The B-tex study
The E3S Children WG is currently performing a cross-national study on texture perception and preference in children from different European countries: the B-Tex study.
Launch of the B-Tex study
The first project proposal was made during Eurosense 2016 with first results presented in occasion of Eurosense 2018.
Participating scientists
- Monica Laureati (University of Milan, Italy)*
- Valerie Almli Lengard (Nofima, Norway)*
- Gertrude Zeinstra (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, NL)*
- Mari Sandell (University of Turku, Finland)*
- Hannah Jilani (BIPS, Germany)*
- Marlies Hörmann-Wallner (University of Applied Sciences of Graz, Austria)
- Lisa Methven (University of Reading, UK)
- Pernilla Sandvik (Uppsala University, Sweden)
- Begoña Alfaro (Zabala Innovation Consulting, Spain)
* members of the scientific committee
Background
Studying food texture in relation to children’s perception and liking is a relevant research topic for several reasons:
- Texture perception and the relationship with food liking is not well understood in children
- Texture is reported to be a driver of likes and dislikes for many foods in children
- Texture is reported to be linked with food neophobia and pickiness, which are both high during childhood
- It is a relevant topic for cross-cultural studies because differences in the food environment and dietary experiences across cultures influence preferences for sensory characteristics of food
- Texture perception and preferences may develop with age, in line with developments of the mouth muscles, jaw and teeth as well as innervation of taste buds
- It is interesting for both the academic sector and food companies to better understand how to modulate texture in food to increase the intake of healthy food (food product development)
General aims
- To better understand texture preferences in children from different European countries
- To develop valid and child-friendly procedures to investigate food neophobia, texture preferences and children’s drivers of liking
- To explore the relative contribution of texture, taste, flavor and appearance in children’s appreciation of healthy versions of food
Publications
- Laureati, M., Sandvik, P., Almli, V. L., Sandell, M., Zeinstra, G. G., Methven, L., Wallner, M., Jilani, H., Alfaro, B. & Proserpio, C. (2020). Individual differences in texture preferences among European children: Development and validation of the Child Food Texture Preference Questionnaire (CFTPQ). Food Quality and Preference, 80, 103828
- Proserpio, C., Almli, V. L., Sandvik, P., Sandell, M., Methven, L., Wallner, M., Jilani, H., Zeinstra, G.G., Alfaro, B. & Laureati, M. (2020). Cross-national differences in child food neophobia: A comparison of five European countries. Food Quality and Preference, 81, 103861.
- Sandvik, P., Laureati, M., Jilani, H., Methven, L., Sandell, M., Hörmann-Wallner, M., da Quinta, N., Zeinstra, G. G. & Almli, V. L. (2021). Yuck, this biscuit looks lumpy! Neophobic levels and cultural differences drive children’s Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) descriptions and preferences for high-fibre biscuits. Foods, 10(1), 21.
- Hörmann-Wallner, M., Krause, R., Alfaro, B., Jilani, H., Laureati, M., Almli, V. L., Sandell, M., Sandvik, P., Zeinstra, G. G. & Methven, L. (2021). Intake of fibre-associated foods and texture preferences in relation to weight status among 9–12 years old children in 6 European countries. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 35.
Presentations at international symposia
- Laureati, M., Alfaro, B., Almli Lengard, V., Jilani, H., Methven, L., Sandell, M., Sandvik, P., Wallner, M., Zeinstra, G. Individual differences in food texture perception and preferences: a cross-national study in school-aged children. Oral presentation: Eurosense – A Sense of Taste (Verona, 2-5 September 2018)
- Laureati, M., Alfaro, B., Almli Lengard, V., Jilani, H., Methven, L., Sandell, M., Sandvik, P., Wallner, M., Zeinstra, G. Main issues in cross-cultural studies with children. Oral presentation: Eurosense – A Sense of Taste (Verona, 2-5 September 2018)
- Gruber, R.S., Wallner, M., Pichler, A., Jilani, H., Laureati, M., Lengard Almli, V., Sandell, M., Zeinstra, G. The association of BMI on children`s food preferences – Austrian results of the E3S B-Tex study. Poster: Eurosense – A Sense of Taste (Verona, 2-5 September 2018)
- Laureati, M., Proserpio, C., Alfaro, B., Almli Lengard, V., Jilani, H., Methven, L., Sandell, M., Sandvik, P., Wallner, M., Zeinstra, G. Cross-national differences in children food neophobia: a comparison of six European countries. Poster: 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Edinburgh, UK, 28 July – 1 August, 2019.
- Sandvik, P., Almli, V.L., Alfaro, B., Jilani, H., Laureati, M., Methven, L., Sandell, M., Wallner, M., Zeinstra, G. Application of the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method to explore sensory perception in children with different degrees of food neophobia. Oral presentation: 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Edinburgh, UK, 28 July – 1 August, 2019.