burgundy (France) received by SB; and by a research grant (Gustolf) from Regional Council of Burgundy (France) received by SN. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; Decreasing dietary sodium intake, which can be achieved by reducing salt content in food, is recommended. Salt contributes to the taste of foods and makes them more enjoyable. Whether a food is liked or disliked is an important determinant of food intake, especially among children. However, the role of salt in children's food acceptance has received little attention. The impact of salt content on children's hedonic rating and intake of two foods was investigated in children. Using a within-subject crossover design, we recruited 75 children (8–11 years) to participate in five lunches in their school cafeteria. The target foods were green beans and pasta. The added salt content was 0, 0.6 or 1.2 g/100 g. The children's intake (g) of all lunch items was measured. The children provided their hedonic rating of the food, a preference ranking and a saltiness ranking in the laboratory. Children could rank the foods according to salt content, and they preferred the two saltier options. A food-specific effect of salt content on intake was observed. Compared to the intermediate level (0.6 g salt/100 g), not adding salt decreased green bean intake (−21%; p = 0.002), and increasing the salt content increased pasta intake (+24%; p

International audience; This paper focuses on an experiment in which mothers and their child separately chose between relatively healthy foods (flasks of stewed apples) and relatively unhealthy foods (candy bars). Each participant first filled up a first bag for her/himself, and then, a second one for the other person of the dyad. A simple nutritional message on vitamins and sugar contents of foods was then provided, and subsequently each participant filled up a third bag for her/himself and a fourth one for the other person of the dyad. The results show that before revealing the nutritional message, mothers are, on average, "indulgent", which means that they choose a lower number of relatively healthy foods for their child than the one they choose for themselves. Children tend to be rather "paternalistic", which means that they choose a higher number of relatively healthy foods for their mothers than they choose for themselves. The nutritional message leads many mothers and children to significantly increase the number of relatively healthy foods selected for themselves and for the other person. The mothers' indulgence versus the children's paternalism, along with the children's reactivity to the message, suggest that mothers underestimate the children's acceptance of healthy food. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The main objectives of the study were to validate a measure of young children's eating difficulties and maternal feeding practices in a French sample, and to assess the links between these practices and children's eating difficulties. Mothers of French children aged 20-36 months completed 4 questionnaires that were validated using a Structural Equation Modelling approach. Links between children and maternal components were investigated using a PLS regression. The Children's Eating Difficulties Questionnaire yielded a 4-dimension solution: Neophobia, Pickiness, Low Appetite and Low Enjoyment in food. The Feeding Style Questionnaire assessed 3 dimensions: Authoritarian, Authoritative and Permissive styles. The Feeding Strategy Questionnaire, designed to evaluate mothers' strategies used to make their child taste rejected foods, resulted in 4 factors: Coercion, . Explanation, Contingency and Preference. The Questionnaire relating to Parental choices when buying food for children presented a 6-dimension solution: Convenience, Weight-control, Natural, Healthconcern, Preference and Price. This study reveals that difficult-to-feed children have a narrow food repertoire (high neophobia and pickiness), and a low drive-to-eat level (low appetite and low enjoyment in food). The main factors associated with the children's eating difficulties subscales were related to maternal attempts to fulfil child's desires, and/or to force children to taste rejected foods.

International audience

Dès les premiers mois, les expériences sensorielles précoces et en particulier les expériences gustatives et olfactives sont mémorisées et peuvent ainsi moduler les réactions des enfants vis-à-vis d’aliments porteurs des saveurs et arômes auxquels ils ont été exposés. Ces expériences précoces peuvent favoriser l’introduction d’aliments nouveaux et par suite la variété du répertoire alimentaire en réduisant la néophobie alimentaire, c'est-à-dire la réticence à goûter des aliments, phénomène qui est considéré comme une réponse adaptative à la condition d’omnivore qui pousse à consommer des aliments variés, lesquels peuvent se révéler toxiques. Nous présenterons ici les facteurs qui, à chacune de ces étapes clés de la construction du répertoire alimentaire, peuvent influencer le comportement ultérieur

Understanding the early determinants of food intake, in particular the role of food sensory quality, is a necessary step to improve the prevention of unhealthy food habits. However, the extent to which food intake varies according to salt, fat and sugar content is imperfectly known. The present study aimed at evaluating whether toddler food intake varied during lunches or snacks in which salt, fat or sugar contents had been modified in common foods. Seventy-four children (30 (se 0·5) months old) participated in the study in their usual day-care centres. Every other week, they were served lunches composed, among other items, of green beans and pasta with varying salt (0, 0·6 and 1·2 % added salt) or fat (0, 2·5 and 5 % added butter) levels and afternoon snacks composed of fruit purée varying in sugar level (0, 5 and 10 % added sugar). During each meal, children could eat as much as they wanted from the target foods. Each food was weighed before and after the meal. Salt level had a positive impact on the intake of the target foods. On the contrary, no impact of added fat or added sugar levels was observed. This implies that fat and sugar addition could be avoided in foods for children without having an impact on palatability, allowing the energy density of children's diet to be limited. Salt addition should be limited, but its suppression in vegetables, whose intake is to be promoted, should be considered cautiously.

Neural bases of human olfactory memory are poorly understood. Very few studies have examined neural substrates associated with correct odor recognition, and none has tackled neural networks associated with incorrect odor recognition. We investigated the neural basis of task performance during a yes-no odor recognition memory paradigm in young and elderly subjects using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. We explored four response categories: correct (Hit) and incorrect (False Alarm) recognition, as well as correct (CR) and incorrect (Miss) rejection, and we characterized corresponding brain responses using multivariate analysis and linear regression analysis. We hypothesized that areas of the medial temporal lobe were differentially involved depending on the accuracy of odor recognition. In young adults, we found that significant activity in the hippocampus and the parahippocampal gyrus was associated with correct (true) recognition of odors, whereas the perirhinal cortex was associated with False Alarms and Misses. These findings are consistent with literature regarding hypothetical functional organization for memory processing. We also found that for correct recognition and rejection responses, the involvement of the hippocampus decreased when memory performances improved. In contrast to young individuals, elderly subjects were more prone to false memories and exhibited less specific activation patterns for the four response categories. Activation in the hippocampus and the parahippocampal gyrus was positively correlated with response bias scores for true and false recognition, demonstrating that conservative subjects produced an additional search effort leading to more activation of these two medial temporal lobe regions. These findings demonstrate that correct and incorrect recognition and rejection induce distinct neural signatures.

Introduction et but de l’etude Il a ete montre que l’association repetee, dans une matrice alimentaire, entre une flaveur et une densite energetique pouvait entrainer un conditionnement flaveur-nutriment. Ainsi, apres apprentissage, la flaveur signale l’energie apportee par l’aliment et une flaveur associee a une plus forte densite energetique est plus appreciee. L’objectif du present travail est d’etudier, chez l’enfant de 8-11 ans, le developpement et la stabilite d’un conditionnement flaveur-nutriment sur l’appreciation de boissons et sur la capacite a ajuster l’energie consommee au repas qui suit leur ingestion. Materiel et methodes Pour cela, 44 enfants ont ete exposes a deux boissons sucrees aromatisees : une boisson energetique (HE : 150kcal) et une boisson non-energetique (NE : 0kcal). Chaque boisson etait associee a une flaveur differente, nouvelle pour chaque enfant. L’etude a ete conduite en trois periodes : 1) une periode de conditionnement (T0 a T1) durant laquelle les enfants etaient exposes aux deux boissons HE et NE, 2) une periode sans exposition (T1 a T2) et 3) une periode de conditionnement inverse (T3 a T4) durant laquelle les enfants etaient exposes aux boissons HE et NE pour lesquelles l’association flaveur-densite energetique avait ete inversee. A chaque temps, l’appreciation pour les flaveurs et la prise alimentaire au repas suivant la consommation des boissons ont ete mesures. Resultats et Analyse statistique A T1, l’appreciation des deux flaveurs a augmentee (P Conclusion La consommation de boissons sucrees pourrait donc entrainer une augmentation de la prise energetique. Or, au regard de la forte prevalence de surpoids et d’obesite chez l’enfant ces resultats suggerent de limiter la consommation de boissons sucrees avant un repas. Soutiens financiers : Cette etude a recu un soutien financier du Conseil Regional de Bourgogne et du Metaprogramme Did’it pour le projet SweetLip-Kid.

International audience; Background & aims: Infants may learn to accept flavours via exposure to flavour in mother’s milk. This study examines whether acceptance of a flavour compound develops over 10 exposures through mother’s milk (part 1), and how such acceptance evolves after 10 exposures, on alternate days, to the same flavour in solid food (part 2). Methods: Three groups of 5–8 month-old infants participated. Breast-fed infants were randomised into two groups: a non-exposed group (n - 20) and a group exposed to caraway flavour (d-carvone) via mother’s milk (n - 20). Mothers in the second group consumed a caraway-flavoured food. The third group was composed of formula-fed infants whose mothers consumed the caraway-flavoured food (n - 8). Infants’ acceptance of caraway-flavour was tested after both exposure periods by evaluating, on separate days, intake parameters and mother’s judgement of liking of plain and caraway-flavoured purées. Results: Part 1 showed that exposed and non-exposed breast-fed infants had higher initial acceptance of the caraway-flavoured purée than formula-fed infants. Part 2 results showed no evolution in acceptance of caraway-flavoured purée among breast-fed infants. In contrast formula-fed infants’ acceptance of caraway-flavoured purée increased, corresponding to flavour-specific acceptance learning. Conclusions: This study suggests that breastfeeding facilitates acceptance of novel flavours. This effect is not necessarily due to exposure to specific flavour compounds.

International audience; Taste is a major determinant of children’s food preferences, but its development is incompletely known. Thus, exploring infants’ acceptance of basic tastes is necessary. The first objective was to evaluate the acceptance of tastes and their developmental changes over the first year. The second objective was to compare acceptance across tastes. The third objective was to evaluate global taste reactivity (within-subject variability of acceptance across tastes). Acceptance of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami tastes was assessed in three groups of forty-five 3-, 6- and 12-month-old infants using observations based on ingestion and liking scored by the experimenter. For each taste, four bottles were presented (water, tastant, tastant, water). Acceptance of each taste relative to water was defined using proportional variables based on ingestion or liking. Acceptance over the first year only evolved for sweet taste (marginal decrease) and salty taste (clear increase). At each age, sweet and salty tastes were the most preferred tastes. Reactions to umami were neutral. Sour and bitter tastes were the least accepted ones but rejected only when considering liking data. Ingestion and liking were complementary to assess taste acceptance. However, congruency between these measures rose during the first year. Moreover, with increasing age, reactions were more and more contrasted across tastes. Finally, during the first year, inter-individual variability increased for all tastes except salty taste. By enhancing knowledge of the development of taste acceptance the present study contributes to understand better food behaviour in infancy, the foundation of food behaviour in adulthood.

National audience; In many developed countries, governmental policies encourage reduction of fat, salt and sugar consumption. However, such reductions are likely to impact the palatability of foods, in particular in children, whose food intake is largely influenced by food's sensory features. The extent to which young children's food intake varies according to fat, salt and sugar content is imperfectly known. This study aimed to evaluate whether toddler's food intake varied from one meal to the other (1) during lunches where salt or fat contents were modified in some foods and (2) during snacks where sugar or fat contents were modified. Sixty-four children (24–36 months old) participated in the study in their usual daycares. Children participated in 10 lunches composed of the same menu (vegetable salad, chicken, green beans, pasta, and yogurt) every other week. Across lunches, we varied the salt content (0, 0.6 and 1.2 g/100 g) or the fat content (0, 2 and 4 g/100 g) in green beans or in pasta. Children participated in 18 snacks, composed either of soft white cheese varying in fat content (0, 20 and 40%) or of apple-peach purée varying in added sugar content (0, 5 and 10 g/100 g); the three variants of cheese and of purée were offered three times each. During each lunch or each snack, children were set free to eat as much as they wanted. Intake of each food was quantified by weighting the food before and after the meal. The study is currently ongoing. Results will be discussed in terms of varied palatability according to fat, salt and sugar level, and of children's habits of discretionary use of fat, salt and sugar.

International audience; BACKGROUND & AIMS: Previous studies showed that (1) breastfeeding and (2) higher food variety early in weaning can increase acceptance of new foods for the next few days. Here we measure, in two European regions, effects of breast or formula feeding and experience with different levels of vegetable variety early in weaning on new food acceptance during two months following the start of weaning. METHODS: Breast- or formula-fed infants received their first vegetable (carrot pur? and, over the next 9 days, either carrots every day; 3 vegetables changed every 3 days; or 3 vegetables changed daily. On the 12th and 23rd days they received new vegetable pur?, zucchini-tomato then peas. Several weeks later, they received 2 more new foods, meat and fish. Acceptance of new foods was measured by quantities eaten and by liking ratings. RESULTS: Breastfeeding and variety early in weaning increased new food acceptance. Frequency of change was more effective than number of vegetables fed. The combination of breastfeeding and high variety produced greatest new food intake. This effect persisted 2 months later. CONCLUSIONS: These interventions correspond to differences in milk and vegetable feeding observed in the regions studiedsuggesting that the results have practical consequences for acceptance of new foods.

International audience; This study describes infant feeding practices among mothers from two European regions from the perspective of early sensory experiences. Two groups of mothers, one in Dijon , France (n=139), the other in Aalen , Germany (n=157) with infants aged 4–9 months were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Clear between- and within-group differences in weaning practices were found, particularly with respect to breastfeeding duration (Aalen>Dijon) and exposure to flavour variety early in weaning (Dijon>Aalen). By 4 months, 65% of infants in Dijon and 20% in Aalen, had received their first non-milk, solid foods. Before beginning to wean, 39% of mothers in Dijon offered their infant a variety of foods “just for a taste”. This was the case for only 25% of mothers in Aalen. During the first 28 days of weaning, infants in Dijon were offered a greater number of vegetables compared to those in Aalen and more frequent changes from day-to-day. Thus, while Aalen infants were likely to be exposed for a longer period to different sensory experiences via breast milk, Dijon infants tended to be exposed to a greater flavour variety during the first weeks of weaning.

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699; International audience; This prospective study of food variety seeking among children was conducted between 1982 and 1999, with a follow-up in 2001–2002. Two- to three-year-old children were given a free choice of lunch foods in a nursery canteen. Their food choices were recorded and used to calculate early variety seeking scores, globally and by food group (vegetables, animal products, dairy products, starchy foods and combined dishes). The same subjects (n=339) were contacted in 2001–2002, when they were: 17–22 (n=89), 13–16 (n=68), 8–12 (n=99) and 4–7 years of age (n=83). Follow-up variety seeking, globally and by food group, and food neophobia were evaluated using questionnaire instruments. Variety seeking at follow-up increased with early variety seeking and to a lesser extent with age, and decreased with food neophobia. Early and follow-up variety seeking scores were highly related for dairy products and vegetables. Follow-up variety seeking for animal products was higher for boys and increased with age for boys, but not for girls. For each food group, variety seeking at follow-up was related to food neophobia. This study suggests that the acquisition of food repertoire may be influenced by food exposure and food choice behaviours before the age of 4.

This study has evaluated the impact of food choices at 2–3 years old on food preferences later in life, by following up the same subjects. Early preferences were estimated through recordings of food choices conducted in a nursery canteen in children aged 2–3, from 1982 to 1999. The children were free to choose the composition of their lunch from among a varied offering of eight dishes. The same subjects ( n =341) were contacted in 2001–2002 and so their ages varied from 17–22 ( n =91), 13–16 ( n =68), 8–12 ( n =99) to 4–7 ( n =83). Their present preference for the 80 foods most frequently presented at the nursery canteen was assessed through a questionnaire. Five food categories were studied: vegetables, animal products, cheeses, starchy foods and combined foods. The ranking of preference for the different food categories changed especially after puberty. However, regressions performed by food category indicated that for most categories, individual present preference was highly linked to individual preference at 2–3 years old. The link was the stronger for cheeses, followed to a lesser extent by animal products and vegetables. Present preferences increased with age for vegetables and they decreased with age for animal products only in females (to a lesser extent, they decreased with age for starchy foods and cheeses). Analyses by specific foods confirmed the global analysis. Individual present preference was linked to individual early preference for all mature cheeses and for 50% of the foods for other categories: most of these items were strongly flavoured. This study showed that preferences were stable from 2- to 3-year-old until young adulthood and that some changes in preference occurred during adolescence.

In a procedure for the selection of two equivalent sets of familiar and two equivalent sets of unfamiliar odours for use in odour memory studies, 24 naive subjects were first asked to rate the familiarity, perceived complexity and pleasantness of 54 a priori unfamiliar odours and 57 a priori familiar odours and to identify the latter. After selection of the 40 most familiar and the 40 least familiar odours, the subjects sorted each of these two sets into groups of similar odours. Their results were analysed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis and each set was divided into two recognition sets that had the same degree of similarity between target and distractor odours and that had similar values of familiarity, pleasantness, perceived complexity (familiar and unfamiliar sets) and identifiability (familiar sets). Finally, recognition tasks were performed in order to check the equivalence in memory performance of both the two familiar and the two unfamiliar recognition sets.

International audience

International audience

Introduction et but de l’etude Le flux et la composition salivaire ont un impact sur la perception des saveurs. Cependant, tres peu d’etudes ont explore les relations entre la salive, les preferences sensorielles et les consommations alimentaires. Nous avons etudie les associations entre le flux et la composition salivaire avec d’une part les preferences pour le gras, le sucre et le sale, et d’autre part avec les consommations en nutriments au sein d’une population adulte francaise. Materiel et methodes Les preferences ont ete evaluees grâce a des seances d’analyse sensorielle au cours desquelles 282 adultes francais participant a l’etude Nutrinet-Sante ont teste 32 modeles alimentaires de niveaux variables en gras, sel ou sucre. Avant l’evaluation des preferences, la salive au repos a ete collectee. Des analyses biochimiques standards ont ete effectuees pour evaluer l’abondance de differents composes salivaires. Les donnees alimentaires ont ete recueillies par le biais de 3 enregistrements de 24h. Les relations entre le flux, la composition salivaire et les preferences et les apports alimentaires ont ete evaluees en utilisant des modeles de regression lineaire. Resultats et Analyse statistique La capacite antioxydante totale est positivement associee a la consommation en glucides simples (β = 31,5, P =0,04) et inversement associee a la consommation en glucides complexes (β = – 52,4, P = 0,002). L’activite amylasique est positivement associee a la fois a l’apport total en glucides (β= 0,20, P = 0,03) et a l’apport en glucides simples (β = 0,21, P = 0,04). Le flux salivaire est positivement associe a la preference pour le gras (β = 0,14, P = 0,02). L’activite proteolytique est positivement associee aux preferences pour le sale et pour le gras (respectivement, β = 0,31, P =0,01; β =0,36, P =0,006). L’activite amylasique est inversement associee a la preference pour le sucre (β = – 10,13, P =0,03). La concentration en anhydrase carbonique 6 est inversement associee a la preference pour le sale (β – 46,77, P =0,02). Conclusion Le flux et la composition salivaire ne varient pas considerablement en fonction des consommations alimentaires, excepte pour l’apport en glucides alors que des relations sont mises en evidence entre le flux ou la composition salivaire et les preferences pour le gras, le sale ou le sucre, suggerant l’importance de certaines caracteristiques salivaires dans l’appreciation des aliments.

Vegetable intake is generally low among children, who appear to be especially fussy during the pre-school years. Repeated exposure is known to enhance intake of a novel vegetable in early life but individual differences in response to familiarisation have emerged from recent studies. In order to understand the factors which predict different responses to repeated exposure, data from the same experiment conducted in three groups of children from three countries (n = 332) aged 4-38 m (18.9 +/- 9.9 m) were combined and modelled. During the intervention period each child was given between 5 and 10 exposures to a novel vegetable (artichoke puree) in one of three versions (basic, sweet or added energy). Intake of basic artichoke puree was measured both before and after the exposure period. Overall, younger children consumed more artichoke than older children. Four distinct patterns of eating behaviour during the exposure period were defined. Most children were "learners'' (40%) who increased intake over time. 21% consumed more than 75% of what was offered each time and were labelled "plate-clearers''. 16% were considered "non-eaters'' eating less than 10 g by the 5th exposure and the remainder were classified as "others'' (23%) since their pattern was highly variable. Age was a significant predictor of eating pattern, with older pre-school children more likely to be non-eaters. Plate-clearers had higher enjoyment of food and lower satiety responsiveness than non-eaters who scored highest on food fussiness. Children in the added energy condition showed the smallest change in intake over time, compared to those in the basic or sweetened artichoke condition. Clearly whilst repeated exposure familiarises children with a novel food, alternative strategies that focus on encouraging initial tastes of the target food might be needed for the fussier and older pre-school children.

This work attempted to define the impact of panel experience on olfactory memory performance by comparing scores in an odor recognition task obtained from a highly trained descriptive panel (17 subjects) and a naive one (33 subjects with no experience in sensory analysis). During the inspection phase, 16 odorants were presented monadically to subjects for familiarity rating and a written description. The recognition session was planned 7 days later with 32 odorants (including the 16 of the target set). Subjects also described the odor of the stimuli. The memory performance of each panel was estimated by the mean value of individual d' (index of detectability). Training of the descriptive panel did not enhance the olfactory memory ability, which strengthened the well-established idea that odor memory is closely linked to personal experience of the subject with the stimuli. However, odor recognition performances were improved by a precise and consistent answer at the encoding task : for both groups, subjects performed better when stimuli were precisely labeled and consistently used. Trained subjects were more accurate when describing than naive ones, whatever the degree of familiarity. Panel experience allowed trained subjects to verbalize their perception especially accurately when stimuli were familiar. Chem. Senses 21 : 699-709, 1996.

International audience; Since there is rarely a social labeling consensus in the identification of odors, it would be better to assess whether participants identify an odor by the same name upon repeated presentation rather than by the name designated as “correct” by the experimenter (veridical label) in identification tasks. To examine the relevance of this proposition, participants were asked to identify familiar odors both in a free and a multiple-choice task. The free task was replicated in order to determine the percentage of repeatable identification. Results showed that the difference between the percentage of correct identification in the multiple-choice task and the percentage of repeatable identification in the free task was small, and that participants often used a repeatable name which differed from the veridical label. Thus, it was suggested that allowing participants to give their own name to an odor when it is not present on a pre-developed list, and measuring whether participants repeat the same name in independent measurements might improve the relevance of multiple-choice tasks.

This study assessed the influence of school level and gender on odor sensitivity and identification, and the role of verbal capacity on odor identification in children (4-12 years) by using a revised version of an olfactory test designed for adults [Rouby et al. (1997). Connaissance et reconnaissance d'une serie olfactive chez l'enfant prescolaire. Enfance, 1, 152-171]. We found that odor sensitivity and identification scores increased with school level, and that identification performance was better in girls than in boys. However, when we controlled verbal ability, the gender differences disappeared and the school level differences remained. This result indicates that the effect of gender on identification was probably due to the greater verbal ability of girls rather than to their greater olfactory ability per se. In addition, we found that general verbal ability is independent of olfactory fluency and that their influence on olfactory perception is different. Thus, this study illuminates the role of cognitive/verbal factors in the development of odor perception and knowledge.