Sensitive period in flavor learning: effects of duration of exposure to formula flavors on food likes during infancy

摘要

Background & AimsEmerging research has revealed the existence of periods in which the developing brain has heightened sensitivity to environmental influences. We discovered a sensitive period, <4 months of age, when exposure to the flavor of extensively hydrolyzed protein hydrolysate formulas (ePHF) determines its hedonic tone. This formula has pronounced bitter, sour, and savory tastes compared to cow-milk-based formulas (CMF). This study aimed to determine the effects of duration of exposure during the sensitive period on a food containing an exemplar of the savory flavor.