Adding Flavours: Use of and Attitudes towards Sauces and Seasonings in a Sample of Community-Dwelling UK Older Adults

Abstract

Adding flavours can encourage food intake in older adults for health benefits. The use and attitudes of 22 community-dwelling UK older adults (15 females, aged 65–83 years) towards foods and products that add flavour, e.g., sauces and seasonings, were investigated. Participants used foods/products to add flavour when cooking and eating from 0 to 17 times/day. Taste and flavour were important, and foods/products could add flavour, make foods more pleasant and did not cause discomfort. There were concerns, however, over the healthiness of some foods/products, while consuming a healthy diet and one’s health were important. Reasons for adding flavours largely centred around ‘meal enhancement’, reasons for not adding flavours focused on ‘the product itself’ and ‘characteristics of the meal’, but there was ‘variation’ and many ‘individual differences’. Our findings highlight the benefits of adding flavours for food intakes, particularly the use of naturally flavoursome foods, such as herbs, spices, onion and garlic.

Barriers to and Facilitators of the Consumption of Animal-Based Protein-Rich Foods in Older Adults: Re-Analysis with a Focus on Sustainability

“…These findings may suggest that methods to enhance the taste of white meats or increase liking for dishes based on white meats would be of value. Taste and liking are known to be important predictors of food intake in older adults [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], and while taste perception is known to deteriorate with age [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], various studies demonstrate increased intakes following the use of flavour enhancers or added flavours in older adults [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ]. Some consideration for individual preferences, however, is also required; work suggests that not all individuals respond to flavours with increased consumption [ 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…Some consideration for individual preferences, however, is also required; work suggests that not all individuals respond to flavours with increased consumption [ 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 48 , 49 ]. Flavour use varies widely in the older population [ 29 ], as do flavour preferences [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 50 ], although consistent preferences for flavours that are perceived to be natural, appropriate to the meal, occasion, or culture are found [ 29 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. Suggestions to enhance liking for the taste of white meats and white meat dishes may benefit from consideration of foods that are naturally flavoursome, such as lemon, ginger, herbs, and fruits [ 46 , 50 , 54 ], established flavour combinations, e.g., turkey and cranberry [ 51 , 52 , 53 ], and the use of self-serving, to allow individuals to accommodate personal preferences [ 44 , 45 , 49 ].…”

“…Repeated work has investigated the factors determining protein consumption and the consumption of protein-rich foods in older adults [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. This work finds consumption to be largely influenced by a food’s sensory aspects, such as taste and pleasure; the practical aspects of consumption, including hard textures, difficulties with cutting, preparing and cooking, and difficulties with digestion; and changes to living situation, such as increased loneliness, isolation and financial concerns [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], although the relative importance of some factors compared to others for the consumption of different protein-rich foods has also been found [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Street Food in Malaysia: What Are the Sodium Levels?

“…Fried noodles are often cooked with many sauces, especially soy sauce, thick soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili sauce which contribute to high sodium content [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. The sauces were added to add more flavor to the food and to make it more palatable to eat [ 33 , 34 ]. Additionally, the noodles contain a relatively high amount of salt in themselves [ 35 , 36 ].…”

Experimental Study of Garlic Root Cutting Based on Deep Learning Application in Food Primary Processing

“…Garlic ( Allium sativum L.) is a traditional food grown worldwide, both as a flavoring and medicinal food [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], with a harvested area of 1.63 million hectares worldwide [ 8 ]. Currently, the harvesting and post-processing of garlic in China are primarily carried out manually, which is labor-intensive and inefficient.…”