A Comparison of Liking of Pureed Food Between Two Groups of Older Adults

Abstract

Cognitive difficulties make consumer testing with older adults who have dysphagia extremely difficult. Using a healthier older adult population to predict liking scores of this subgroup of older adults could provide a reliable method of determining liking in this population. Forty-five adults older than 65 years who had not been diagnosed with dysphagia participated in a taste test at a local seniors' center. Twelve puree consumers were recruited from five long-term care homes in Ontario. All participants rated three commercial carrot purees and turkey purees for their liking of the appearance and flavor using a 5-point modified Cued Facial Scale. Significant differences between the groups indicate that a healthy group of older adults cannot replicate liking of puree consumers.

KEYWORDS:

• commercial pureed food
• consumer testing
• Cued Facial Scale
• older adults

Notes

¹Group 1 n = 9–12.

²Group 2 n = 45.

³CP1, CP2, CP3, CP4 indicate carrot puree 1, carrot puree 2, carrot puree 3, and carrot puree 4; TP1, TP2, TP3, TP4 indicate turkey puree 1, turkey puree 2, turkey puree 3, and turkey puree 4.

⁴Means in the same column for a product attribute with the same letter are not statistically significant P < 0.05.

⁵Cued Facial Scale ranged from 1 = very bad, to 5 = very good.

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