Infants can develop a taste for particular foods before they even leave the womb, according to new research.

The findings will be presented at the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology in Melbourne next week.
Experts say the results could influence the way in which parents can influence an infant's likes or dislikes of nutritional foods, and provide better nutrition for seniors through the development of special food products for older people.
Dr Conor Delahunty, science manager, Food Quality: Measurement and Perception at Food Science Australia, said that health related to food in later life may depend on how infants learn to eat.

"There is evidence that sensory preferences and dietary habits learned during infancy and early childhood can continue into later life," he said.

"Research conducted with groups of pregnant women found that infants exposed to carrot juice in the last trimester of pregnancy and during breast-feeding were more likely to accept carrot flavoured cereals at the time of weaning." Dr Delahunty said parents are able to influence eating behaviour positively or negatively.

"In another study I was involved in at University College Cork we looked at infants' and toddlers' eating habits in order to understand the acceptance of fruits in their diet. We found that a child who eats a lot of fruit at six months is eating a lot of fruit at 18 months. As concern increases regarding obesity in children a parent's influence on nutritious eating habits is vital."

In another research project Dr Delahunty was coordinator of the EU 5th Framework project Healthy Ageing: How changes in Sensory Physiology, Sensory Psychology and Socio-Cognitive Factors Influence Food.
The project involved 24 different research centres, who in collaboration studied losses of sensory ability that accompany ageing and the effects of these losses on food choice.

Tests where conducted with 2400 consumers across five different countries to measure what effects sensory losses have on the likes and dislikes of food in the elderly with a view to recommending to the food industry how to provide better food and nutrition.


"Elderly people often suffer from olfactory, taste and mouthfeel deficits, but how these deficits impact food choice and health is not clear," Dr Delahunty said.

"What the study found was not what we expected. There is little difference between the likes and dislikes of the old and the young. A lot of what we like about particular food appears to be associated with memory, although texture was found to be more important for older people. Where they have lost the ability to perceive flavour, they paid more attention to texture."

He said the findings from the studies would add to the debate over whether special foods should be developed for older people.

The 40th AIFST Convention is at the Melbourne Convention Centrefrom June 24 to 27. A convention program overview and further information can be found at the AIFST website: http://www.aifst.asn.au/annualconvention/

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