Undernutrition among older adults is a complex challenge influenced by physiological changes, oral and digestive health, and sensory perception. The EAT4AGE project aimed to address these challenges by developing culturally relevant, protein-rich food prototypes tailored to older adults, with a focus on improving palatability, digestibility, and nutrient bioaccessibility. The consortium consisted of six research institutions and two industrial partners from five countries: Nofima and Norges Idrettshøgskole (NIH) in Norway, INRAE in France, Teagasc Food Research Centre in Ireland, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Israel, and the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Industrial partners included Nortura (Norway) and Gat Foods (Israel). The project was coordinated by Nofima.
Norwegian partners played a central role in product development, sensory evaluation, consumer testing with older adults, in vitro digestion trials and clinical trials. Nortura contributed meat samples and industrial insights.
Results:
Five innovative food prototypes were developed across the consortium: tenderized meat, co-extruded cereals, a Skyr/yogurt blend, a spreadable cheese, and a high-protein dulce de leche dessert. These were optimized for texture and oral comfort, and produced at pilot scale, with cereals upscaled industrially. The prototypes were tested across countries for sensory properties, oral comfort, and consumer acceptance, as well as digestibility. Clinical trials were run in Norway for all products.
A validated textural toolbox was created to guide the formulation of foods for older adults, base don sensory and analytical testing. Tribological and rheological analyses, showed that bolus properties—such as firmness and moistening—were more predictive of oral comfort than dental status or salivary flow. These findings informed the development of texture-based recommendations for food design. Digestibility was assessed using advanced in vitro models simulating elderly gastrointestinal conditions. Norwegian partners contributed to the development and validation of a semi-dynamic digestion model, now adopted internationally through the INFOGEST network. This model revealed that even if older adults exhibit reduced digestive efficiency, some of the reformulated products significantly improved bioaccessibility of essential amino acids, particularly leucine, which is crucial for muscle protein synthesis. Clinical trials showed that modified dairy products increased postprandial amino acid concentrations in both younger and older adults. While anabolic muscle signalling remained comparable between modified and non-modified products, older participants showed similar or greater responses, supporting the potential of tailored foods to prevent sarcopenia.
The project also fostered collaboration across the PREVNUT call, with joint activities including a final conference in Dijon (2024) and shared dissemination efforts (white paper under development). Norwegian partners actively participated in international conferences and public outreach, including presentations to senior organizations and popular science articles.
Despite delays due to COVID-19, including recruitment challenges and sample logistics, the project met its objectives. Ethical approvals were more demanding due to the vulnerable population, but adjustments ensured successful implementation. Discussions with industry partners for commercialization are ongoing.
Short term Impacts:
- Development of five culturally relevant, nutrient-dense food prototypes tailored to older adults.
- Creation of a validated textural toolbox for designing senior-friendly foods.
- Establishment of a semi-dynamic in vitro digestion model for older adults, disseminated via INFOGEST.
- Clinical evidence supporting improved amino acid bioavailability and muscle response in older adults.
- Strengthened collaboration between Norwegian research institutions and industry (Nortura) as well as an increased international network in the area of food for elderly.
- Dissemination of findings through scientific publications, conferences, and public engagement.
Expected Long-Term Impacts:
- Improved dietary intake and prevention of undernutrition among older adults.
- Adoption of texture and digestion models in future product development and dietary guidelines.
- Transferability of methodologies to other vulnerable populations.
- Continued industry engagement and potential commercialization of prototypes.
EAT4AGE has contributed significantly to the understanding of how food reformulation can support healthy aging. The Norwegian partners played a central role in coordinating the project, developing prototypes, conducting sensory and clinical evaluations, and disseminating findings nationally and internationally.
EAT4AGE-prosjektet har hatt betydelige virkninger for både forskningsmiljøene, industripartnerne og målgruppen eldre voksne. Gjennom utvikling og testing av fem innovative, proteinrike matprototyper har prosjektet bidratt til økt kompetanse og praksisendring innen matutvikling for eldre. Produktene – mørnet kjøtt, ko-ekstruderte kornprodukter, Skyr/yoghurt-blanding, smørbar ost og en proteinrik dessert – ble utviklet med fokus på tekstur, smak og fordøyelighet, og testet i flere europeiske land, inkludert Norge.
For prosjektets deltakere har samarbeidet ført til styrket tverrfaglig og internasjonalt forskningssamarbeid. Norske forskningsmiljøer (Nofima og NIH) har samarbeidet tett med ledende institusjoner fra Frankrike (INRAE), Irland (Teagasc), Israel (Technion) og Storbritannia (University of Leeds), samt industripartnerne Nortura (Norge) og Gat Foods (Israel). Dette har resultert i felles utvikling av metoder, deling av data og felles publikasjoner. Prosjektet har også bidratt til kompetanseheving gjennom opplæring av studenter, og formidling til akademiske og industrielle aktører.
For målgruppen eldre voksne har prosjektet hatt direkte innvirkning gjennom utvikling av matprodukter som er bedre tilpasset deres fysiologiske behov. Kliniske studier har vist at de modifiserte produktene gir økt tilgjengelighet av essensielle aminosyrer, spesielt leucin, som er viktig for muskelvedlikehold. Produktene ble godt mottatt av eldre, også de med redusert oral helse, og kan bidra til bedre matinntak og livskvalitet.
Prosjektet har også utviklet verktøy og modeller som vil kunne påvirke praksis og politikk. Det teksturbaserte verktøyet for produktutvikling gir en systematisk tilnærming til formulering av mat for eldre, og den semi-dynamiske in vitro-fordøyelsesmodellen, utviklet i samarbeid med INFOGEST-nettverket, er nå internasjonalt anerkjent og i bruk. Disse verktøyene kan benyttes av både forskere og industrien i fremtidig produktutvikling og vurdering av næringsopptak.
Potensielle effekter på samfunnsnivå inkluderer:
Bedre kosthold og redusert forekomst av underernæring blant eldre, med tilhørende helsegevinster og redusert belastning på helsevesenet.
Økt fokus på aldersspesifikk matutvikling i matindustrien, med potensial for kommersialisering av prototyper og nye produkter.
Overføring av metodikk og kunnskap til andre sårbare grupper, som personer med lav appetitt, sykdomsrelatert underernæring eller barn med ernæringsbehov.
Bidrag til fremtidige kostholdsanbefalinger og ernæringspolitikk som tar hensyn til tekstur og fordøyelighet hos eldre.
Gjennom bred formidling, inkludert populærvitenskapelige artikler, presentasjoner for seniororganisasjoner og deltakelse på internasjonale konferanser, har prosjektet nådd ut til både fagmiljøer, industri og allmennheten. EAT4AGE har dermed lagt grunnlaget for varige endringer i hvordan mat for eldre utvikles, vurderes og implementeres – med klare virkninger for både enkeltindivider og samfunnet som helhet.
Undernutrition among older adults is a multifaceted challenge where the palatability, availability and cost of food intersect with metabolic effects and health outcomes. The research partners representing six different countries in EAT4AGE will focus on some of the most important age-related changes that should be overcome to prevent undernutrition and avoid impaired muscle function; i.e. decline in digestive functions, oral processing, sensory perception and appetite. EAT4AGE will investigate how food reformulation can be used to combat undernutrition and improve the health of older people.
The project will specifically address the choice of protein source and type of processing in developing innovative nutrient-dense foods with improved acceptability, as protein source may affect digestibility in older adults as well as appetite and satiety.
Initial screening will result in formulation of innovative energy- and nutrient-dense food prototypes based on cereals, dairy and meat. Palatability, and appetite/satiety of nutritionally enhanced innovative products will be tested in older adults in all countries with culturallyrelevant food prototypes. In-vitro testing of selected prototypes for textural roperties will be performed to develop a textural ingredient toolbox for developing innovative food products for older adults. The digestive processes change with increased age, thus, food prototypes will be tested using a semi-dynamic in vitro digestion model. This will provide new knowledge for older adults, that will be disseminated with the INFOGEST network as discussion partner and dissemination platform. Selected food prototypes will also be tested for anabolic response in skeletal muscle among older adults. This will provide further knowledge on how the different protein sources in the selected food prototypes are processed in older adults.
