Flavor preferences in malnourished Mexican infants

Abstract

Taste and flavor preferences were evaluated in malnourished (n=113) and well nourished (n=87) Mexican infants tested between 2 and 24 months of age. Not all infants were tested in all conditions. The malnourished infants all suffered from second or third degree malnutrition (marasmus) and were tested 2-28 days after admission to a renutrition center. Well nourished control infants were tested at their own homes or neighbor's homes. In the first experiment, testing consisted of brief presentations of moderate concentrations of sucrose (sweet), NaCl (salty), citric acid (sour) and urea (bitter). Infants were allowed to ingest as much of the taste substances as they wished. Volume of taste solutions and diluent was determined and provided the data for comparison between groups. In the second experiment, responses to casein hydrolysate and monosodium glutamate solutions were studied with soup serving as the diluent. The preferences of malnourished children for NaCl, citric acid and urea were not substantially different from those of the well nourished group. In sucrose tests, malnourished infants recently admitted to the renutrition center exhibited a decreased response. Malnourished infants ingested more casein hydrolysate and soup solution than soup alone. Control infants tended to respond in the opposite direction. All infants exhibited a preference for soup with MSG relative to plain soup.