A review on children's oral texture perception and preferences in foods

Texture properties of foods are particular drivers for food acceptance and rejection in children. The texture preferences follow the developmental progression of the child and these changes modulate the present and future food habits. This paper reviews the development and factors influencing texture preferences in children and the methods in food texture research with children. The child's acceptance of more complex food textures is age-dependent. The progression is indorsed by the development of oral processing skills at an early age and bolstered by repeated exposures to foods with varying textures. Children generally reject foods containing pieces or bits (i.e., geometrical textural properties); however, the impact of mechanical textural properties on food acceptance is less clear. Child characteristics such as food neophobia, picky eating, and tactile over-responsivity, negatively affect the acceptance of more diverse food textures. Depending on the child's age, the prevailing methods of characterizing food texture preferences in children include observational techniques and self-reported questionnaires. Despite knowledge of children's development of masticatory skills, learning, and cognitive abilities, the relationships of these changes to food texture acceptance and the recommended test methodology for evaluating product texture acceptance in this period of life are still limited.

Automated summary

The texture properties of foods play a crucial role in the acceptance or rejection of food by children. The preference for different textures changes as children develop, and these changes influence their current and future food habits. This review examines the development of texture preferences in children, factors that influence these preferences, and the methods used to study food texture in children. Children's acceptance of more complex textures depends on their age and their development of oral processing skills, as well as repeated exposure to foods with different textures. However, the impact of mechanical texture properties on food acceptance is still not fully understood. Characteristics such as food neophobia, picky eating, and tactile over-responsivity can negatively affect a child's acceptance of diverse food textures. The methods used to evaluate food texture preferences in children include observation techniques and self-reported questionnaires, depending on the child's age. Despite some knowledge about the development of masticatory skills, learning, and cognitive abilities in children, there is still limited understanding of how these changes relate to food texture acceptance and the recommended test methodology for evaluating product texture acceptance in this period of life.