Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for classifying food products and predicting appropriate ages and/or developmental stages that children should be provided with certain food products. In an embodiment, the methods include mathematical models that use the measurements of key texture attributes to predict the minimum age and/or developmental stage of food products. Using the methods of the present disclosure, classification of food products can be directed during early product development. Additionally, the methods of the present disclosure have generated an understanding of which key texture attributes differentiate appropriate products across developmental stages.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides tools and methods for improving differentiation in child-liking scores in a product testing environment and/or to improve development of products for child consumers. In an embodiment, tools for differentiating market research scores are provided and include a product rating scale having a plurality of successive scale points and a verbal anchor corresponding to each scale point, and a behavioral list with a plurality of product acceptance behaviors. Methods for differentiating market research scores are also provided and include instructing a consumer to evaluate a product according to a product rating scale, instructing the consumer to evaluate a product according to a behavioral list, and applying, using a digital computer, a multivariate analysis of variance to the product rating scale information and the behavioral information.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for classifying food products and predicting appropriate ages and/or developmental stages that children should be provided with certain food products. In an embodiment, the methods include mathematical models that use the measurements of key texture attributes to predict the minimum age and/or developmental stage of food products. Using the methods of the present disclosure, classification of food products can be directed during early product development. Additionally, the methods of the present disclosure have generated an understanding of which key texture attributes differentiate appropriate products across developmental stages.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for obtaining direct child-liking information in a product testing environment and/or for improving development of products for pre-school-aged consumers. In an embodiment, methods for directly assessing child-liking of a food product are provided and include the use of a 4-point, bifurcated scale-based approach. The scale-based approach employs an initial two-component assessment as to whether a child finds a product to be acceptable or unacceptable. Upon establishment of the acceptableness of the food product, the scale-based approach further asks the child whether the acceptableness of the food product should be modified to assess the degree of acceptableness of the food product.