From Parental Preferences to Product Design: Factors Shaping Nutritional Finger Foods for Early Childhood
Keywords:
Buying behavior, Nutrition, Finger food, Early childhoodAbstract
This study explores the decision-making process of parents when purchasing healthy snacks for early childhood, emphasizing the need for snacks with complete nutritional benefits tailored to age, gender, and developmental stage. Insights from 371 parents at La-or Utis Demonstration and Wat Intharam Schools in Bangkok, Thailand, revealed that the three main factors influencing their snack-purchasing decisions were nutrition, taste, and safety. In response, high-nutritional-value finger food (snack) formulations were developed, including: 1) a high-calcium formula, 2) an Omega-3 formula, and 3) a probiotic formula, using nutrient-dense ingredients such as brown rice flour (Aromatic Suphanburi), high-calcium milk powder, cheese powder, canola oil (for Omega-3), and Bacillus coagulans (for probiotics). The physico-chemical properties of all extruded snack samples were evaluated and compared to a control. Results indicated no significant differences in color (L*, a*, b*), expansion ratio, and water activity (aw) among the fortified formulas and the control (p>0.05). However, significant differences were observed in inner and outer diameters, hardness, fracturability, moisture content, crude fat, protein, fiber, ash, total carbohydrates, and calcium levels (p≤0.05). Notably, the calcium-enriched formula could be labeled as a “good source of calcium,” while the Omega-3 and probiotic formulas showed enhanced levels of Omega-3 (5.03 g) and Bacillus coagulans viability (1.7 x 108 CFU/g), respectively.
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