Tuesday 12 November 2013

Baby thrill-o-meter!

This is so cool! 



The world’s first ‘baby thrill-o-meter’ has been unveiled which captures and measures the thrill experienced by little ones when they try new food with usual flavours.

Created by the guys at Ella’s Kitchen, the study provides an insight into babies’ physiological reactions when they try a variety of fruit, vegetables and spices. 

The bespoke thrill-o-meter measures babies’ Galvanic Skin Responses to different foods and it was revealed that mango and cinnamon are the most exciting ingredients for little ones, closely followed by lemon and coconut. I have to admit Alfie hasn't tried anything quite  like coconut yet but he loves pineapple and mango and his face is a picture when he eats sharp flavoured and zingy food!

Watch the below videos for some brilliant reactions!



Here is the full press release to read for more information. 

FIRST BABY ‘THRILL-O-METER’ CAPTURES THE EXCITEMENT OF DIFFERENT TASTES FOR LITTLE ONES’
- Mango and Cinnamon revealed as the most thrilling tastes for babies in new project masterminded by Ella’s Kitchen -

Ever wondered how exciting the taste of cinnamon, coconut or papaya is for a baby? The world’s first ‘baby thrill-o-meter’ was unveiled today to capture and measure the thrill experienced by little ones when they try new and different foods.  Created by baby and toddler food experts Ella’s Kitchen, in partnership with Thrill Laboratory, the study provides a unique insight into babies’ physiological reactions when they try a variety of different fruits, vegetables and spices. 

The bespoke thrill-o-meter measures babies’ Galvanic Skin Responses to different foods and revealed mango and cinnamon as the ingredients that caused the most excitement amongst little ones, closely followed by lemon and coconut.

The results from the thrill-o-meter also revealed a list of the top 10 most exciting tastes for babies, including red pepper and papaya.

Top 10 most exciting tastes for babies:
1.       Mango
2.       Cinnamon
3.       Lemon
4.       Coconut
5.       Banana
6.       Papaya
7.       Red pepper
8.       Apricot
9.       Sweet potato
10.     Carrot

The results were calculated by analysing increased Galvanic Skin Response from certain foods, combined with facial expression and body language analysis from parents to determine how positive the response was.

When babies become excited in response to a food, or the anticipation of a food, their bodies and minds get ready for action.  Their hearts beat faster, their eyes open wide, and their breathing quickens.  One physiological effect of excitement and sensorial engagement that can’t be seen by parents is the micro-fluctuations in sweat levels, which the thrill-o-meter closely monitored through Galvanic Skin Response.  A rise in Galvanic Skin Response, together with positive facial analysis from parents, expressed just how excited the baby was when tasting the food.

Brendan Walker, Thrill Laboratory comments: “Food can be really exciting for babies – whether it’s a first taste of cinnamon, juicy mango or exotic coconut.  Different foods can stimulate different physiological responses and this innovative study is designed to reveal just how thrilling different foods are for babies and to help Ella’s Kitchen continue to explore and understand babies’ taste buds, both scientifically and creatively.”

Paul Lindley, Ella’s Kitchen founder and Ella’s Dad comments: “To see little ones’ faces light up when they try a food that really excites them is fantastic and we create all of our foods with babies’ taste buds in mind.

From the pinch of spicy cinnamon in seriously comforting Cottage Pie, to Zingy Lamb Cous Cous bursting with exotic mangoes, at Ella’s Kitchen we understand just how important it is to thrill babies with exciting tastes at each and every meal, to ensure they develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime and grow up to be good little eaters”

I think this is a great study, I love the expressions on the babies faces, especially when trying the lemon! I think it quite clearly demonstrates just how receptive babies and children are to different flavours, especially ones that are exotic or strong, why should baby food be bland!


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4 comments:

  1. haha I am very surprised that lemon is not higher up

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the idea of this. I agree, I'm surprised that Lemon isn't higher.

    ReplyDelete

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