The texture factor: food product development for discrete populations including orally compromised elderly consumers and children with Down syndrome

Abstract

In the development of food products with optimised nutritional and sensory properties, the emphasis is often placed on the nutrient content of the food rather than the texture of the food. The objective of this short opinion piece is to argue that texture should be considered an integral property of a personalised food, considering two case studies. The first case study profiles older adults, a broad group who often experience an unwanted decrease in food texture variety in their diets, with associated negative health outcomes. The second case study examines children with Down syndrome who confront the task of expanding their food texture repertoire to allow for a healthy eating future but face challenges in texture handling due to delays in oral processing development. Following an overview of the texture challenges facing each of these groups, the importance of extending research to partner with the food industry to develop food products with desired texture properties and appropriate food structure is presented.