Differences in perception of sweet and savoury waffles between elderly and young subjects

Differences between two age groups in texture and flavour perception, in food appreciation and in texture and olfactory sensitivity were investigated. Three experiments were conducted: ratings of texture and flavour attributes, ratings of pleasantness of (1) sweet vanilla waffles, (2) savoury cheese waffles by elderly (n = 22, 60–85 years) and young (n = 16, 18–35 years) subjects, and (3) tests measuring texture sensitivity (young and elderly) and olfactory sensitivity (elderly only). The elderly differed from the young in their perception of texture and flavour, but the observed texture flavour interaction effect was not different for the elderly and young. A decrease in the importance of flavour in food appreciation was observed for the elderly in the savoury but not in the sweet waffles. The young were more efficient in chewing and they were better in oral letter recognition test. Among the elderly, olfactory sensitivity influenced flavour intensity ratings, whereas poor texture sensitivity was not related to perception of sensory attributes.The present study does not support the hypothesis that a different rate in the decline of the different senses with age will inevitably lead to a different integrated product concept.