The magic water test

Valérie Lengard Almli talks about a new method to measure the sense of taste in small children.

We know how to test the taste sensitivity of adults. But how to test small children? In this short ESN video, sensory scientist Valerie Almli explains how she and her team developed a taste test that can measure the taste sensitivity of pre-schoolers for all basic tastes.

From a fairy tale to reliable data

To engage the children, they turned a dull test into an exciting game. It all starts with a fairy tale and the search for magic water. The outcome is comprised of reliable and replicable data from children four-years old and above. The findings will help us to understand the taste development in early childhood and support interventions designed to steer children towards healthier food choices. 

 

 

The video is based on the publication: Vennerød, F., Hersleth, M., Nicklaus, S., & Almli, V. L. The magic water test. An affective paired comparison approach to evaluate taste sensitivity in pre-schoolers. Food Quality and Preference 2017, 58: 61-70.

More about Valérie Lengard Almli in our series "the people behind ESN".

30/05/2018