Early Flavor Learning and Its Impact on Later Feeding Behavior

Summary

This narrative review synthesises research on the sensory and learning mechanisms underlying flavor preference development in infants and young children. The authors describe how innate taste preferences (preference for sweet, umami, and salty; rejection of bitter and many sour tastes) are established early but remain modifiable through prenatal and early postnatal experiences—particularly volatile flavor exposure through breast milk or formula feeding. The review argues that understanding these early determinants of food choice is critical for designing public health strategies to address diet-related disease in both developed and developing countries.

Regional applicability

Although authored in the United States and drawing primarily on laboratory research conducted there, the findings on early flavor learning mechanisms and sensory development are biologically universal and applicable to United Kingdom infant and child nutrition policy and practice. The review's emphasis on breast milk flavour exposure and early feeding experiences has direct relevance to UK infant feeding guidance and early years nutrition.

Key measures

Taste perception (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami); olfactory/volatile flavor detection; flavor preference establishment; prenatal and postnatal sensory experiences; breast milk and formula feeding experiences

Outcomes reported

The review examines how innate taste preferences and early sensory experiences (prenatal through milk feeding) shape flavor perception and establish long-term food preferences in infants and children. It describes the mechanisms by which sweet, umami and salty tastes are innately preferred while bitter and sour substances are rejected, and how these innate responses can be modified through early exposure.

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