Abstract

In general, the food industry has not capitalised on the development of foods designed for the elderly population to meet their nutritional needs and sensory expectations. It is clear that the foods that the elderly consume have a direct bearing on health, quality of life and longevity. For this reason as well as for the increasing economic power, of the over 65 demographic, food producers must understand the age-related physiological changes, food behaviour, sensory preferences and nutritional requirements of the ageing population to improve quality of life but also as a lucrative source of revenue. Ageing is associated with many physiological changes, including sensory losses (aroma, flavour, taste, texture) which are can be caused by different factors such as age, medication, certain diseases (such as cancer), surgical interventions, malnutrition, environmental exposures and dental problems. This talk will present some recent findings on sensory losses in the elderly and the designing of bespoke foods to meet their sensory and nutritional requirements.