Consumers’ perceptions of naturalness are important for the acceptance of foods and food technologies. Thus, several studies have examined the significance of naturalness among consumers. ...Nonetheless, the aspects that are considered essential in perceiving a food item as natural may vary across consumers and different stakeholder groups.
This systematic review identified 72 studies conducted in 32 countries involving 85,348 consumers. We aimed to answer the following questions: 1) How has the perceived importance of naturalness for consumers been defined and measured? 2) To what extent is perceived naturalness important to consumers? 3) Are there individual differences regarding the importance given to food naturalness that can be explained by consumers' characteristics? 4) Do consumers’ attitudes toward food naturalness influence their intentions and behavior?
The review clearly shows that for the majority of consumers, food naturalness is crucial. This finding could be observed across countries and in the different years when the studies were conducted. Therefore, neglecting the aspect of naturalness in the food industry may be very costly in the end. Our review also reveals differences across studies in how naturalness has been defined and measured. Based on a content analysis of the measurement scales, the items used to measure the importance of naturalness can be classified into three categories: 1) the way the food has been grown (food origin), 2) how the food has been produced (what technology and ingredients have been used), and 3) the properties of the final product.
•Food naturalness is very important for consumers.•Studies differ in how naturalness has been defined and measured.•Naturalness can be classified in terms of food origin, production, and final product.•Consumers' food intake is significantly influenced by food naturalness importance.
•A new tool is proposed for measuring parent’s choice criteria for infant food brands.•Qualitative and quantitative data were used to develop and validate the scale.•The scale is significantly ...correlated to brand familiarity, satisfaction and loyalty.
The study of the motives that parents take into account when making commercial infant food choices is important because these choices determine what infants eat. Food given to children during infancy has a major impact on their health, development and growth. This article describes the development and validation of an instrument for capturing parent’s choice criteria for infant food brands (PCCIFB). A structured empirical scale development procedure was followed to develop this new tool. Items were generated from 18 in-depth interviews and one focus group with parents of children under 18months in Spain. The psychometric properties of the scale were successfully assessed on two samples of parents (n=197 and n=649). The multidimensional 11-item scale offers insights into the most relevant attributes, grouped in three factors (reputation/liking, environmental/social and convenience/price), that determine parents’ brand choice of commercial infant foods (i.e., formula milk, infant cereals and jarred baby foods). The scale dimensions were significantly and positively correlated to key brand variables, namely, brand familiarity, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty. Implications and future research opportunities are discussed.
Infant cereals play an important role in the complementary feeding period. The aim of this study was to review existing research about the quantity, type, and degree of infant cereal processing, with ...a special focus on whole grain infant cereals. Accumulating evidence shows many benefits of whole grain consumption for human health. Likewise, consumers are frequently linking the term whole grains to healthiness and naturality, and sustainable food production becomes a more important aspect when choosing an infant cereal brand. Whole grain cereals should be consumed as early as possible, i.e., during infancy. However, there are several challenges that food manufacturers are facing that need to be addressed. Recommendations are needed for the intake of whole grain cereals for infants and young children, including product-labeling guidelines for whole grain foods targeting these age stages. Another challenge is minimizing the higher contaminant content in whole grains, as well as those formed during processing. Yet, the greatest challenge may be to drive consumers' acceptance, including taste. The complementary feeding period is absolutely key in shaping the infant's food preferences and habits; therefore, it is the appropriate stage in life at which to introduce whole grain cereals for the acceptance of whole grains across the entire lifespan.
Sterol bioaccessibility (BA) of three plant sterol (PS)-enriched milk-based fruit beverages (MFb) with different fat contents (1.1–2.4%), lipid sources (animal or vegetable), and without or with ...emulsifiers (whey proteins enriched with milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) or soy lecithin) was evaluated after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The BA of total PS followed the order 31.4% (MFbM containing milk fat and whey proteins enriched with MFGM) = 28.2% (MFbO containing extra virgin olive oil and soy lecithin) > 8.7% (MFb without fat addition). Total and individual PS content in the bioaccessible fractions followed the order MFbM > MFbO > MFb. Consequently, formulation with MFGM is proposed in beverages of this kind to ensure optimum bioavailability of PS. Our results suggest that the BA of PS is influenced by the type and quantity of fat and the emulsifier type involved.
The content of plant sterol (PS) and their oxidation products (POPs) in eight ingredients used to enrich functional foods was studied. A gas chromatographic (GC) technique with mass-spectrometric ...detection was used for identification, while GC with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for quantification. β-Sitosterol was the most abundant phytosterol, and the main POPs found were derived from this compound (7α/β-hydroxysitosterol, 7-ketositosterol, and sitostanetriol). The total amount of POPs found in the ingredients ranged from 29.03 to 110.02 μg/100 g PS. The β-sitosterol oxidation rates ranged from 10 to 50 μg β-sitosterol oxides/100 g of β-sitosterol. In view of this low rate of oxidation in the ingredients tested, it can be concluded that the PS remain stable in these ingredients. Significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found between total oxysitosterols versus β-sitosterol contents (R 2 = 86.5%) and between total POPs and total PS (R 2 = 81.6%).
Complementary feeding (CF) is an important determinant of early and later life nutrition with great implications for the health status and the development of an adequate growth. Parents can choose ...between homemade foods (HMFs) and/or commercial infant foods (CIFs). There is no consistent evidence as to whether HMFs provide a better nutritional profile and variety over CIFs. The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional profiles and food variety of HMFs versus CIFs in the Spanish market targeted for infants (6-11 months) and young children (12-18 months). Thirty mothers with their children aged 6 to 18 months were included in this cross-sectional study, following a 3-day weighed food diary of which HMFs were collected and chemically analyzed. HMFs meals for infant provided significantly lower energy, higher protein and higher fiber, for young children provided significantly higher protein and fiber than CIFs meals. HMFs fruit purees for infant shown significantly higher fiber and for young children provided higher energy than CIFs. HMFs meals contained a significantly greater number of different vegetables than CIFs meals (3.7 vs. 3.3), with carrot as the most frequently used in both. However, in CIFs fruit purees shown higher different fruits than HMFs, in both the banana was the fruit most frequently used. There was a predominance of meat and lack of oily fish and legumes in both HMFs and CIFs meals. HMFs and CIFs were equally characterized by a soft texture and yellow-orange colours. Importantly, our findings emphasize the need for clear guidelines for the preparation of HMFs as well as the promotion of food variety (taste and textures) in both HMFs and CIFs to suit infants' and young children's nutritional and developmental needs.
The introduction of complementary foods during infancy marks an important step in the development of the infant gut microbiome. Infant cereals are popular weaning foods but consistent evidence on ...their effect on the intestinal microbiota, especially when differing in nutritional quality, is lacking. Fecal samples from 4-7-month-old Spanish infants who consumed infant cereals differing in whole grain and sugar content as first weaning foods were analyzed on changes in microbial composition by massively parallel sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene at baseline and after 7 weeks of intervention. Samples were obtained from a previous trial conducted in Spain demonstrating whole-grain cereal acceptability. In total, samples of 18 infants consuming 0% whole grain cereals with 24 g sugar (0-WG) and 25 infants consuming 50% whole grain cereals with 12 g sugar (50-WG) were analyzed. Microbial composition changed significantly over time (
= 0.001), per intervention group (
= 0.029) and per infant (
= 0.001). Abundance of genus
increased in both groups while
decreased. Within the 0-WG group, phylum Actinobacteria decreased along with genus
. In the 50-WG, we observed an increase in
and
. In addition, 50-WG decreased Proteobacteria and
to levels lower than 0-WG. Although weaning itself appeared to be responsible for most changes, the increased presence of anaerobic fermenters together with inhibition of pathogenic
may indicate a supporting effect of infant cereals with 50% whole grains and a reduced sugar content over infant cereals manufactured with refined hydrolyzed flours on the infant microbiota. In fact, using a novel methodology for the identification of microbial signatures, we found two groups of microbial taxa predictive of infants consuming enriched whole-grain infant cereals with a high predictive value of about 93%.
In many countries, infant cereals are one of the first foods introduced during the complementary feeding stage. These cereals are usually made with refined cereal flours, even though several health ...benefits have been linked to the intake of whole grain cereals. Prior evidence suggests that food preferences are developed at early stages of life, and may persist in later childhood and adulthood. Our aim was to test whether an infant cereal with 30% of whole grain was similarly accepted both by parents and infants in comparison to a similar cereal made from refined flour. A total of 81 infants between 4 and 24 months old were included in the study. Parent-infant pairs participated in an 8-day experimental study. Acceptance was rated on hedonic scales (4-points for infants and 7-points for parents). Other attributes like color, smell, and taste were evaluated by the parents. Acceptability for infant cereals with whole grain and refined cereals was very similar both for infants (2.30 ± 0.12 and 2.32 ± 0.11,
= 0.606) and parents (6.1 ± 0.8 and 6.0 ± 0.9,
= 0.494). Therefore, our findings show that there is an opportunity to introduce whole grain cereals to infants, including those who are already used to consuming refined infant cereals, thereby accelerating the exposure of whole grain in early life.
The introduction of complementary foods is a crucial stage in the development and determination of infants' health status in both the short and longer-term. This study describes complementary feeding ...practices among infants and toddlers in Spain. Also, relationships among sample characteristics (both parents and their child), feeding practices (timing, type of complementary food), and parental pressure to eat were explored. Cognitive interviewing with 18 parents was used to refine the survey questions. Responses from a national random sample of 630 parents, who were responsible for feeding their infants and toddlers aged 3-18 months, were obtained. Solids, often cereals and/or fruits first, were introduced at a median age of five months. Fish and eggs were introduced around the age of nine and ten months. Almost all children were fed with home-prepared foods at least once per week (93%), and in 36% of the cases, salt was added. Interestingly, higher levels of parental pressure to eat were found in female infants, younger parents, parents with a full-time job, the southern regions of Spain, and in infants who were not fed with home-prepared foods. Our insights underline the importance of clear feeding recommendations that can support health care professionals in promoting effective strategies to improve parental feeding practices.
Bioactive compounds are used in the design and development of new food products with potential health benefits, although little is known regarding their bioavailability and interactions. This study ...assessed the stability, in vitro bioaccessibility, and human bioavailability of β-cryptoxanthin from β-cryptoxanthin-rich drinks with and without added phytosterols developed for this purpose. The developed drinks showed no difference in the content of β-cryptoxanthin, and they were stable over 6 months. In vitro, hydrolysis of β-cryptoxanthin esters and the amount of free β-cryptoxanthin at duodenal and micellar phases were similar regardless of the presence of phytosterols. In the human study, the daily intake provoked significant increments of β-cryptoxanthin in serum regardless of the type of the drink. In conclusion, in vitro and in vivo human studies have shown that the bioavailability of β-cryptoxanthin is not significantly affected by the presence of phytosterols when they are simultaneously supplied in a drink.
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